I picked up this bag of Roseline Coffee from the downtown location of Portland’s Barista. Barista regularly features multiple roasters, and though I desperately wanted to buy a bag of everything (roasters featured on my visit also included Case and Olympia), I allowed myself to only purchase this bag of Roseline and a limited edition bag of Coava (review forthcoming).
Most of Roseline’s coffees are single-origin, and they come in 12 oz bags, but this bag of Catapult Blend came in a 1 lb bag. That wasn’t a factor in my choosing to purchase it, but it’s good info for anyone that has strong feelings about the size of their coffee bags.
Whole bean: Mild scent; nothing particular really stood out. After I ground the beans, there was a hint of raspberry jam.
French press: Really full-bodied brew that was dominated by the flavor of cocoa powder. Sweet but not fruity; this is a smooth, pleasant blend where there are no jarring flavors. Crowd pleasing.
Chemex: Slight raspberry jam flavor with a dry finish. Refreshing. The smell of this coffee reminded me of the Temple Costa Rica Los Lajas Golden Honey that I reviewed earlier in the summer; though thankfully not one of the iterations that made me cry.
AeroPress: As a concentrate, it was acidic and perky. Adding water smooths out the sharp notes and mutes the fruity bite to make it more accessible for most people.
V60: Smooth, clean flavors that were very easy to drink. This was my favorite of the pourover/immersion methods.
Espresso: I almost didn’t try Catapult as an espresso, because nowhere on the bag was there an indication that this was an espresso blend. However, I was finishing up this review and I found the link to the product page, where there it was: Catapult Seasonal Espresso. Up to this point, I was ho-hum about this coffee, but then I pulled a shot. Luckily, I got really close to what I feel like were the right parameters the first time (202 degrees F, 20 g in a double basket, 25 second pull, normale shot). Rich dark chocolate flavor flooded my tongue and gradually morphed into cherry pie as it lingered. My goodness. I was shocked at how excited I suddenly got about this blend! It reminded me of Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream.
I only pulled two shots before writing this review because they were pretty close to perfect in my view. 201 F degrees brought out more cherry; 202 F was more chocolaty. I made the 202 F shot into a latte, and the flavor stood up beautifully to create a wonderful drink. I would happily make this anytime.
Summary: In general, I prefer blends for my espresso and single-origins for my coffee. As coffee, I found this blend to be fairly unassuming and easy to drink, but it really shines pulled as espresso! Chocolate cherry goodness.
From the roaster: A great chef knows how to utilize seasonal ingredients to maximize potential flavor profiles. This is the driving inspiration behind Catapult Seasonal Espresso. We seek fresh ingredients that are specifically chosen to harmonize beautifully together. Combined with a roast profile that is optimized for espresso extraction, Catapult will launch you up and over the castle wall to victory.
As always! Makin’ me thirsty!