Vi sono mancata? E be', forse a qualcuno credo di sì, arrivano mail e commenti in ogni dove... ma d'altro canto duecentocinquantanovemila cose tutte insieme ancora non le so fa, mi impegno, ci provo, ma niente ;-)Una cosa sicura, invece, è che non ho fatto in tempo a tornare dal giro dei corsi sui lievitati pasquali che ho dovuto immediatamente rifare a casa le colombe, e non contenta, poco dopo,
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Diesel Dark Roast - Atomic Cafe - Salem, Massachusetts
Preparation: Cuisinart Drip
Scores: Scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being excellent
Aroma: 6
Balance: 8
Flavor: 8
Smoothness: 8
Likes:
Dark
Pleasantly Smokey
Full Bodied
Spicy
Low acidity
Dislikes:
Weak Fragrance and Aroma
Summary: Good Day! Yes, it is a good day. I started off mine with Diesel Dark Roast and now I am ready to rev up my engine. I purchased these dark beans online (free shipping) from GoCoffeeGo.com. They arrived in a timely fashion and freshly roasted. Awesome! When I opened the bag of beans for the first whiff I was disappointed. I really had to stick my nose in the bag to get a good take on the fragrance. I admit I was hoping the beans would fill the room with an intoxicating coffee bean smell. But, the coffee itself after brewing was bold, dark and rich which more than made up what was lacking at the start. I noted delicate smokey undertones and a long zingy finish on the palate. This coffee would be wonderful served at a late morning meeting, book group gathering or in my case, with my Realtor that has yet to sell my house!
The low acidity will keep you coming back for a refill and that will ensure you won't run out of fuel (gas) all day!
Overall score: 7+
Sumatra - Colorado River Coffee Roasters - Boulder City, Nevada
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| www.crcoffeeroasters.com |
Preparation: Cuisinart Drip
Scores: Scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being excellent
Aroma: 10
Balance: 8
Flavor: 9
Smoothness: 8
Likes:
Savory
Dark
Bold
Nutty
Sweet
Crisp
Dislikes:
Summary: What a gem of a find! If you plan to drive to Las Vegas or visit Hoover Dam you will be very close to Boulder City. It is a quaint friendly little town with lots of history and worth the stop. I stumbled upon a little coffee roaster shop while walking down Nevada Street. It is nestled in next to Milo's Cellar and Inn and if you walk too fast you might miss it. I also ran into this guy:
Okay, back to the coffee. I bought the Sumatra: Aceh Pantan Lues whole bean coffee. It had a fabulous roast date of April 25th!!! Yeah!! You know how important roast dates are! The description on the bag says this coffee has under-tones of wildness and earthiness and the beans are prepared by a small-volume group of farmers in the Pantan Lues area. (?) It is 100% Aceh coffee and on the bag it says that it is cleaner and less gamey than most Sumatras. They also describe this coffee as having a "wonderful sweetness with hints of cedar and vanilla."
This coffee was a true treat and nice surprise. The beans are dark and have one of the top ten aromas I have experienced so far. There is a sweetness that is full
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| Friendly Staff |
and decadent, but the salty savory nutty flavor shines through at the same time. There are no smokey or ashy tones and it has a wonderful crisp finish. This coffee is one to serve to anyone you want to impress.
Overall score: 9
* Note: The coffee I was served by the fellow up above was this same coffee, but it did not taste as good from his coffee pot compared to the cup I made at home. Who knows why?
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| Boulder City Sidewalk View |
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| This place was two doors down and featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives |
Vista Hermosa - Barefoot Coffee - San Jose, California
Preparation: French Press
Scores: Scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being excellent
Aroma: 8
Balance: 6
Flavor: 7
Smoothness: 8
Likes:
Tangerine
Chocolate
Tea like
Spice
Dislikes:
Acidy
Too Sour
Summary: These coffee beans are from Guatemala and are a medium roast. They are not only Fair Trade, but also Direct Trade and are organic, pesticide-free and a sustainable coffee. The aroma smells like sweet spicy chocolate, but the flavor has very strong tones of tangerine and citrus with a lasting tangy bite. The coffee is not bitter, but it is sour on the palate. It is acidy, but not overwhelmingly so. The flavor is unique and reminds me a little of Kona coffee. If you want a change of pace and want to try something that will definitely get your taste buds perking, than give this coffee a try. It came to my door from GoCoffeeGo within a couple days of roasting.
Overall score: 7
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
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.
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!