Coffee Review: Allegro's Blue Nile Blend

One of the best coffee assets a coffee lover has is Whole Foods. While the grocery chain is pricey, their coffee is in line with most specialty coffee roasters. They carry several specialty roasters, but they also carry Allegro, which is Whole Foods' coffee roaster. I've had Allegro Coffee many times, and have reviewed their coffees previously. Today I am reviewing their Blue Nile Blend.

Blue Nile Blend comes from a few different coffees from Ethiopia. On their website, Allegro is not very descriptive of the coffee:



Intense berry and spice notes.

From Ethiopia, the birthplace of Arabica coffee, naturally sun-dried beans from many diverse regions are blended to create this complex coffee.

It's a medium roast, which once I brewed and tried in the French Press would say is on the lighter end of the medium spectrum. According to Whole Foods this coffee was roasted a couple days ago. Since Allegro has a roasting facility in the New York City area, I believe this got right out of the roaster, onto the truck, and into the store. It is a fresh coffee.

As I sip the coffee, I do detect the spice notes. There is a brightness to this coffee, which gives it that spicy kick. The berry flavor is more subdued. I would disagree that it's "intense." In fact, the whole coffee has a very mild flavor and taste to it. It's not an overpowering coffee at all. 

On the Bean Scale of Strength, I would say this is 2 beans out of 5. It's not tea like, but it also doesn't shake you awake in the morning. In fact, I might recommend this as an afternoon coffee. Something you could have around 3 in the afternoon, which might perk you up at work, but not keep you up all night. 

I like this coffee, but I felt like I wanted more from it. This is one of those moments I wish I could talk to a roaster, and find out what they thought, and how did they arrive at this blend and roast. 

wwwallegrocoffee.com

Charlie

La Colombe - the Anticipation

This week I will be trying a coffee roaster I've had my eye on for a while - La Colombe. These days most people know La Colombe for the TV work co-founder Todd Carmichael does on "Dangerous Grounds." The show follows Carmichael as he travels in some of the most dangerous parts of  the world in search of excellent coffee.

La Colombe is more than a vehicle for a reality show. Along with Jean Philippe Iberti, the two men created La Colombe and unveiled their first blends in 1994 in Philadelphia. Their coffees are served in some of the finest restaurants and hotels in the world. Chefs who understand they need excellent coffee paired with their food, seek out their coffee.

This week a Brazil Blue Diamond will make its way to my home, and I am already anticipating this. Yes, this is like Christmas to me. This is why I'm a coffee geek. I'll detail the coffee in my review, but I will tell you this is a coffee comes is a Catuai variety. Catuai is a smaller tree, a hybrid, which was developed to be stronger in the face of the elements. What coffee growers have found it is a pretty sweet coffee. Coffee isn't always thought of as sweet, so I think this will be interesting to try.

So come on delivery man.....get that coffee here!

Charlie

New England Coffee Hunt

Evidently I have now tried Rhode Island's two coffee roasters. There is still much of New England for me to try. Barrington Coffee has been recommended to me, though they have a coffee which costs $180 a lb. I think I'll try one of their cheaper alternatives. Other than that.....I'm on a hunt.

What I'm finding is coffee houses who sell coffee from various roasters. That's fine, and I'm happy to try those. I really want to focus on coffee roasted here in the region, and unique to the region. In Indianapolis, I was spoiled with some pretty incredible coffee roasters. So the adventure begins in earnest.

For readers who are in the New England area, please let me know what your drink, or any suggestions you may have. Greatly appreciated.

Charlie

Bulletproof Coffee

Have you tried Bulletproof Coffee? Do you know what I'm talking about. Seems the new trend in the coffee world is to try Bulletproof Coffee. Take one cup of coffee, add 1-2 teaspoons of butter instead of cream or milk, and you have Bulletproof Coffee.

The claims on this coffee are it promotes weight loss and mental clarity.

I can't speak to the so-called benefits to this. I can speak to coffee though. This sounds disgusting, and a way to ruin a perfectly good cup of coffee. I would think there would be an oily, slimy-ness to the coffee. As for the taste, I like butter, but not in my coffee. I want my coffee to be coffee. The most adventurous I can be with coffee, is a bit of soy creamer in my cup.

Now, I admit I am being closed minded to this. If some of you have tried it, I would be willing to post your thoughts on this drink. You have a long way to go to convince me that coffee and butter are a good tasting combination.

Charlie

Coffee Review: New Harvest Coffee Winter Blend

Many roasters roast a special roast they sell only during the holiday season. In my mind a holiday roast should be a robust, strong, something to really take chill away from you on a winter's morning. It should not be in any way, shape or taste tea like and bright. I want it to taste strong and wake me up.

Today we ventured to New Harvest Coffee Roasters Roasting Facility in Pawtucket, RI. Located in the Hope Artiste Village, this roaster is one of two roasters in RI(or so I'm told). I've reviewed another one of their coffees prior to our move here. I was interested to see how I would like another of their coffees. We got their Winter Roast before they sold
out.

According to New Harvest:

A robust blend: Bakers chocolate, toasted walnut, and a hint of orange sweetness.

