Coffee Reviews

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Country Morning Coffee Black Hawk Espresso

Posted by Jerry on 18 Oct 2008 | Tagged as: Coffee Reviews

Pardon the brevity, but this is a mobile on-the-go review.

Country Morning Coffee’s “Black Hawk” is mild for an espresso, yet still overflows with that wonderful, raw, smokey espresso flavor. Delicious straight from the machine, mixed as a latte, or even brewed as a regular coffee.

Hereby officially deemed Groovy.

Country Morning Coffee’s "Organic Harvest"

Posted by Jerry on 29 Sep 2008 | Tagged as: Coffee Reviews

Organic Harvest

Upon picking this one up, my first reaction was, "Does that say ‘orgasmic?’ Or ‘organic?’"  It’s hand-written so I couldn’t tell until putting on my glasses and taking a closer look.

Deja-vu, I thought. 

It definitely says ‘organic’ but I couldn’t help but think "Orgasmic Harvest" would make a great name for a coffee.

As it turns out, my first impression was right.  This coffee is indeed orgasmic.  It brews up bold and strong, with a rich and very deep flavor, hinting of walnut, dark chocolate, and a touch of aromatic wood smoke.

It’s also very smooth, especially considering it’s respectable edge.  Elizabeth over at Country Morning is a master at roasting and blending, and this orgasmic organic harvest is a definite winner.  It’s not just good, it’s awesome good.

And very groovy.

Seattle’s Best Autumn Reserve

Posted by Jerry on 27 Sep 2008 | Tagged as: Coffee Reviews

“Full bodied & slightly spicy,” reads the package.

To me it doesn’t taste “spicy” as much as it does “tainted.”

Country Morning Coffee "Giddy-Up-N’-Go!" Blend

Posted by Jerry on 25 Sep 2008 | Tagged as: Coffee Reviews

imageIt’s a beautiful, misty early morning.  I can see a couple of deer in the field from my window.  The crickets are still chirping.

My iPhone says it’s 61º F outside.

The grinder makes its harsh sound against this peaceful backdrop, shockingly loud, and afterward the quiet seems deafening.  The amazing scent of fresh coffee is worth it.  It smells so good I could lick it.

I’d discovered Country Morning Coffee a year or so ago, and am quite happy to have more of it.  This blend, hand-written on the package, is "Giddy-Up-N’-Go."  No doubt an energizing morning brew.

I take that first reverent sip of the day.

It tastes like dark co-co riding on an aggressive black roasted edge.  It’s a French Roast taste mellowed with something milder and sweeter, and I detect walnut notes.  It is extremely groovy.

I could drink it all day.  I’m certainly enjoying the way it enhances this already beautiful morning.

Seattle’s Best “Panorama”

Posted by Jerry on 01 Aug 2008 | Tagged as: Coffee Reviews

I picked this coffee up on a whim while at a Border’s book store. Why? Attractive packaging, of course. Beautiful lettering, a calming and tranquil color of green, the picture of a sail boat with the inset of someone doing the “I’m king of the world!” stance on the bow.

Obviously this coffee must be something special.

I am happy to tell you that it is not bad at all. Rich medium bold flavor, with high smoky-wood notes and a very pleasant banana bread aftertaste, I’d have to say this is some of the best coffee I’ve had in over a month. The folks at Seattle’s best found some good Tanzanian beans and toasted them to a dark city roast perfection. It’s just right for an early morning coffee, especially if you’re in a happy relaxed mood, and don’t want the top of your head blown off by a harsh French roast caffeine bomb. This carries just enough of a buzz on its river of rich flavor, and the quality definitely justifies the marketing money they spent on the fancy packaging.

Cheers to you, Seattle’s Best. You did this one very right.

I hereby proclaim this to be a Groovy Brew.

Costa Rican Naranjo Caracol Peaberry

Posted by Jerry on 07 Jun 2008 | Tagged as: Coffee Reviews, Home Roasted

This is my last home roasted coffee for a while.

I think I may have saved the best for last.  If not the best, then tied with the best.  It doesn’t surprise me, because there’s something about Costa Rican beans that always sends a low and groovy pulse directly into the pleasure center of my brain.

I roasted this up to a deep, beautiful dark dark brown, what they call a City + roast, and have waited until it’s nearly gone to write about it.  That is because I’m starting to burn out on having to report on the coffee — I just want to enjoy it.

And my coffee loving friends, I have enjoyed this one immensely.  It has a medium bold flavor, well balanced in acidity — just enough to give it a little bite, but not enough to burn a hole in your colon — and features a sweet, wood-smoke flavor with berry and walnut highlights.

And with that, I’m out of green beans to roast, and also my roaster — that air popcorn popper I bought off of eBay — it’s starting to sound like it’s going implode and die.  So, I think I’ll be buying myself a proper roaster, and in the meantime I’ll drink and review pre-roasted beans.

Sweet Maria’s Kenya Kirinyaga-Thimu Peaberry

Posted by Jerry on 11 May 2008 | Tagged as: Coffee Reviews, Home Roasted

SweetMariasLogoI blazed these peaberries to a awesome Full City roast amid a glorious storm of flying chaff, floating and drifting off my second story balcony and all over my neighbor’s porch and parked cars.

It’s a bit of a mess.  But good coffee is worth it.

And this is good coffee, though I’m not as impressed with it as I have been with others I’ve gotten from Sweet Maria’s.

The good:  Nice and fresh (of course!) and featuring a natural rustic sweetness.  Rich and tasty.

The bad:  The winey-berry notes are awfully subtle, to the point where after the first blush of flavor this coffee comes off as bland.  No complexity and no character.  My guess is that this bean would best be used in blending, to tone down another coffee, rather than be used as a single-bean brew.

A good thing to remember if you’re into blending.  Which I’m not.  I just want to grind, brew, and drink it. 

Oh, and roast it occasionally.

Sweet Maria’s Brazil Coromandel-Fazenda Sao Joao

Posted by Jerry on 02 May 2008 | Tagged as: Coffee Reviews, Home Roasted

SweetMariasLogo"Coromandel-Fazenda Sao Joao?"

I dare you to say that three times, fast.

Yet another home roast, I cooked these up to what they call a "full city" or very dark brown, but not black.  Once again, my $7 eBay air popper turned coffee-roaster did a great job, producing yet another brew that is so good it’s blowing the bell curve for the rest of my non-home-roasted reviews.

Home roasting is the way to go, people.  Seriously.  Buying green beans is much cheaper, they keep for a long long time without you having to worry about them going stale.  It takes less than 15 minutes to roast enough to last you a week.  It tastes better than you can possibly imagine — assuming you’ve never had uber-fresh roasted coffee before.

If you just can’t be bothered with the zen task of home roasting, then I highly recommend you buy from a micro-roaster such as some of the ones I’ve featured here.

Sermon over.  I’m climbing down from the fresh-coffee-smelling podium.

I kind of blew the ending, didn’t I?  I already stated this coffee is awesome.  Well, let me also say that it has a strong, full body without being overwhelming, a very rich taste, with overtones of walnut and dark chocolate.  There’s a good, active zing without being overly acidic.  The aftertaste fades to a warm, comfy wood-smoke glow, leaving you with a sense of peace and well-being.

Or at least it does me, because I’ve got enough to last me a while and I’m so happy I do!  This, my friends, is a bona fide groovy brew.

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