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 […]
AeroPress
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 […]
Review: True Coffee Roasters Costa Rica Finca Calle Lajas (Madison, Wisconsin)

This is the second coffee I was sent by the nice folks at True Coffee Roasters. I enjoyed tasting their Ethiopia Guji, and part of the reason I opted to try it first is that Ethiopian coffee is one of my favorites – I’ve rarely met an Ethiopian coffee I didn’t like. Costa Rican coffee […]
Review: True Coffee Roasters Ethiopia Guji, washed, Grade 1 (Fitchburg, Wisconsin)

Readers in the US are probably familiar with the quasi-holiday Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving, when large retailers slash prices on all sorts of merchandise to kick off the Christmas shopping season), but a slightly lesser-known quasi holiday is Small Business Saturday, when consumers are encouraged to do their holiday shopping from small businesses. […]
Review: Taylors of Harrogate Tim Peaks Coffee (Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England)

People from all walks of life are fond of their caffeinated beverages, but I feel like the most creatively inclined people I know have a disproportionate level of interest in the quality of their coffee and tea. Perhaps it’s an occupational hazard (work that’s rife with attention to detail!), perhaps musicians and artists are just […]
Review: 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters Old School Espresso (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

Of the seven bags of coffee I purchased during my time in Vancouver, I’d say this bag from 49th Parallel was the only one specifically marketed as espresso (the Matchstick Catalogue No. 39 was described as being fine for both espresso and coffee), so I was pretty excited to see what it would be like […]
Review: 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters Colombia El Madrigal (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

The one Canadian roaster I was familiar with (just from my time browsing coffee forums) was 49th Parallel, so I knew that I needed to definitely make finding their coffee a priority. I had hoped that Revolver Coffee would be carrying some (with no car on this trip, it would have been nice to have […]
Review: Rare Earth Coffee Bold Roast (Fresno, California)

This is the second of two coffees I received for testing from Rare Earth Coffee. The first, their House Roast, was roasted quite darkly in my opinion for a medium roast, so I had anticipated that this Bold Roast, which is labeled as a dark roast, would be significantly darker. However, I was in for […]
Review: Rare Earth Coffee House Roast (Fresno, California)

I was contacted by the folks at Rare Earth Coffee about testing out a couple of their coffees. Rare Earth Coffee is a relatively new addition to the coffee scene; the company was founded in 2014 in the Central Valley of California. One aspect of this company that sets them apart from most is their […]