My thoughts of the different coffee and espresso blends that I’ve tried. Coffees are all brewed using a Six Cup Classic Chemex and unbleached filters. The espresso is ground with a Nemox Lux or Kym hand grinder and brewed with an Arrarex Caravel with the double basket, a La Peppina with a double basket or La Cara with double or triple basket. I’m mainly keeping track of these because there are so many different varieties that I really can’t keep them straight so I’ve decided to start writing down some quick impressions so that I can remember what I like.
Breakfast Blend: pending re-review. Roasterie
Kansas City Blend: Very nice aroma. A little sour like dried cranberries and orange peel with some creamy undertones. Picks up a lot of smoothness and creamy chocolate in the press. Roasterie
Sumatra Organic: It’s hard for me to pick anything out of this coffee as it seems a bit too dark to really distinguish any particular flavors. Clean on the tongue, a little bourbon as it cools. Roasterie
American Restaurant Blend: pending re-review. Roasterie
Full Vengeance: pending re-review. Roasterie
Guatemala Organic: pending re-review. Roasterie
40 Sardines: A little sweet and sour with some undertones of caramel and jasmine, mellow roasted nuts or coconut. A little biting finish. Roasterie
Classic Cup Cafe: pending re-review Roasterie
Euro Bistro: pending re-review. Roasterie
Midwest Blend: pending re-review. Roasterie
Pitalito Estates Colombian Supremo – Viena Roast: The description on the website is pretty much right on. I think this is pretty good, especially when I go easy on the grounds and don’t dump the whole damned bag in there. Roasterie
Bristol Seafood Grill Blend: This is kind of funky and I like it. The aftertaste is a little more bitter than some, but it is super smooth. Roasterie
Don Quijote: Very similar to the Pitalito Estates but a little fruitier. A little more delicate and a little less smooth. Tasty though, but I like the other better. I could only find a link to the green version. Roasterie
La Bella Vita Espresso: Very flavorful, smells like cinnamon and trees in the fall. Sweet and fruity and a little chocolaty and leaves a great taste in my mouth. . PT’s Coffee
Seattle-Style Espresso: Smooth with a hint of nutmeg. Very easy going, maybe a little boring, but tastes pretty good. I think my beans are kind of old though as I think I’m missing out on some of the flavor that’s hidden away here. Over time this roast smooths out and gets a little velvety and chocolaty. Roasterie
Four Bean Blend: This is a very tasty blend with a lot of light complex flavors that are hard to appreciate with morning breath. Better suited for the afternoon. Has some nice, bright flowery flavors. Finishes very cleanly too. Roasterie
Super Tuscan: Jury’s out on this right now. Roasterie
Espresso 411: I had a lot of trouble getting this right as I just bought a new grinder and kept choking the machine. Very floral notes and a little bitter too. Cherries come out when I brew it well. Columbia Street Roastery
La Gourmandise: Way too floral for me with some fairly complex things going on. I was able to get it smoother by brewing at a lower temperature. Pretty light on the tongue too though so it’s an all day drinker I think. Just not for me. Columbia Street Roastery
Rolling Thunder: The roast I tried was pretty old so I’ll need to try this when it’s fresh. I tried this as espresso and as drip and it is certainly meant as a drip coffee, but totally drinkable as espresso. The flavor is very crisp and smooth with just a little floral hint. Need to get more. PT’s Coffee
Nitro: I bought this thinking it was an espresso blend, not realizing that The Roasterie has two different versions of this, one for drip and one for espresso. This is the drip version and is completely undrinkable as espresso. As a drip coffee this is pretty good with a strong taste of banana, but is a little too potent for me so I have to relegate myself to one cup. Roasterie
Holiday Blend: I don’t normally drink flavored coffee and bought this by accident, tastes like absolute hell. How can people drink this stuff? Roasterie.
