Time to review another OCCR offering! I don’t typically drink a lot of coffee blends, but this was the freshest option I saw at my local Whole Foods, at 6 days post-roast. When I’m tasting a new coffee, I attempt to not look at the tasting notes ahead of time, so that I don’t get influenced by […]
Reviews
Review: Red Bird Espresso (Bozeman, Montana)
Here is a tasting that I’ve been wanting to do for quite a while. This is the espresso blend I mentioned previously that has a reputation for tasting like Snickers (peanut, chocolate, and caramel). I have ordered these beans several times previously and enjoyed them, but this will be my first time pulling the shots on […]
Review: Red Bird Sumatra Permata Gayo (Bozeman, Montana)
I used to drink a fair amount of Sumatran coffee, before I started branching out to explore other flavors and lighter roasts. I haven’t had a cup of Sumatra in at least a year (probably longer), so I thought it might be nice to revisit it with a new roaster. Red Bird Coffee, based in Bozeman, Montana, is […]
Espresso machines: the basics
I have always loved the smell and taste of coffee. Espresso, on the other hand, was an acquired taste. I didn’t hate it when it was accompanied with milk, but I had a hard time comprehending how anyone could enjoy such a bitter/sour brew on its own. It just didn’t taste good to me! I […]
Review: Tweed Colombia Los Naranjos (Dallas, Texas)
Tweed Coffee is a Dallas-based roaster associated with Houndstooth Coffee (locations in Austin and Dallas). I admit, I picked up this bag solely due to the name “Los Naranjos,” hoping that I would get some orange notes in the coffee (since the name was so close to “naranjas” – oranges). Spoiler alert: I was wrong […]
Review: Victrola Kenya Nyeri Tambaya Peaberry (Seattle, Washington)
I recently found out that a local coffee shop (Weekend Coffee in Dallas) carries Seattle-based Victrola Coffee Roasters so I popped over to check them out. On the day of my visit, they had two Victrola coffees available to take home: an Ethiopia Yirgacheffe and this Kenya. Since I haven’t reviewed any Kenyan coffees yet, I decided […]
Review: Coffee del Rey Fiesta del Sol Cafe Mexicana de Chiapas (Plano, Texas)
Chocolate fans, you’re gonna want to sit down for this one. This coffee is a very new offering from Coffee del Rey; it’s not listed on their website, but I was able to pick up a freshly roasted bag at their store on Thursday (roasted earlier THAT MORNING… how’s that for fresh?). I don’t know […]
Review: Porch Culture El Salvador Finca Santa Emilia (Tyler, Texas)
A recent work trip to East Texas introduced me to Porch Culture Coffee Roasters, which is a microroaster based in the city of Tyler. (Fun fact: for local subscribers, they deliver via bicycle!) I picked up this bag at The Foundry Coffee House, and also sampled a cup of Porch Culture’s Colombian beans brewed in […]
Review: Intelligentsia Burundi Bwayi (Chicago, Illinois)
This coffee looked so good in the Intelligentsia store that I didn’t even look at the price until the next day. $27/12oz. YIKES! Was it worth it? Read on. I have never had a coffee from Burundi; most of the African coffees I have sampled to this point have been from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Rwanda. […]
Review: Blue Bottle Hayes Valley Espresso (Oakland, California)
I have my cousin Lynn to thank for introducing me to Blue Bottle Coffee Roasters. Headquartered in Oakland, CA, they’ve expanded to include locations in Los Angeles, New York City, and Japan. In recent years they’ve acquired both the Tonx and Handsome Coffee companies, and it was just announced that they are merging with San […]