Most of the time when I’m doing coffee tastings, I have to evaluate the coffee first thing in the morning because caffeine lingers so long in my system, I can’t sleep properly if I consume caffeine later in the day. It can be a little hard to properly enjoy the coffee if I’m bleary-eyed from […]
bittersweet cocoa
Review: Drum Coffee Luigi Blend Traditional Italian Espresso Blend (Missoula, Montana)
When I started getting into specialty coffee, one “rule” I heard a lot was that you do not need an “espresso” blend to make espresso. This is true. I’ve had some amazing espresso shots pulled from single-origin coffees, and I’ve had terrific drip coffee made from beans marketed for espresso. However, not all beans are […]
Review: Intelligentsia Coffee Black Cat Analog Espresso (Chicago, Illinois)
The first time I tried Intelligentsia’s Black Cat Analog Espresso was in a coffee shop. I was in Northern California for work back in 2015 and had a beautifully pulled shot at Vero’s Coffee Bar in San Jose. I enjoyed it so much, I use the photo of it that I took as an example […]
Review: Counter Culture Hologram Espresso (Durham, North Carolina)
I’m excited to check another roaster off of my coffee bucket list. Counter Culture is a major player in the specialty coffee world. Unlike Stumptown, Blue Bottle, Intelligentsia, etc., they do not seem to run their own cafes; they instead seem to focus their efforts on the roasting and on their training centers (sprinkled across the […]
Review: Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters Ethiopia Amaro Gayo (Sacramento, California)
Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters is a roaster and coffee bar from Sacramento, California. As soon as I heard the name, I immediately knew this company was either founded by a Kiwi or by people that have a love affair with the country of New Zealand. Chocolate fish are a type of confection found in New Zealand […]
Review: Klatch Belle Espresso (Upland, California)
Finally! Time to review Klatch Belle. I will say upfront that I am still learning about what makes a “good” espresso, and I am not as experienced with tasting espressos as I am with coffees. However, this was a very enjoyable tasting for me, and I do think that the espresso shots I made at […]
Review: Klatch Coffee Panama Elida Honey (Upland, California)
I have been looking forward to trying Klatch Coffee ever since I started reading up on specialty coffee roasters. Klatch is a name I saw mentioned repeatedly, along with Intelligentsia, Verve, Counter Culture, Madcap, and Stumptown (especially in an espresso context). The Klatch Belle Espresso review will be happening in a few days, but I couldn’t […]