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: Whiskey Morning Coffee Classic Barrel Aged Coffee (Tolar, Texas)

I had the pleasure of chatting with some of the folks behind Whiskey Morning Coffee recently, and we arranged for me to try out their beans in exchange for a review. As you may have guessed from their name, what sets this company apart from most other coffee roasters is that they specialize in roasting […]

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: Taylors of Harrogate Tim Peaks Coffee (Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England)

People from all walks of life are fond of their caffeinated beverages, but I feel like the most creatively inclined people I know have a disproportionate level of interest in the quality of their coffee and tea. Perhaps it’s an occupational hazard (work that’s rife with attention to detail!), perhaps musicians and artists are just […]

Review: Rare Earth Coffee Bold Roast (Fresno, California)

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 […]

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: Parlor Coffee Colombia Los Angeles (Brooklyn, New York)

A quick trip over Spring Break gave me a chance to pop by Fleet Coffee in Austin. I had been given a heads up by a friend that it was the sort of place that would have roasters I like, and he was right! Choosing coffees to take home was hard as they were all […]

Review: Abacus Coffee Roasters Algorithm Blend (Chicago, Illinois)

I bought this bag from the folks at Javaya, whom I’ve written about before. I had a short trip to Chicago planned back in mid-February and I initially thought I might be able to make time to purchase this from Abacus directly, but I soon figured out there was no way I’d have the time […]

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 […]