Alligator French - Equator Coffees - San Rafael, California

Preparation:  French Press

Scores:  Scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being excellent

Aroma:   9
Balance:  8
Flavor:   9
Smoothness:   8

Likes:
    Nutty
    Intense
    Dark
    Sweet
    Toffee

Dislikes:
   

Summary:  Finally, the coffee beans I have been waiting for arrived via UPS to my front door.  I was extremely excited to see the two packages.  I swear that when I opened the door the aroma of the freshly roasted beans caught an air current and swirled up to my nostrils.  Seriously, I could smell the beans through the brown cardboard boxes.  I bet the UPS man was salivating as the smell engulfed his truck.

I ordered these coffee beans online from the site GoCoffeeGo.  The bag is stamped clearly with the roasting date April 11, 2011.  Awesome!  Today is April 14 (the beans came yesterday) and that is super fresh!  I am very impressed.  Now lets hope the beans themselves will reach my expectations.

Alligator French is a fair trade organic coffee that is dark roasted with Ecuador, Ethiopia and Sumatra beans.  The profile on the bag says "robust earth tones, smoky tropical wood, prunes and walnuts".  Now I don't know what smoky tropical wood tastes like, but I do know about prunes and this is not my first thought as I swirl the coffee in my mouth.  There is definitely a smoky flavor that is not overwhelming.  It is pleasant and unique on my palate.  I note almonds with a toffee like sweetness in the aroma and in the flavor.  This coffee is well balanced robust and ends with a bite of blueberries.  I like it a lot.  Since I made three cups I am going to save the rest for iced coffee.  See ya later _______?



Overall score:   9

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Mind The Gap - Online Coffee Orders

I am dreaming of waking up and finding myself with some fresh roasted coffee beans.  I don't mean Peet's Coffee that promises freshness guaranteed within 90 days (that will be a future post).  I  mean right out of the roaster fresh.  Bold, beautiful and fragrant whole beans.  Scrumptiously aromatic and intensely bursting with exotic flavors.  I can see them now shining in the bright morning sun.   And then the doorbell rings.  A barista appears with beans that were roasted yesterday and......

Yes, I am all out of coffee.  But, never fear, I found a website that I like a lot.  It is called GoCoffeeGo and is web based out of San Francisco.  It is an online one stop shop that features micro roasters sourced from all over the world.  They directly contract with the roasters who ship fresh roasted beans to your door.  The shipping is a little spendy, but I am intrigued and as I said before........I am all out of coffee!

So, I just placed my order and I can't wait for the beans to come knocking.  It was fun to read about the different roasters.  Let me tell you what I decided to buy.

Barefoot Coffee
Vista Hermosa - Guatemala  and Equator Alligator French

 I have not heard of either of these coffees, but that is why GoCoffeeGo is such a great site.  It helps a person like me get coffee from little known awesome roasters.  I should receive the coffee shortly as each order is roasted just for the buyer.  Yeah!  My dreams are about to come true!  STAY POSTED!  And.....don't let the bed bugs bite!

P.S. Danny and Doug, I think you should visit your mom and bring her some beans.

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GULP! Flavored Coffee Beans?

Warning!  After reading this post you may never want to drink coffee made with flavored coffee beans again.  I know I am biased, but after my research I have decided that a flavored coffee bean will never touch my discriminating lips!  Or make its way into my grocery buggy!

There are very few flavored coffee beans that are flavored with natural flavors.  Alert!  Yes, that means that a lot of chemicals are a part of the flavoring process.  To be exact, have you heard of...... 2, 4-Dimethyl-5-acetylthiazole or  2,5-Dimethylpyrazine?  These particular chemicals are used to add an earthy, peanut flavor to your coffee bean.  Have you heard of  Ethyl Alcohol, Dimethylamine-D1, Formamidiniumacetate, Propylene Glycol, alpha Methyl Benzyl Alcohol, and Heliotropin?  That is one yummy concoction to flavor a coffee bean to taste like Irish Creme!  If that doesn't get your salivary glands working overtime then maybe realizing that coffee flavors may require up to 80 different compounds to achieve a certain flavor, will.  It is thought that flavoring beans will also extend the shelf life by disquising oxidation and the aging process. I learned that any taste can be reproduced. One site boasts that the ideal flavor should mask some of the harsh notes of the coffee.  My question is......where did that coffee bean your masking come from??  (Hmmm........I just read that some manufacturers will use the cheapest beans possible. The worst case scenario I read about said floor sweepings and blown roasts were used)  Alright, lets move on.  It's time for a real cuppa Joe!

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What's Your Roast?

Will you order that big juicy steak - rare, medium rare, medium or (gasp) well done?  Well, the roast of your coffee beans offers you the very same choices.  Sometimes, we prefer our steaks and our coffee beans one particular way every time.  It is just a matter of taste!  Nothing affects the taste of the coffee bean more than the roast.

