Coffee Review: Boston Stoker’s Costa Rican La Minita

December 16, 2010 at 2:58 pm | Posted in Coffee Reviews | Leave a comment
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This was one of the coffees that we cupped when we stopped at the Boston Stoker (www.bostonstoker.com) coffee shop in Troy Ohio. It is described as having a sweet aroma, full body, balanced acidity and a clean aftertaste. I can tell you we were impressed with the taste when we cupped it and we were looking forward to brewing it at home.

It has a good strong aroma from the bag that is somewhat sweet, with hints of chocolate. When it was brewing in the auto-drip Kim could smell the aroma upstairs. The taste is bright with a mild to medium acidity. The flavor seems to go over the front half of the tongue. It seemed to have a touch of citrus, with a medium to full body. Kim thought it paired very good with both chocolate and vanilla.

There seems to be a somewhat nutty aroma after grinding the beans. In the French Press the flavors and body were fuller and deeper. The taste of lemon is more pronounced. The coffee is little sweet and a little tart, but very balanced. Kim was eating oatmeal bread toast with peanut butter and cherry jelly and thought they paired well with the taste of the coffee.

After brewing with the Chemex coffee maker you get a clean smooth taste with a touch of citrus. There is a lingering tartness, not overly tart but there. It is almost as if the coffee is sweet and sour. I’ll bet it would make a good iced coffee. Here the flavor seems almost to the back of the mouth. All the flavors mixed well and taste very good. Kim thought it tasted good with almonds, figs, dates and apricots.

This La Minita from Boston Stoker is a very good tasting cup of coffee. We enjoyed drinking it and sharing it with friends. The reaction from our friends was very good too. If you would like to try a new coffee for the holiday’s we suggest you give this Costa Rican La Minita a try. We think you will like it.

We received this coffee for free and offer objective feedback. When you are travelling remember to look for local coffee roasters to visit. You might find an unexpected gem like we did. Until next time remember to stop and enjoy the coffee and conversations.

Much GRACE and peace to you,

Bill and Kim

Romans 15:13; Psalm 34:1-10

Coffee Review: Buddy Brew Coffee’s Brazil Cerrado

December 8, 2010 at 4:34 pm | Posted in Coffee Reviews | Leave a comment
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Kim and I received this coffee recently for brewing and reviewing purposes and man, is there a good aroma coming out of the bag! We were looking forward to brewing this coffee. There is a picture of a dog on the label and we found that kind of humorous because my father in-law has a black lab named Buddy. When we visit my father in-law and I grind coffee beans Buddy likes to come in the kitchen and smell the beans.

This Brazil Cerrado from Buddy Brew Coffee (www.buddybrew.com) is a full city roast. They also put the roast date on the bag and we appreciate that. We wish more roasters did that. The aroma is kind of nutty and chocolaty with a little smokiness. Once brewed in the auto-drip the aroma is milder. The coffee has a nice taste that fills the mouth. The flavor is kind of sweet and chocolate. Kim thought it paired really well with chocolate and almonds.

Brewed in the Chemex coffee maker the aroma is somewhat sweet and smoky. There seems to be a more even feel to the coffee. It almost seems bright on the tip of the tongue. Kim thought it paired good to very good with both lemon and cinnamon. This is a good cup of coffee.

The French Press brew was very enjoyable. The body of the coffee is fuller and heavier. The flavors are more pronounced and they seemed to last a good long time. The nutty and chocolate flavors come out better. The more we drank this coffee the more we liked it. There is even a hint of smoke but not too much.

I also tried this Brazil Cerrado in the Clever Coffee Dripper and thought I detected a bit of citrus. This coffee has a low acidity and just a good deep flavor. The mixture of deep chocolate and nut stand out. If you like Brazilian coffees or you would like to try one, we encourage you to try this Brazil Cerrado from Buddy Brew Coffee.

This coffee kind of sneaks up on you and you find yourself simply enjoying a good cup of coffee. The more we drank it the more we liked it. We have a couple of friends who are looking forward to trying this Brazil Cerrado. I’ll have to save some to take back for the next time we visit my father in-law. I’m sure him and Buddy will enjoy it! We received this coffee for free and offer objective feedback. Until next time remember to stop and enjoy the coffee and conversations.

Much GRACE and peace to you,

Bill and Kim

Romans 15:13; Psalm 34:1-10

Sharing the Coffee

October 11, 2010 at 6:57 pm | Posted in Coffee Reviews | Leave a comment
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Webster’s dictionary defines, to share as, dividing or using with others. It may be me, but I think that sharing coffee helps make the whole drinking experience better. We had another opportunity recently to share some Newhall Coffee (www.newhallcoffee.com) with some friends at a dinner party. When we were invited I asked the host if I could bring some coffee and my Chemex coffee maker. He likes coffee so he was all for it.

I took an Ethiopian Harrar and a Tanzanian Peaberry along with my Chemex and grinder. The plan was to make one batch in an auto-drip, then another in the Chemex. We would drink it and talk about it and compare the flavor of the different brews. The good thing that I found out was that no one there had ever tasted coffee from the Chemex. They were all familiar with an auto-drip and most have had coffee from a French Press. This was going to be fun.

We started with the Tanzanian Peaberry. We brewed it in the auto-drip and 10 cups in the Chemex. It had a nice aroma and was slightly acidic. The taste seemed to go over the whole tongue, but leaves quickly. As I started to make the coffee people were spread out through the kitchen, dining room, family room and outside on the deck. As the aroma started to go throughout the house more people came into the kitchen. The Chemex drew a lot of attention.

As the coffee began to cool in the Chemex (www.chemexcoffeemaker.com) the guests wanted more of that and less of the coffee from the auto-drip. One man standing and looking at his cup said, “Man, this is good coffee.” It was beginning to cool and there were comments about the slight change in the taste. There were comments like, “slightly roasty, a little tart, bittersweet, and light.”

I did something similar with the Ethiopian Harrar and the taste from the Chemex was preferred over the auto-drip. This coffee had a milder aroma and a smooth, darker roast flavor. It also had subtle fruity and earthy undertones. Different conversations were going on through the kitchen and dining room, but when people made their way back for more coffee they chose the Chemex again. Of the two coffees we had after dinner the Tanzanian Peaberry was the overall favorite.

At these coffee tasting parties I am trying to give a brief overview of tasting coffee and trying to help others see how easy it is to make good coffee from whole beans. I also want to teach others about how many good coffee roasters there are. With the Newhall Coffee there is the added benefit of sharing about their “coffee for a cause” (www.newhallcoffeeforacause.com). They are trying to raise 1 million dollars to help win the fight against leukemia. They also have Operation Gratitude where they have donated over 4 million cups of coffee to service people in combat.

In the future I hope to tell you more about Newhall Coffees and their “coffee for a cause.” The coffees that we tried and shared at our friend’s party were good. They desire to make a difference in world by helping others. If you want to drink coffee and make and help make a difference we would encourage you try these coffees. We received these coffees for free and offer objective feedback. Until next time remember to stop and enjoy the coffee and conversation.

Much GRACE and peace to you,

Bill and Kim

Romans 15:13; Psalm 34:1-10

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