Steve’s Secret Allegro Blend: Very smooth with some chocolate tones and a little citrus. I end up wanting to drink the whole pot as it’s not at all overpowering. Really tasty, I like it. Roasterie
European-Style Espresso: Smells like tobacco and citrus with a fairly uncomplicated taste. Cherries maybe. Finishes OK, not great, but tastes pretty good. Roasterie
Fazenda Ipanema Dulce – Brazil: Incredibly smooth. A little smoke and a little sweet and a little like creme brulee. Pretty darn tasty. PT’s Coffee
Finca Los Planes Panamara: A lot of citrus and cherry on the first sip that slowly develops into cream and tobacco, still maintaining a citrusy bite. Doesn’t have much of a scent, but tastes pretty good. A little too citrusy for me. PT’s Coffee
Colombian Supremo French Roast: Highly acidic taste, I don’t usually like dark roasted coffees and this does not appear to be any exception. A woody taste with a little sweetness. Some sour citrus in the aftertaste. Roasterie
Ethiopian Sidamo Special Prep: Fascinating and delicious. Sweet and fruity with just a little zing on the toungue. Mild blueberry and strawberry flavor. The after taste can turn a little bitter after a while. Really very unique to me. PT’s Coffee
Organic Limu Gomma, Ethiopia: Grassy and a little smoky with a buttery mouthfeel. Tart cherries and orange peel lies just beneath. Not my favorite, but not bad. PT’s Coffee
Kona Blend: Smells rubbery and metallic, but there’s also caramel and lavender buried somewhere under there. Tastes rubbery and metallic too, but better than it smells. My suspicion is that this blend is leaning too far to the robustas and not enough Kona. Roasterie
Organic Espresso: Very fruity at the start, cherries and grapefruit and then starts to smooth out. It ends with dark chocolate wrapped in grapefruit. Not bad at all. Roasterie
Moka Java: The Ethiopian in the blend bring out some really nice strawberry flavors and grapefruit aroma. The first part of a sip is sweet and fruity that then melts into an earthy and pleasant finish. Very smooth and very good. PT’s Coffee
Kauai: A little bitter, but there’s some caramel sweetness under there. Otherwise pretty nondescript. Better than the Roasterie’s Kona, but not particularly impressive. Hatties Coffee
Giovanna: The is the house espresso at Drink a Latte. Very smooth and chocolatey with some force. This brews particularly well on my Caravel in a thick, delicious syrup. From relatively local roaster, All Nite Roasters.
Broadway Cafe Signature Espresso: Tastes like rose petals steeped in honey. Really delicious and creamy. Milk chocolate finish. Broadway Cafe
Ethiopia Harrar Boldgrain: This was OK, had some faint grapefruit undertones, but came off bitter and a bit harsh. All Nite Roasters
La Florida – Peru: I think this coffee has more to offer than what my Chemex can provide so I’ll have to try it again with a press. It comes out pretty harsh as it is. These beans are almost a month old, no thanks to the stock situation at Whole Foods.
Wondo Bonko Ethiopian Sidamo Special Prep: Basically just like the other Ethiopian Sidamo Special Prep, perhaps a little smokier. The smell when I open the bag is amazing, strawberry and red wine. Even better when ground. PT’s Coffee
Ethiopian Sidamo Special Prep Espresso: Like a slice of cherry pie. Sweet, creamy, bold and delicious. One of the best espresso’s I’ve made. PT’s Coffee
Santa Isabel Guatemala: Very smooth and mild, there’s a very pleasant creaminess and softness to this coffee. It tastes a little generic, but is very easy to drink. Faintly nutty with a honey sweetness. Tastes better out of the chemex than the french press. PT’s Coffee
Celebese Sulawesi Flores: Smells grassy and mossy and a little peaty. I think this varietal is a bit overroasted as the primary flavor that comes out in Chemex is salt. As a press this coffee smooths out and I can takes faint herbal, tea-like notes. Still, could use a lighter roast I think to really make it sing. Columbia Street Roastery
Espresso 311: Very chocolaty with highlights of cherries. Excellent, buttery mouthfeel. Very good and not overly complex. Columbia Street Roastery
Celebes Kalossi (Full City): Perhaps the best coffee I have ever had. Smells strongly of grass and herbs and Spring. Starts off light and lively on the tongue and then develops into a strong herbal sensation not unlike Good Earth tea. Tastes best pressed as the Chemex tends to pull out some of the body. Loses much of it’s charm just before the two week mark after roasting. Coffee Emporium
Brazil Fazenda Aurea: Layers of chocolate and caramel. Very smooth. Sweetness sings out on the La Cara, more muted on the Caravel. Very tasty. Cafe D’Bolla
Belle Espresso: I’ve never had better. Will have to review drink again since I forgot to do it the first time. Coffee Klatch
Coffee Klatch FTO Espresso: Coming up. Coffee Klatch
La Golondrina: Sweet and smooth, some flavors of bourbon and cranberries with a tiny bit of bitterness. Creamy with a nutty finish. I like this a lot. Counter Culture Coffee
Bluestem Blend: Very and buttery with a fairly robust mouthfeel very good from chemex, ok from press. Fairly one-dimensional flavor overall, but it;s very competent. Roasterie
FTO Bolivia: Smooth and creamy with a dairy like finish. Hints of cloves as it cools. Oddly Correct
Orange Treble Espresso: Light and citrusy, like a Dreamsicle with it’s creamy smoothness and light and smooth mouthfeel. My favorite espresso right now. Oddly Correct
Guatemala Free Trade: Intensely herbal and smooth, very similar to Sulawesi. Just a little earthy. Barista De Casa
Bali Tri Hita Korana: Really delicious and well rounded flavor. Sweet and juicy, a little tomato with some herbal notes out of the press. Roasterie
Fazenda Recrio – Brazil: This is a ridiculously smooth and lightly sweet. Watch for the fruit to come out as it cools. Described on the bag as oatmeal cookie and cherry, yep, that’s it. Oddly Correct