Coffee roasters will start with green coffee beans. The more they are roasted the darker they will become.  The lightest roast will reveal the origin of the coffee bean.  The darker you roast a coffee bean the more it loses its origin flavor and takes on the roasting quality.   I think you should find a balance between the two. 

The very lightest coffee roast (cinnamon) is what most commercial coffee people offer in the cans you see in the grocery store.  It is the most bang for the buck (cheap) and not my choice.  The light roast does not allow the full flavor of the bean to be realized and will often taste sour.  It has low body and the beans appear dry.

The medium light roast is a slightly darker brown color and still appears dry.  It has just a little more body.  Still not my cuppa joe......

A medium roast increases in darkness and acidity and the flavor becomes noticeable.  The beans still appear dry and the acidity is much more intense with a more potent body.

Medium dark has a rich brown color and a small amount of oil is apparent.  The acidity starts to decrease and the body becomes full.  It is sometimes called City Roast. I think these are one of the best tasting roasts.  You can still taste the flavor of the origin.

Dark roast is a brownish/black bean.  It may be completely oily.  The flavor decreases and the body dominates.  There usually is less caffeine, less bitterness and less strength.  It is generally slightly sweet.  Because the darker bean has less moisture it will require a coarser grind and possibly more ground coffee per cup.

Very dark roasts are typically drenched in oil and the beans look almost black.  The flavor is diminished.  Interestingly,  the aroma is lacking and the body is thin.  This bean is often used in an American espresso.  (There are some people who call this roast burnt) Some dark roasts are called Full City Roast, Italian Roast or Viennese Roast (and sometimes even French Roast). The origin of the beans will not matter because the roasting will mostly leave a strong smokey burnt flavor in its place.

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Campfire - Firecreek Coffee Company - Cave Creek, Arizona

Preparation:  Cuisinart Drip

Scores:  Scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being excellent

Aroma:   7
Balance:  7
Flavor:   7
Smoothness:  8

Likes:
    Tangerine
    Lemon
    Delicate

Dislikes:
    Acidy
 

Summary:   Okay, folks!  I polished off my bag of Big Breakfast from Firecreek Coffee Company and felt a little sad.  Since I haven't had a chance to make the day trip to Cave Creek yet, I went back to my nearby AJ's grocery store.  I was really excited about it.  Only there wasn't much on the shelf and the roasting dates were all 2010!  Nope, not going to do that.  Then I saw one Campfire bag of beans hiding in the back.  The roasting date was February 17, 2011.  That will do!

This is mostly a light roast coffee.  The tones of lemon and tangerine are prevalent.  There is a slight nippy zing to it and it is short on the palate.  This coffee is not bland.  The beans are fresh and fragrant, but nothing like Big Breakfast!  This time the acid is a little much for me first cup of the day.   I am teetering on my score.

In my most humble opinion, I would name this coffee something other than Campfire. When I look at the label I think of cowboys sitting around an open fire.  It seems to me they would drink a coffee that was powerful, strong, rugged and a little smokey.  What do you think? 



Overall score:  7

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Big Breakfast - Firecreek Coffee Company - Cave Creek, Arizona

Preparation:   Cuisinart Drip

Scores:  Scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being excellent

Aroma:  9
Balance:   8
Flavor:   9
Smoothness:   8

Likes:
    -Fragrance
     Full
     Sweet
     Carmel
     Toffee
     Citrus Finish

Dislikes:
     Acidy
 

Summary:  First cup of the day and I am not disappointed!  Because of the name I decided to break from tradition of tasting coffee in the afternoon and go for it in the a.m.!  From the moment I opened the vacuum sealed bag until my first sip, I was in coffee paradise!  It is magnificent!  This coffee is not like my usual dark roast favorites and that is a nice change for me.  It tastes like a medium roast.  Maybe my palate is becoming more sophisticated?  The aroma of the beans is intense, sweet and tantalizing.  Super fresh roasted beans just have the most wonderful smell.  The first sip brought to mind tones of toffee and carmel.  Today, I don't even mind the bit of acid that is present.  This remarkable coffee is worth talking more about.  Please see my next post for more on Firecreek Coffee Company!  Now, pass those crispy hash browns and ketchup please...... and bring on the bacon!


Overall score:  9

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Chi panifica...

L'Italia in lungo e in largo.Durante il nostro ultimo giro, col vecchio programma, una delle domande ricorrenti è stata: Paoletta ma trovate lo stesso calore ed entusiasmo dappertutto, in lungo e largo per tutta l'Italia?Ci ho pensato a lungo, ho osservato visi, occhi, ho ascoltato risate, percepito emozioni, e alla fine posso dire di sì! perché...... chi panifica ha le stesse mani sporche di

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