For this coffee tasting I try a flavored coffee. Flavored coffees add something to the roast, so the drinker not only tastes the coffee and its preparation but also the added ingredients needed for the proposed flavor. When I began critiquing gourmet coffees, I was unaware of this. It is easy to believe the coffee is made to emulate its advertised flavor, but more is actually going on. In this tasting I explore this phenomenon. The coffee I have brewed is Red Brick, Texas Pecan, Light Roast. The smell of this coffee is addictive. I kept sniffing it after opening the package. When I poured hot water on it the scent was beautiful. “Waft that pecan coffee heaven to your nose.” It was easy to taste the roast in my first unsweetened cup. While it was thin and light on my palette, there was enough roasted arabica bean flavor to keep it interesting. Add the pecan nut to the roast and I was able to enjoy a pleasing combination of flavors, a hot cup of tasty coffee. For my second cup I added sw...

  For this tasting of Draft Mule, Runaway Wagon dark roast coffee I needed a second day to be sure of what I was experiencing. Draft Mule, dark roast coffee smells and appears reminiscent of coffee from a plastic tub. Its smell is innocuous in the bag, but when poured out is less than desirable. It is a coarse grind and is not what I would call a dark roast appearance. After pouring hot water through it, there is a dark tint rather than an opaque liquidity, like a good dark roast. The packaging is enticing, it made me want to try it. The package appears simple and practical, like a paper bag with a mule on the front. Draft Mule’s package is designed well; in fact, it is overengineered. Its graphics catch the eye because of how exact they are. The paper bag is actually a plastic insulated containment pouch with a pull tab that exposes a zip lock access hole. After scooping some of the coffee into my pour-over funnel I started to notice how much attention was given to the packaging v...

It may be difficult for me to give Fire Department Coffee, original medium roast, a fair and objective review. The reason for inaccuracy is a case of covid that I have spent a lengthy amount of time getting over. During this time I have been drinking a commercial brand from a plastic tub. In essence, soaking my pallet in generic flavor. Let’s be reasonable. The tub brands, for lack of a better term, are not bad. They are what the majority of us drink in this economy that seems to stifle us from leisurely luxuries. Upon opening the red package of Fire Department Coffee and sniffing, I notice nothing special or beyond the ordinary scent of fresh coffee. The grind appears to be finer than most. I scoop it into my pour-over brew pot and heat up some fresh water. When I try my first cup it is better than what I have been drinking lately. The package is the simplest I have seen. For ingredients it simply reads, “Coffee.” There are no tasting notes or esoteric flavors listed for consumer hype...

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. ...

  With this tasting, Thomas Hammer Signature Blend, emphasis is on the three attributes graphed on the package: roast, body, and acidity. In my previous article (blog post) I went over my understanding and research of these attributes and how they contribute to a coffee’s overall flavor. To better understand how these attributes affect the way coffee flavor and tasting are experienced, I have purchased not only Hammer’s Signature Blend but also Hammer’s French Roast. Comparing the graphs on these two coffees shows that Signature Blend rates the three attributes nominally at their mid points while French Roast rates roast and body at max, and acidity at bottom. For this critique, I have tried Hammer’s Signature Blend. When I opened the package, I shoved my nose in and took a big sniff. The scent has a very enjoyable coffee smell. It is not overpowering and is very clean, and I had to smell it a couple of times because I enjoy it. For my first cup, black and unsweetened, I was pleasa...

  As a novice coffee taster, my attention has been drawn to the attribute scale (three bars) on the packages used by Thomas Hammer Coffee. The three attributes of coffee measured by these bars are: roast, body, and acidity. Professional coffee tasters know the intensity of these three attributes and their effects on the way coffee is experienced in consumption. As a novice, I do not. I have made it my duty to try a couple of Hammer’s coffees with different attribute scales and learn what it is professional coffee tasters are experiencing. Before I begin, other novices like me may want to know how these attributes are determined. I have briefly researched these attributes and will go over my discoveries here. The first attribute is “roast.” There are many ways to roast coffee. A large drum roaster using heated air is commonly used in commercial coffee roasting. The three most common levels of coffee roasting discussed are light, medium, and dark. When coffee is roasted, the beans wi...

There is a lot going on with Kauai Coffee’s coconut caramel crunch. Looking at the package, a drinker may notice that it is only ten percent Hawaiian coffee. On the side of the package, under ingredients, it says Arabica coffee is used but does not indicate a specific source for the remaining ninety percent. The package is also clear about the coffee being artificially flavored. The origin and flavor of this coffee become nearly moot when drinkers read the suggested serving advice. The suggested 6 ounces of water and cream to taste was something I avoided when I made my 8-ounce cup black. Another oddity on the side package is “Distributed by Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA Suffolk, VA USA.” What geographical rounds did this coffee make to get to my pour-over basket? I am not a fan of artificial coconut flavor, but I wanted to try something exotic this time. On the plus side: this coffee has a creamy smoothness that seems catalyzed by its caramel flavor. The caramel scent and flavor of thi...