A recent trip to Denton gave me time to visit Shift Coffee, which has featured interesting roasters in the past like Kuma and Chocolate Fish. This particular visit, they were featuring bags from local Fort Worth roaster Avoca, so I opted for Misty Valley, which is a blend of two Ethiopian coffees (Yirgacheffe and Gedio). The only other time I’ve seen an Ethiopian blend was when I reviewed Tweed’s Staycation Blend (which I rather liked) so I was curious how this would fare.
Whole bean: Creamy, raspberry, sweet like candy. Reminded me a lot of strawberry Starburst!
French press: No fruit flavor in this cup. Quite thick; almost dark roast in character.
Chemex: Cocoa was the dominant flavor here but it was delicate and smooth, with just a hint of brightness on the finish.
AeroPress: The sweet flavor of chocolate plus raspberries.
V60: Rather harsh – I accidentally brewed this at a slightly higher temperature than normal (205 degrees F; I normally brew at 200 degrees F) because I wasn’t paying attention to my kettle. Mind that you don’t heat your water to this level.
Summary: The aroma of the whole beans promised more fruit flavor than I actually got in the cup, so I was a tad bit disappointed to not get a berry bomb, but this is a good coffee for people that enjoy a nice balanced profile to their Ethiopian coffee. It is heavy on the cocoa flavor. Try it in a Chemex (for cocoa flavor) or in an AeroPress (for chocolate-covered raspberries).
From the roaster: Floral aroma with blueberry, strawberry, raspberry and cocoa flavors; balanced with a pleasant acidity and creamy mouthfeel.
Avoca Coffee Roasters Misty Valley
Review conducted 7-9 days post-roast.
Margaret reviewed nicely on Avoga Coffee Roasters. Ethiopia is known for organic coffee heaven. I don’t know more about Chemex, but i am fond of French Press espresso maker. Thanks for sharing knowledge and experience.