Archives For Coffee Pairing

Coffee Review: Starbucks Reserve El Salvador Montecarlos Estate Pacamara

September 30, 2010 — 10 Comments
Starbucks Reserve El Salvador Monstecarlos Estate Pacamara

A half pound of the latest Starbucks Reserve offering.

Starbucks Reserve El Salvador Montecarlos Estate.  Wow, that’s a big name for a coffee so let’s break it down.  This coffee is one of four coffees to be released this October as part of Starbucks’ Reserve line.  It’s from the country of El Salvador, grown on the Montecarlos Estate farm.  Grown in mineral rich soil at very high elevation, this coffee is out to make a name for itself.  All of the beans in this lot are of the Pacamara varietal.

What the heck is a Pacamara varietal and what is it doing in my coffee?

Coffee plants come in several different varieties.  Think of dog species; cocker spaniel, golden retriever, etc… They are all dogs (or coffee) but there are different types.  Pacamara is one of these “species”.  It is actually a combination of two other species that has been cultivated over the years.  Enough of this coffee geek stuff.

This Montecarlos Estate coffee is grown at 6,000 ft. above sea level on the top of a dormant volcano.  Starbucks says the coffee has herbal chocolate notes with a medium body and some acidity.

Beans: Fresh, and slightly nutty smelling compared to most coffees.  It’s roasted on the darker side, with spotted oils showing on the outside of the beans.  You can tell it’s quite fresh, and I’m sure the one way valve on the bag helps this.

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Coffee Review: Starbucks Reserve Gálapagos San Cristóbal

September 20, 2010 — Leave a comment
Starbucks Reserve Galapagos San Cristobal

It does look "Juicy and Fresh" like they say

The last couple coffees I’ve reviewed have been from Starbucks, ranging from decent to lame to great.  I can’t wait to review some more coffee from local roasters, but my ears perked up when I heard that Starbucks was launching a new line of high-end coffee.  Marketed towards “Coffee Geeks” like myself, Starbucks’ first offering from its “Reserve” label is Gálapagos San Cristóbal.

The island of San Cristóbal only exports 5,000 bags of coffee a year.  Compared to Starbucks’ normal distribution this is quite small, so the coffee is only being offered in select stores.  (They are releasing the next batch of “Reserve” coffees in October, so keep an eye out if you are interested — they sell out very quickly)  I assume that most coffees from this new line will be limited releases.  Galapagos San Cristobal is a wet processed, washed coffee with medium acidity and body.  This bourbon varietal is grown at much lower altitudes than normal, but the climate on the island creates the proper growing conditions nonetheless.

For a cool $12.50 + shipping a half pound of the coffee arrived at my door within a week.  Upon opening the bag, it smelled very fresh and sweet.  Roasted in the mid-range  of a dark roast, the coffee had plenty of oil showing on the beans.  Right away I was wondering what this coffee would really taste like.  Starbucks describes it as “Juicy and fresh with highlights of green herbs balanced by soft cocoa and spice”.  Let’s find out how it really tastes…

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Coffee Review: Trader Joe’s 100% Kauai + Pairing

July 23, 2010 — 2 Comments
Trader Joe's 100% Kauai

Trader Joe's 100% Kauai

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Up for review this week is some coffee from Trader Joe’s; 100% Kauai.  Coffee from Hawaii’s Kona district is one of the world’s highest valued beans, yet I’ve never heard much about coffee from Kauai.  It’s obviously not in high demand as is Kona.  100% Kauai sells at Trader Joe’s for $7.99 per 13 oz.  Their Kona sits on the shelf right next to it and sells for $19.99.  I’m very interested to see how the profile of this coffee compares to that of Kona, because they are located in the same geographical region.

Trader Joe’s sells all of their coffee in nitrogen sealed cans, so as always it smelled very fresh upon opening.  It smelled just as fresh when I ground and brewed it.  The roast ranges somewhere within the medium category, with a bit of oils showing on the beans.  Trader Joe’s says that 100% Kauai has a “sweet earthy aroma and a delicate taste”.  They also recommend is for breakfast and morning coffee breaks.  Now, let’s see if this coffee actually tastes good. Continue Reading…

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Coffee Review: Starbucks Ethiopia Limu

July 15, 2010 — Leave a comment
Ethiopia Limu from Starbucks

Ethiopia Limu from Starbucks

After being disappointed with Starbucks Gazebo Blend, I had strong hope for Starbucks Ethiopia Limu to quench my thirst for coffee awesomeness.  Limu denotes a coffee growing region in southern Ethiopia, and generally speaking, coffees from this vicinity have the potential to be very good.  I like the fact that Starbucks offers authentic Single Origin coffees, because even though you buy some of their “Kenya” coffee, you are probably tasting a blend of coffees from different estates and different regions within Kenya.  In the case of Ethiopia Limu, we know all the coffee goodness is coming from the same region.  Furthermore Starbucks makes the claim that this coffee is handpicked and batch roasted.  The batches are most likely quite large to meet nationwide demand, but one can hope the coffee was roasted consistently.

