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 a bit of a surprise when I opened the bag.
It was hard to get the lighting right, but just in physical appearance, these two batches of beans look incredibly similar to me, from the color to the slight sheen of oil to the degree of crack in the bean. However, the Bold Roast was definitely a different batch. They smelled VERY different from the House Roast.
Whole bean: Chocolate malt and chocolate milkshake sweetness. This smelled almost like a flavored coffee, it was so strong in its sugary/chocolaty aroma.
V60: Okay, after trying this brew method with both the House and Bold roasts, I can say this is NOT the device you want to use with this company’s beans. The coffee that resulted from this method smelled like tire rubber and had a really pungent and acrid flavor. Not recommended.
AeroPress: As before, this coffee was much, MUCH better in the AeroPress. It legit tasted like a chocolate milkshake. When I added a little bit of milk and sugar to it, it was incredibly reminiscent of Häagen-Dazs coffee ice cream (a gateway drug into coffee flavor if I’ve ever heard of one). Delicious.
Chemex: As I did when testing the House Roast, I “underextracted” this by brewing for a shorter time than usual (only 3:20). The coffee out of the Chemex and its thicker filter was clean, simple, and satisfying. It just tasted like an honest and uncomplicated coffee with a bit of milk chocolate character to it.
French press: This had a deep and buttery sweetness to it, with chocolate and nutty notes. Comforting.
Summary: Immersion methods show off this coffee at its best, with deep and rich chocolaty flavors. The Chemex mutes some of the sweetness but also results in a simple yet tasty cup. Avoid using a Hario V60 for this though – something about this method isn’t suited to these beans.
From the roaster: No tasting notes provided
Review conducted 11 days post-roast.
Disclaimer: I received this product gratis in exchange for a fair and honest review. Even though I received this for free, I treat and test it the same way as if I had paid for it out of my own pocket.