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: 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: 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: 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: Sub Pop Black Vinyl Blend (Seattle, Washington)

On my way home from Vancouver, my Last Port of Call was the SeaTac airport. It seems I Keep Coming Back to the Sub Pop store that’s in the airport (I’ve browsed their wares on at least two other occasions), but with a nearly 4-hour layover, it was the perfect way for me to spend […]

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: 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 […]