Upon opening the bag the beans smelled reasonably fresh and slightly sweet.  They appear to be roasted at a medium-dark roast.

Nose: Spicy and herbal.  Jets of ripe cantaloupe push through an allspice tinged haze.  Not picking up on much floral or tang in nose.  Doesn’t smell like the body will be huge, but seems like it will be flavorful.

Mouth: Spiciness is the dominant character.  Tastes like allspice and cinnamon roasted in a pan.  There is also the tart, mellow acidic component that Starbucks describes as “tangerine”  I would say its less like biting into a tangerine and more like biting into a juicy cantaloupe on a hot summer day.  The finish is dark tasting, with much of the spicy qualities hanging on the palette for quite some time.  It almost begins to taste like a very dark chocolate before it fades away.

The Big Picture: First things first, Starbucks Ethiopia Limu is a good tasting coffee.  It didn’t blow me away, but I have some very specific things I’m looking for in a coffee.  Additionally, everyone’s palettes are always changing — what I love one month won’t necessarily excite me the next.  Anyways, if you’re looking for a good single origin cup of Ethiopian coffee, then for $12.95 / lb. you won’t be wasting your money.  If you are looking for a smooth endeavor then I wouldn’t start here but this coffee tastes full, rich, and is definitely not one-dimensional or boring.

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Coffee Review: Starbucks 3 Region Blend

June 13, 2010 — Leave a comment
Starbucks 3 Region Blend | Coffee Review from Mikepedia

Starbucks 3 Region Blend, 1 lb.

For the last few months I’ve been enjoying some great coffees from local roasters.  I love buying fresh premium roasted coffee especially at a low “local” price.  After hearing that Starbucks new 3 Region Blend was quite tasty from some friends I decided to give it a try.  It’s a blend containing coffees from Tanzania, Guatemala, and Papua New Guinea.  Starbucks claims that the blend will deliver a smorgasbord of different flavors and nuances including “…floral and citrus notes…”, “…cocoa notes…”, and herbs and earthiness.

I purchased a half pound of 3 Region Blend for $6.45 from my local Starbucks.  The bag was labeled with the expiration date of November, 2010.  Upon opening the beans smelled quite fresh.  They appeared to be roasted at the medium-dark level — not quite dark roast, but pushing it for “medium”.

Nose: This is one of those coffees that just smells smooth, plain and simple.  It embodies a fresh roasty sweet scent with what Michael Scott might call a “buttery cinnamon afterbirth”.  There’s also a small hint of something in the vegetable realm.  I would describe it as broiled red pepper.

Mouth: Sweet, smooth, and mild.  As soon as the coffee comes into contact with my palette there is a mellow citrus. (This becomes more prominent as the pot cools) This citrus fizzles into a milky, nutty mid palette sensation which is then washed away by a relatively clean finish.  As the coffee lingers subtle earthy notes become noticeable.

The Big Picture: Those searching for a smooth and creamy affair will be pleased.  Not so mild that it tastes bland, but it’s not quite gushy or rich.  Fans of smooth dark roasts will definitely want to check it out.  I tried a quick pairing with some California grown cinnamon almonds and it worked out great.  I can see this coffee as a great crowd pleaser (a little something for everyone) or a relaxing cup after a long day.  My mom who usually takes her coffee with cream was able to enjoy this blend black.  I would be careful when buying a cup brewed at Starbucks; a friend described it as having a mushroom-y earth toned vibe.  (I’ve never been a fan of their in store brewing methods)  All in all if you are looking to try something new from Starbucks I wouldn’t pass this one up.

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Trader Joe’s Papua New Guinea Peaberry Coffee Review and Pairing

March 25, 2010 — 1 Comment
Trader Joe's Papua New Guinea Peaberry

Trader Joe's Papua New Guinea Peaberry in it's nitrogen vacuum sealed can

Trader Joe’s Limited Edition Peaberry Coffee from Papua New Guinea.  A peaberry coffee is somewhat rare.  Instead of two coffee beans growing within the fruit, only one does.  They call this a “peaberry”.  100% peaberry coffees are known for a slightly more concentrated or rich taste, and sometimes have a stronger brightness to them.

Ever since the inception of my family’s coffee obsession, we have had the need for an inexpensive coffee that is readily available and tastes good.  We love to order from specialty roasters online, but since we can consume a pound of coffee in less than a week we need a lower cost option.  So we have been trying coffee from different stores in our neighborhood.  We find Starbucks to be roasted too dark most of the time, and Caribou didn’t really do it for us either.  Enter Trader Joe’s.  Their coffees look great and are nitrogen sealed in cans for freshness.

For $7.99 per 13 ounces, this could be the winner.  The coffee appears to be on the darker end of a medium roast, with some oils showing on the beans.  Let’s find out if it tastes good.

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