Thomas Hammer French Roast Coffee

For the final installment of the Hammer Coffee tasting, regarding the three attributes graphed on their packaging, I try Thomas Hammer’s French Roast Coffee. As stated in my previous article (post), French Roast is graphed as having maximum roast and body with minimal acidity. To understand the three attributes of tasting coffee, roast, body, and acidity, I will compare Hammer’s French Roast with their Signature Blend. Hammer’s Signature Blend graphs roast, body, and acidity as moderate.

Upon opening the bag of Hammer’s French Roast, I am pleasantly surprised with a very rich coffee smell. There is nothing nutty or any dryness suggestive about it. In my opinion, I could say nothing about the roast from its scent. It is somewhat like moist soil in a cedar grove.

The taste of Hammer’s French Roast is very smoky. Like the tasting notes, it has a smoky, cedar aura. It does remind me of cedar burning on a campfire. When drinking my second cup, with sweetener added, I get a bold new flavor. Again, like the notes, the flavor has a walnut taste that sets broadly on my tongue. While my research suggests a possible bitterness in the dark roast, I sense it as flatter. While the Signature Blend was exceptionally smooth, the French Roast has smoothness and broader flavor.

The body of the Hammer French Roast is exceedingly present. It has weight on the tongue and cheeks and does not compromise with a brief after taste. Its flavor, in my first and second cups, coats my mouth and allows me to relish the beans and their morning brewed alchemy. Unlike the Signature Blend, the French Roast has a heavier presence. It is a richer brew that delivers a stronger coffee flavor without being contemporary.

Acidity, in my opinion, seems very subjective. I detected nothing acidic about Hammer’s French Roast. It was a stretch for me to say there was anything acidic about their signature blend. Both these coffees, in my experience, are exceptional products, and I believe they have no equals. My research and experimentation of these Hammer Coffees have contradicted some of my own tasting theories and have led me to better understanding of my own taste conceptions. I suggest that people buy these products and experiment with them. While peoples’ experiences are relative, learning is something we can all do. Coffee should be a shared experience. I wish you all a lucrative and enjoyable coffee tasting experience and hope this series of posts has helped.

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