I’ve reviewed coffee from The Missing Bean before, back in 2016 (their Unbirthday Blend landed in my top 10 list for the year), and on a recent trip back to England, I was really happy to have a chance to meet up with a friend and visit the roastery itself. It’s not a fancy place – the space has burlap sacks everywhere and half of the room is taken up with the giant roasting machine – but the staff couldn’t have been nicer, and we were able to enjoy some lovely drinks seated on stools by the store’s plate-glass window. There were plenty of fresh coffee offerings available to take home but I opted for this Colombian since it was the freshest of all.
Whole bean: Lively and warm, smells of spice cake.
French press: There is a hint of orange and spice to this cup (nutmeg, clove, cinnamon) – it was like pumpkin pie without the pumpkin.
Chemex: Clean and sweet cup that tasted of orange and honey. Juicy and a bit tart on the very finish – makes your mouth water!
AeroPress: This was a thick, spicy, and fudgy cup. It had a bit of heat on the end, like cayenne pepper. Delicious straight out of the brewer without any additional water added.
V60: Powdery texture to this, and the coffee was less sweet than the other methods. Smooth flavors of cocoa and orange with a hint of nut.
Summary: The Chemex version of this coffee was my personal favorite of the four, but really, all four methods produced delicious coffee and I think it would be quite difficult to make a bad cup of coffee with these beans. Highly recommended!
From the roaster: Well balanced, with notes of candied orange, spiced rum and clove
The Missing Bean doesn’t sell their coffee online, but they have a cafe and roastery location in Oxford that you can visit to buy their beans.
Review conducted 14-15 days post-roast.