{"id":2504,"date":"2017-02-05T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-02-05T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=2504"},"modified":"2017-02-06T08:17:53","modified_gmt":"2017-02-06T14:17:53","slug":"review-eiland-coffee-roasters-espresso-x-richardson-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=2504","title":{"rendered":"Review: Eiland Coffee Roasters Espresso X (Richardson, Texas)"},"content":{"rendered":"

“How do you decide what coffee to buy?”<\/p>\n

I wish I could say that I have a system for this, but I really don’t! Coffee isn’t my day job, so contrary to popular belief, I don’t spend all day thinking about it or making plans for where to get my next fix… erm,\u00a0I mean cup. I do have a list on my computer\u00a0of roasters that I’d like to eventually check out, and as time and finances permit, I do chip away at that list. However, about half of the time, the coffee that makes its way into my home is the coffee that catches my eye somehow while I’m out and about. Most of my coffee purchases are done directly from roasters or from specialty coffee shops. Occasionally, though, I have good luck at Whole Foods markets, as was the case with this bag.<\/p>\n

I’ve reviewed and enjoyed Eiland Coffee before, when I got a chance to buy their Ethiopia Sidamo Ardi<\/a> at Dallas Coffee Day 2015. Even though their roasting headquarters are probably only 20 minutes or so away from where I live, I keep forgetting how relatively local they are to me so I haven’t tried any of their other beans until now. This Espresso X was fresh and it had been a while since I had purchased a local roaster. Game on!<\/p>\n

Whole bean: Super sweet. Chocolate and almond. I typically try not to look too closely at the tasting notes on bags prior to doing these reviews, but I couldn’t help but notice the words, “rock candy” on the label. They’re not kidding!<\/p>\n

Espresso: Unlike the Ritual Day Drinker espresso<\/a>, which was complex and sunny and almost didn’t taste like coffee, Eiland’s Espresso X would be what I would consider to be an espresso for everyone. This is not a frou-frou bean, but it is not dark or\u00a0bitter either. It doesn’t have a lot of flavor notes, but what notes it does have\u00a0(chocolate, sugar) are REALLY tasty. Smooth, sweet, and eminently pleasurable to drink any time of day.<\/p>\n

Favorite parameters for this blend: 204 degrees F, 17 grams in, 28 grams out, 28 second extraction.<\/p>\n

With milk: I just had a sip of Shutterbug’s latte to see what I thought of this espresso + milk. It didn’t disappoint – it tasted very much to me like Haagen-Dazs coffee ice cream!! Granted, there was additional sugar in the cup, but the same creamy, smooth, luscious flavor was there. If I ran a coffee shop, this would be the sort of espresso I’d keep around as a “house” espresso. I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone that wouldn’t love this.<\/p>\n

AeroPress: These beans weren’t quite as special in the AeroPress… Not bad by any means, but I just felt it tasted like good strong coffee. A bit generic, as I was missing the chocolate flavor that was present in the espresso. However, I will say that with a bit of sugar added, the coffee tastes pretty much exactly like it smells. One common lament I hear from people is that they love the smell of coffee but don’t like how it doesn’t taste as good as it smells. I’d love to brew them some of this and see if they change their mind.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/strong>: I challenge you to find a more comforting, delicious espresso shot than this. It’s simple, but done exceedingly well. This isn’t trendy – it’s a classic.<\/p>\n

From the roaster: Rock candy, milk chocolate<\/p>\n

Eiland Coffee Roasters Espresso X<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“How do you decide what coffee to buy?” I wish I could say that I have a system for this, but I really don’t! Coffee isn’t my day job, so contrary to popular belief, I don’t spend all day thinking about it or making plans for where to get my next fix… erm,\u00a0I mean cup. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2510,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"Tasting notes include rock candy and milk chocolate. Amazingly sweet, rich, and smooth!!","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[157,8,3,154],"tags":[96,18,61,289,209],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/tn_IMG_5415-e1484610300501.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2894,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=2894","url_meta":{"origin":2504,"position":0},"title":"The best of 2017","date":"December 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"It's always nice to look back at the end of the year and to take stock of all the great coffees I got to try throughout the last twelve months. This was a good year - I was really pleased to discover quite a few new (to me) roasters that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Advice"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/tn_IMG-0770.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6670,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=6670","url_meta":{"origin":2504,"position":1},"title":"Review: Cherry Coffee Co. Hang Around Espresso Blend (Fort Worth, Texas)","date":"April 22, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I attended the inaugural Dallas Coffee Festival earlier this month and had a good time exploring the booths of many local roasters, about half of which I'd not yet heard of. 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However, I have yet to order online directly from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AeroPress"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/tn_IMG_5306.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2795,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=2795","url_meta":{"origin":2504,"position":4},"title":"Review: Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters Barking Dog Espresso Blend (Dallas, Texas)","date":"November 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters is a Dallas-area roaster that's been on my radar for a while (since before the first Dallas Coffee Day in 2015), but I somehow had not gotten around to reviewing their beans until now. My local Whole Foods had fresh bags of this Barking Dog Espresso\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Espresso"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/tn_IMG-1188-e1510612981464.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2179,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=2179","url_meta":{"origin":2504,"position":5},"title":"Review: Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters Hidden City Espresso (Dallas, Texas)","date":"July 19, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I have a confession to make. For quite a while, I was convinced that I didn't like coffee\u00a0from Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters. OCCR is a Dallas-based roaster who has a sizable presence in the city, at both coffee shops and restaurants. 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