I had a spontaneous trip to Asheville, North Carolina at the end of September. Since I didn’t have a rental car on this trip, I wasn’t anticipating having much access to craft coffee, but serendipitously, my hotel was around the corner from an Earth Fare market (natural foods grocery store), which had an extensive selection […]
Review: Sudden Coffee Intelligentsia Colombia Tres Santos (4-pack, instant coffee)
Instant coffee is not a new concept; it’s been around for decades. However, over the past few years, there’s been an increased interest amongst craft coffee roasters in making convenient yet high-quality coffee options available to customers. When I’m at home, I always grind and brew fresh, but when I’m traveling, sometimes I would like […]
Review: Blue Bottle Coffee Summer Blend (Oakland, California)
Blue Bottle Coffee offers seasonal blends, and I was fortunate enough to pick up a bag of their Summer Blend while it was still available. I first was alerted about this blend through Blue Bottle’s email list, where Blue Bottle’s quality control director, Ben Brewer (really? Is there a more spot-on surname for someone working […]
Review: Blue Bottle Coffee Giant Steps (Oakland, California)
James Freeman, the founder of Blue Bottle, is a former professional clarinet player, and I’ve always appreciated the occasional musical references thrown into the names and descriptions of his company’s coffees (for instance, the “Brahmsian” characteristics of Blue Bottle’s Hayes Valley Espresso). This particular blend was named after John Coltrane’s Giant Steps, and Blue Bottle’s […]
Review: Lüna Coffee Guatemala Huehuetenango Pedro Villatoro Lychee Glow (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Denton, Texas was where I used to call home between 2001-2003, while I was a student at the University of North Texas. The city had a quirky, offbeat vibe while I lived there, and that hasn’t changed, but what has changed is the proliferation of craft coffee shops in the area. Granted, I didn’t really […]
Review: Intelligentsia Coffee Black Cat Analog Espresso (Chicago, Illinois)
The first time I tried Intelligentsia’s Black Cat Analog Espresso was in a coffee shop. I was in Northern California for work back in 2015 and had a beautifully pulled shot at Vero’s Coffee Bar in San Jose. I enjoyed it so much, I use the photo of it that I took as an example […]
Review: Square Mile Coffee Roasters Guatemala Los Suspiros (London, England)
The last time I had tried an espresso from Square Mile Coffee Roasters, it was their excellent Red Brick Espresso Blend, so this time I opted to try this single-origin Guatemalan espresso. Whole bean: Sweet, tangy aroma reminiscent of peach and amaretto. Espresso: Sometimes I really enjoy single-origin espressos and sometimes I just can’t find […]
Review: Square Mile Coffee Roasters Ecuador Vitaliano Merino (London, England)
Square Mile Coffee Roasters really blew me away when I tried their Ethiopia Mormora and Red Brick Espresso last year, so I was very much looking forward to having another chance to pick up some of their beans. Due to my tight schedule on my last visit, I opted to order online and have the […]
Review: Gordon St Coffee Glasgow Roast (Glasgow, Scotland)
In early July, I was traveling for work for about a week, and I had limited access to coffee. While I was grateful that my AirBnB provided a Keurig, I found the flavor to be really depressing compared to what I’m used to having. Quality coffee is one of my little luxuries in life, so […]
Review: Whiskey Morning Coffee Classic Barrel Aged Coffee (Tolar, Texas)
I had the pleasure of chatting with some of the folks behind Whiskey Morning Coffee recently, and we arranged for me to try out their beans in exchange for a review. As you may have guessed from their name, what sets this company apart from most other coffee roasters is that they specialize in roasting […]