Review: Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters Sunset Blend (Dallas, Texas)

Davis Street Espresso is the home cafe for Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters here in Dallas, but though I’ve gotten pretty familiar with OCCR over the past 2 years, I hadn’t visited Davis Street Espresso until quite recently because 1) I just don’t go out for espresso much and 2) I’m not typically in the area when they’re open. However, I finally had the chance to visit and enjoyed a lovely espresso while scouting out their bean selection. As typical for me, I looked for what was the freshest, and I ended up choosing the Sunset Blend.

The packaging describes the Sunset Blend as “Our most balanced offering, the Sunset Blend is specifically blended for wonderful sweetness and body. This coffee pairs well with a wide range of foods.” I was coming off of a run of drinking rather complex and challenging coffees, so the idea of drinking something balanced and simpler really appealed to me. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE complexity in my coffee, but some mornings, the last thing I want to be is confused about what I’m drinking. Not surprisingly, it is directly proportional to how much sleep I’ve had… 😉

Whole bean: Black pepper? The scent seemed to be coming more from the bag than the beans, though. Once I put the beans in a little glass bowl, however, they smelled “normal” – I couldn’t pick out anything specific.

French press: Super smooth and uncomplicated. A bit murky. Not getting a ton of flavor from this cup but it’s pleasant – it’s a cup you can drink and enjoy without having to think about it too much.

Chemex: Incredibly smooth and sweet. Delicious! Not murky at all – clear as a bell. Milk chocolate and orange flavors. This was highly enjoyable.

AeroPress: Similar to the Chemex cup but with the volume turned up. Bit more citrusy.

V60: Creamy and sweet, with a good balance of flavors.

Summary: I think the pourover methods (Chemex and V60) particularly suit this blend, but all four cups were enjoyable. There wasn’t a huge difference between any of the cups but if given the option, go with a pourover method for the cleanest and juiciest flavor.

From the roaster: Sweet milk chocolate and citrus.

Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters Sunset Blend

Review conducted 3-4 days post-roast.

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