Review: Ceremony Coffee Roasters Synthesis Blend (Annapolis, Maryland)

I’ve had the pleasure of trying coffee from Ceremony Coffee Roasters before; in addition to their single-origins, they offer blends with nerdy names, and I had made a mental note that someday, I wanted to try their Thesis, Antithesis, and Synthesis blends. The packaging makes it appear that the Thesis is light, Antithesis is dark, […]

Review: Black Diesel Coffee Ethiopia Yirgacheffe (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

I’ve enjoyed drinking coffee for decades, but I still remember the one coffee that changed everything, the one that awakened my senses and introduced me to a world I never knew existed. The coffee was a natural-processed Ethiopian, and I remember marveling at its sweetness, the blueberry aroma, and how much I enjoyed drinking it […]

Review: Matchstick Catalogue No. 39 (Vancouver, Canada)

This bag from Matchstick was the third and final bag I purchased from my trip to Revolver Coffee in Vancouver. On the shelf, it was listed as espresso, but the bag indicates that it can be prepared as both espresso and as filter coffee. I was so overwhelmed by the huge amount of coffee I […]

Review: Monarch Coffee Colombia Finca El Cajon (Kansas City, Missouri)

Monarch Coffee on Broadway Blvd. was the final coffee shop I visited on my trip to Kansas City. What a gorgeous space! I didn’t take any photos while I was there but you can get an idea of their aesthetic via their Instagram account. This roaster/cafe has quite the pedigree: The owner is a licensed […]

Review: Intelligentsia Coffee Honey Badger Espresso (Chicago, Illinois)

During my short visit to Chicago in February, I popped into Intelligentsia Coffee’s Monadnock location and picked up this bag of their Honey Badger Espresso. They had lots of really fresh beans that day, but I was curious to see if I would like this better than their Black Cat Classic. Whole bean: Fresh, fruity, […]

Review: Cuvée Coffee Stella Cometa Espresso Blend (Austin, Texas)

This bag came from a trip to our local Whole Foods. I continue to be really grateful that they feature freshly roasted beans from local and local-ish roasters like Cuvée. Whole bean: These beans were roasted very evenly and I’d classify it as a light-to-medium roast. I sometimes get questions regarding espresso roasts, as if […]

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 […]

Review: Single O Killerbee (Sydney, Australia)

This was the second bag I bought from my visit to Single O. Most of the other beans I was bringing home from Australia seemed to be designed for drip (realized too late about the Sensory Lab Steadfast Blend, oops!), so I was excited to get my hands on an espresso blend. Australia and New […]

Review: Dark Horse Coffee Roasters No Problemo Espresso Blend (San Diego, California)

On the same trip when I bought the Dark Horse Odd Harmonics blend, I also picked up this bag of their No Problemo, which the barista told me is their espresso blend. As of summer 2018, this is a blend of beans from Guatemala, Brazil, and Colombia. Whole bean: Smells like chocolate with a hint […]

Review: 8th and Roast Coffee Co. Belle Meade Bourbon Barrel Aged Coffee (Nashville, Tennessee)

I’m not a big alcohol drinker. I might have a glass of red wine or a gin and tonic every now and then (maybe once a month?), typically only socially when out at concert venues. However, this coffee seemed much too out-of-the-ordinary to pass up when I saw it at the 8th and Roast location […]