I brewed it in the French Press when we got home, as Mark really wanted a cup of coffee to wake him up. This is a darker roast. I specifically wanted a darker roast as we have been on a light roast kick of late. Once it was done brewing, I poured a cup, sat down and took a sip. There is a strong chocolate/nutty flavor. I was hard pressed to find the hint of orange. More than anything I smiled as I sipped my coffee. I really liked this coffee.  Good thing this is a Winter Roast, because this is the coffee I want if I am snowed in for a few days.

On our Bean Scale of Strength, this is 5 out of 5 beans. This is the strong coffee Death Wish Coffee wishes they could be. This one wakes you up, and insists you have a good morning - gosh darn it.

New Harvest is running out of this holiday offering, but if you can get a back or two - do it. This is a really good cup of coffee.

www.newharvestcoffee.com

How to Shop for Coffee at the Grocery

You're walking through your neighborhood grocery store, and you come to the coffee aisle. Oh my goodness there are packages and packages of coffee. You see Starbucks, Folgers, Eight O'Clock, and more independent varieties. Almost all the coffees are ground. Some are whole bean. How do you choose?

First of all go for the whole bean coffee. Now this works better if you have a grinder at home, so make sure you have one. Whole bean though makes for a better cup of coffee. The theme you will read here is fresh. You want the coffee to be as fresh as possible.

Check the bag to see if there is a roasting date or a sell by date. The farther you are away from the sell by date the better. The closer to the roasting date, the better. Coffee's freshness has a limited life. Grinding it speeds up that life. You only want to grind the coffee when you are about to brew it.

Today is January 2, 2015(see how I got the year right). So if the sell by date on the bag of coffee has a date on it within the next month or so - pass. That is old coffee. It won't taste as good. In fact, in some cases it may taste stale.

Now, some grocery stores still have grinders there for you to grind the whole bean. Again, I say invest in a grinder for the home. Unless you are about to brew a bag of the coffee, there is really no reason for you to grind it at the store.

There are a lot of coffees in the store....which one to get? Well there I can't really help you. I can tell you what I stay away from(Folgers and Maxwell House). I have gotten Eight O'Clock coffee, which in a pinch is ok. If you can find a Starbucks whole bean, I suggest that, again check the dates on the bag. My feeling is Starbucks will be the fresher coffee on the shelf.

If I get coffee at the grocery, I like to go to a place like Whole Foods, which will have their Allegro Coffee, which is good, as well as local roasters. I promise you the coffee in those stores will be much fresher and tastier than at the local grocery.

Still don't believe me? Try this out, get a bag of an Allegro whole bean coffee,  grind it and brew it, along with a cup of Folgers. Now you tell me which tastes better.

Charlie

Coffee Review: TOMS Rwanda Roast

Coffee and good deeds go hand in hand. There are a lot of coffee roasters out there who provide a lot of good for those in need. Typically though their good works are far better than their coffee. Now and then you encounter roasters who can pull off the double; they do good works with good coffee.

In 2006 Blake Mycoskie was traveling through Argentina. While visiting a small village, he encountered children with no shoes. From this experience, he created TOMS which, for every pair of shoes they sold, a pair would be donated to someone in need - One for One.

The company started with shoes, but as they have grown, they have branched into the eye glass business, and are now selling other items. This includes coffee. TOMS Coffee is under the direction of Master Roaster Angel Orozco who found Cafecito Organico, but there is another partner in the roasting - Allegro, a subsidiary of Whole Foods.

Because the company is based on the philanthropic endeavors, when you buy coffee from TOMS, the sale of one bag of coffee provides a week of clean water for someone in need. That is an awesome stat when you think about it. That bag sitting in my cupboard will provide someone clean healthy water for a week.

TOMS has limited roasts at this time: Rwanda, Malawi, Honduras and an Espresso. This week I found TOMS at Whole Foods, and noticed they only whole bean on the shelf was Rwanda, so I got some.

According to TOMS:

With crisp citrus notes that blend into the flavors of red fruits, the Rwanda Roast features a unique, sweet acidity in a medium body. A finely brewed cup features a bright, persistent flavor followed by a long, sweet finish.

This coffee is a light roast, and I made it first with a Chemex, then the French Press. The red fruits TOMS refers to are Plums, but they also say there will be a hint of Apricot. The citrus is a lemon essence. As I drank this, I totally got the Plum and Apricot. The lemon, not so much. I thought I got a nutty taste in there as well. There was a nice smoothness to this coffee. 

If I were pairing it with food, I would suggest this for a brunch, with lots of scones, coffee cakes, or other baked goodies present. It blends well with things like that. You guests will like the coffee.

For 2015, I am going to rate the coffee differently than in the past. Strength will be on a 0-5 Bean scale. 0 being not strong at all, to a 5 which will slap you in the face - hard. TOMS Rwanda is a 3 bean coffee. You get a hint of strength, but not enough to keep you up at night. 

I liked this coffee. I thought it was a really good cup of java, and I will purchase more of TOMS in the future. This is a case where the coffee IS just as good as the cause. I encourage you to seek it out and enjoy.

www.toms.com

Charlie