{"id":2472,"date":"2017-01-16T13:24:22","date_gmt":"2017-01-16T19:24:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=2472"},"modified":"2017-01-16T13:24:22","modified_gmt":"2017-01-16T19:24:22","slug":"review-stumptown-coffee-roasters-sleigh-ride-portland-oregon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=2472","title":{"rendered":"Review: Stumptown Coffee Roasters Sleigh Ride (Portland, Oregon)"},"content":{"rendered":"

I almost never buy “holiday blends,” but this bag was a nice surprise at a Whole Foods location in Phoenix during the Christmas holidays. Impressively, it was only 4 days off roast when I bought it! That’s exceptionally fresh coffee for retail, especially considering that the nearest Stumptown roasting facility is in Los Angeles. I had to laugh a little when I saw the name of this blend, because for a freelance orchestral musician, there’s just about no other piece that evokes December and holiday craziness better than Leroy Anderson’s classic. Shaq conducting the Boston Pops<\/a> in this piece is traditional\u00a0viewing for me every year – I dare you to not grin while watching.<\/p>\n

Whole bean: Scent of bittersweet chocolate and a hint of orange filled the room when I opened this bag.<\/p>\n

V60: Light-bodied cup that tasted of chocolate but with a pleasant bite to the finish (not overly sweet). I wrote in my notes, “really good with vanilla ice cream.” Take that as you will. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

AeroPress: Hint of black cherry along with chocolate. Overall flavor is a bit edgy, not very sweet.<\/p>\n

Chemex: Sesame seeds?? This cup smelled like tahini paste. Weirdly savory and confounding flavor – what a left turn from the whole bean and the other methods. And yes, my Chemex was clean…<\/p>\n

French press: Smooth scent and flavor of dark chocolate with a bit of powdery brightness on the finish. This was my favorite method for these beans.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/strong>: For a blend, I was surprised at the flavor variation produced by the different methods. I think brewing it in a French press produces the best cup, as I like the comforting richness and fuller body of this method (it reminds me a little bit of hot cocoa!), and it seems to feel right for wintertime. However, if you like a “cleaner” cup, try it in a V60. And have a nice dessert with it!<\/p>\n

From the roaster: Sleigh Ride will bring warmth and joy to your holidays. This cup will take you on a journey with rich notes of chocolate and cherry accented by a touch of marzipan and baking spice to evoke aromas that remind us of holiday celebrations.<\/p>\n

I undoubtedly got this bag of Sleigh Ride at the tail end of its availability (right before Christmas), and\u00a0it’s not on the Stumptown website. However, here’s a link to their current coffees for sale. I can personally vouch for their Hair Bender<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Stumptown Coffee Online Store<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I almost never buy “holiday blends,” but this bag was a nice surprise at a Whole Foods location in Phoenix during the Christmas holidays. Impressively, it was only 4 days off roast when I bought it! That’s exceptionally fresh coffee for retail, especially considering that the nearest Stumptown roasting facility is in Los Angeles. I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2490,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"\"Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you...\"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[87,159,3,154],"tags":[285,28,18,42,36,193,286,54,287],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/tn_IMG_5318-e1484591937732.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4164,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=4164","url_meta":{"origin":2472,"position":0},"title":"Review: Stumptown Coffee Roasters Holler Mountain (Portland, Oregon)","date":"September 25, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Since most of my coffee consumption happens at home, I am not super knowledgeable about the coffee shop scene in and around Dallas. If I do go out to a cafe, it's usually to buy beans for home use, and most of the cafes carry excellent local roasters like Cultivar,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AeroPress"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG-3963-e1536277041446.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":124,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=124","url_meta":{"origin":2472,"position":1},"title":"Review: Stumptown Hair Bender espresso (Portland, Oregon)","date":"March 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"My first experience with Stumptown beans came years ago during a trip to Portland, Oregon for an audition. 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