Sadly, maybe for economic reasons, retailers are putting out holiday merchandise way earlier than when said holidays are celebrated. This leads to my next coffee tasting. Death Wish Pumpkin Chai Coffee was placed in a mid-aisle display for Halloween. It was July when I purchased it. I love pumpkin spice because I remember when I was young and my elders baked real pumpkin pies in the kitchen; they were the most incredible treats. But, pumpkin chai is not pumpkin spice. Pumpkin chai may be a made up promotional flavor. Chai, an Indian tea mix, has cinnamon and cardamon, ginger, and cloves. It may be similar to pumpkin spice. The smell of this coffee is interesting. I had to smell it a couple times to get its aroma set in mind. It is not bad; it has a good smell that I haven't met before. My first cup is tasty, and it does remind me of pumpkin spice. There is something unusual about it. The coffee roast seems very light. I do not taste coffee, at least not like a darker roast. I find ...

The flavor in flavored coffees is broadly generalized. The notes on the package are always more specific than the taste of the coffee. Reflecting on this observation, I decided to try a coffee from Starbucks. Often, I try to find small independent businesses to support. But I have found myself floundering in a wide spectrum of quality, so in this corporate age of overshadowed independence, I thought I would try a safe commercial coffee. Starbucks’ Veranda Blend coffee is a light roast with notes of toasted malt and milk chocolate. When I sniffed the coffee, I found it very enjoyable. I found myself occasionally sniffing the grounds when I had the chance. The grind is a commercial size, not fine, not coarse, common in commercial coffees. When I poured hot water over the grounds the resulting brew didn’t appear as an obvious light roast. It is not opaque, but it is dark in appearance. I was pleasantly surprised with my first drinks of the Veranda Blend. While I could tell it was a light ...