Despite the current trend in specialty coffee leaning toward fruity, juicy light roasts (which I love!), I think that a really good medium/medium-dark roast coffee is a thing of beauty, and it is something that goes under-appreciated these days. There’s something supremely comforting about a cup that has toasty, fragrant notes of chocolate, nuts, and […]
almond
Review: Square Mile Coffee Roasters Guatemala Los Suspiros (London, England)
The last time I had tried an espresso from Square Mile Coffee Roasters, it was their excellent Red Brick Espresso Blend, so this time I opted to try this single-origin Guatemalan espresso. Whole bean: Sweet, tangy aroma reminiscent of peach and amaretto. Espresso: Sometimes I really enjoy single-origin espressos and sometimes I just can’t find […]
Review: True Coffee Roasters Costa Rica Finca Calle Lajas (Madison, Wisconsin)
This is the second coffee I was sent by the nice folks at True Coffee Roasters. I enjoyed tasting their Ethiopia Guji, and part of the reason I opted to try it first is that Ethiopian coffee is one of my favorites – I’ve rarely met an Ethiopian coffee I didn’t like. Costa Rican coffee […]
Review: True Coffee Roasters Ethiopia Guji, washed, Grade 1 (Fitchburg, Wisconsin)
Readers in the US are probably familiar with the quasi-holiday Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving, when large retailers slash prices on all sorts of merchandise to kick off the Christmas shopping season), but a slightly lesser-known quasi holiday is Small Business Saturday, when consumers are encouraged to do their holiday shopping from small businesses. […]
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 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 […]
Review: Pallet Coffee Roasters Guatemala Santa Clara Estate (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Pallet Coffee Roasters had topped at least one list I had seen for “Best Vancouver Coffee Roasters,” so I spent the time in between checking out of my Airbnb and checking in at the airport navigating public transit to get myself to Pallet’s one cafe. It was raining and I’m sure I ended up walking […]
Review: Friedhats Coffee Roasters Ethiopia Suke Quto, washed (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Usually, when I feature coffee from roasters based outside the United States, it’s because I’ve had the opportunity to travel to the country in question. In this case, I did not actually go to Amsterdam (maybe someday!); I came across these beans at Revolver Coffee on Cambie St. in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Revolver had […]
Review: Ipsento Coffee Roasters Wildfire Espresso, now known as Cascade Espresso (Chicago, Illinois)
Ipsento Coffee Roasters is another Chicago-area coffee roaster I wanted to visit on my trip, but when I discovered I could order fresh beans from Ipsento via Javaya, it was a no-brainer. Since I purchased this bag of Ipsento’s Wildfire Espresso, they’ve apparently renamed the blend and are now calling it their Cascade Espresso. As […]
Review: Volcán de Fuego 1895 Single-Estate Coffee (San Diego, California)
When the folks at Volcán de Fuego reached out to me about trying some of their beans, they won me over quite quickly mainly because of their very clear dedication to freshness and quality. The fact that I’m quite fond of Guatemalan coffee didn’t hurt either! Volcán de Fuego’s 1895 (named after their processing plant […]