Coal Creek Coffee Company is based out of Laramie, WY. I had not heard of this roaster before Alison sent me this bag, but upon visiting their website, I am already inclined to like them for a couple of reasons. One, they have blends with amusing names like Gods Must Be Crazy (which sounds delicious!!) and Troublemaker. Two, they sell bags in 8 oz sizes, which is nice for people like me that rotate between a lot of different coffees.
They have the following quote front and center on their homepage:
You are not a serious coffee drinker if
you are still buying your beans from the supermarket.
I feel admonished, and I don’t even buy my beans from the supermarket (well, except for an occasional trek to Whole Foods in an emergency, and I only buy fresh local roasts)! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Wow, they really do take their coffee seriously.
Note: This coffee was almost six weeks old when I did this tasting, so the flavor profile I’m tasting today will likely be different vs. experiencing it fresh.
Whole beans: The bag, once opened, had a muted scent to it, but after I ground some of the beans, the general aroma was a bit like gingerbread. Not very strong, though.
V60: My first impression of this cup was that it was slightly bitter, but it rounded out after a minute with a nice creamy finish. It didn’t have much in the way of flavor/aroma, though. It just smells “like coffee.”
AeroPress: Same as V60 with a slightly thicker consistency. Tastes like coffee.
Chemex: The cup smelled just slightly like marshmallows, but again, it tasted like coffee.
French press: This cup was thick with a slightly dry, powdery finish. There might have been a faint taste of Whoppers (the malt-ball candy, not the burgers!), but it was extremely subtle.
Summary: At the time of this tasting, this coffee tasted pretty generic. I got little to no flavor other than “coffee,” but I suspect some of that was due to the fact that the coffee is six weeks old. I am very willing to try this roaster again to find out, though! Coffee that tastes “like coffee” isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I don’t think that was what this roaster was going for with these beans. I think I’ll have to try the Gods Must Be Crazy blend when it comes time to try this roaster again — with a name like that, I can’t resist!
From the roaster: A bright coffee with flavors of raisins, cooked apple, and malt. Medium-light body.
Yeesh! Ok, stayin’ out of the supermarket!
I had just purchased another (fresh and local) bag from Whole Foods when this comment came through. No joke! 😛 (I guess I’m not serious…)