Coffee Battle

This morning I decided to have two different coffees and do a comparison. We'll call this "Coffee Battle." The battle is taking two coffees, brew them in the same manner, same amount, drink the same way, and do a comparison for the better coffee.

Our first two contestants....

In this corner is Honduran High Mountain from Simply Enjoy. Simply Enjoy is a "premium" brand from the Stop and Shop grocery chain. This is a medium roast blend of coffees, of which the package says is 100% Arabica Honduran Coffee.

In the other corner is Guatemala Casi Cielo from the mega-coffee company Starbucks. This is also a medium roast, but a single origin from the Anigua Valley Region.

First up the Simply Enjoy. This coffee is a bit darker roasted than the package indicates. The flavor is a nutty, chocolatey taste. It's clear this is not a freshly roasted coffee, but that didn't detract from the decent flavors this coffee has to offer. It's a pretty strong coffee, which will wake you up in the morning.

Starbucks blend is a bit mellower than it's roast profile indicates. This has a more citrus and chocolate taste. Because it's a limited edition, you can taste the freshness of it. The mellowness didn't detract from the strength of this coffee. This is also a HELLO WAKE UP coffee.

From a taste preference, Mark preferred the Simply Enjoy, which surprised me. He thought his first sip was "Mmmmm." That "Mmmmm" was missing when he drank the Starbucks.

As for me, I liked them both equally. This was also surprising. I do think the Starbucks uses a higher quality bean, as they have a direct relationship with the farm which produces this coffee. Simply Enjoy just had a nice taste. Do I think any of them are superior? No, but for a nice morning cup of coffee, I think you can't go wrong with either one.

If the money is an issue - go with the Simply Enjoy, as we bought 10oz for $7.99. Starbucks was 8oz for $8.69. You get a bit more for your money with the Simply Enjoy.

So in this Coffee Battle, we give a slight edge to Simply Enjoy.

Charlie

Double Shot

In December, I was reading The Daily Coffee News, and I saw an article about Matt Viser of The Boston Globe, and his column called "Double Shot." Typically Mr. Viser writes about more political activities, and reported on the Romney campaign for the newspaper in the last presidential election. I started to read his work, and I was hooked.

Viser is a man who, like me, is a lover coffee. He enjoys learning about coffee, and sharing what he learns. One of his more common postings is about how various people in the Boston area take their coffee.

It's very rare for a newspaper to focus on coffee. For a time The New York Times had Oliver Stand write specifically on coffee, but no more. So I am very appreciative of what Matt Viser is doing.

I've had the pleasure of exchanging some emails with Mr. Viser. Yes, I actually wrote a fan email. I'm a coffee geek who gets star struck, what can I say. It isn't often I write to people whose work I admire. I wanted him to know how much his work, and column is appreciated.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/specials/coffee

What I like about Viser's work specifically is he isn't coming from a place of pretentiousness. Sometimes coffee writers can come off as know it alls and snobby. Mr. Viser writes with an everyman attitude, and it's clear he is a student of the bean. He wants to know as much as he can, and take readers on his journey of discovery. In short, he is a man after my own heart.

I encourage all of you to read this column.

Note - If Matt Viser is reading this....you need to try the following: Stone Creek Coffee, out of Milwaukee;  New Harvest Roasters and Dave's out of Providence; and Bee Coffee Roasters from Indianapolis. I promise you will love these coffees.

Charlie

Coffee Review: Coffee Exchange Guatemalan Chajul

French Roast coffee is always marketed as a dark roast, strong, and full of flavor. Most of the time I think it just tastes burnt. Rarely do I encounter a French Roast that doesn't taste like the roaster burnt it and calls it French. Then there is Coffee Exchange, here in Providence.

I recently bought their Guatemalan Chajul. Here is what Coffee Exchange says about their coffee:

The Guatemalan Chajulense American Roast is medium bodied with a sweet aroma and lemony aftertaste, with the French Roast version reminiscent of dark chocolate and brown sugar. Chajul is in the Ixil region of Guatemala, where The Coffee Trust, founded by co-owner Bill Fishbein, concentrates its sustainability efforts in education, healthcare, food security, economic development and capacity building. With the devastation visited on this community by La Roya, the Coffee Rust disease ravaging Central America, to which Chajul has lost 75% of it’s coffee, a major effort is under way by The Coffee Trust and Cooperative Coffees as well as Coffee Exchange, to help Chajulense coffee farmers get through this terrible time with uprooting bad plants and replanting Roya Resistant coffee plants.

This morning, I brewed some in the Chemex. This is normally not how I brew a first time coffee, but I did this morning. When I opened the bag, I smelled a dark chocolate aroma for sure. As I ground it, I smelled it even more. 

Tasting it was quite the experience. I wouldn't say I got the lemony aftertaste, but there was a hint of fruitiness to it. No this roast was heavy on the chocolate and brown sugar. It was a sweeter coffee than I expected. There was no burnt taste at all. Oddly, I would say this was an intense and smooth coffee. That's not a normal combination. 

On our Bean Scale of Strength, this coffee is a 4 out of 5 beans. It's a strong coffee which will get you going. I had a cup and a half, and I was ready for my run this morning. That's pretty strong.

For people in New England, and especially in Providence, go to Coffee Exchange. They are roasting some really good coffee - every day. 

http://www.sustainablecoffee.com

Charlie

Bean Size

In the last few weeks I've noticed something which concerns me. Those who are more in the know can certainly chime in. Beans I'm buying seem to be smaller than I typically see. Specifically, I refer to coffees originating from Central /South America.

From the various roasters I've bought from, I'm noticing smaller beans. Is this a climate change issue? Am I just picking coffees which are having a smaller than normal size? The first time it happened, was with one of the Allegro blends. Then I noticed it happening with the La Colombe, Stone Creek and Dave's(I got a Brazilian decaf from them).

Is this something coffee lovers should be concerned about? I know we should be concerned about climate change in general, as it's creating disease, and forcing some farmers to grow in higher altitudes. Can anyone out there shed light on this?

Charlie

Coffee Review: Dave's PNG

My search for coffee in the Rhode Island/New England area is an ongoing process. Yesterday I stumbled upon some coffee, I almost missed. Tucked away in a pretty cool neighborhood on S. Main St. in Providence is Dave's Coffee. I almost missed it, because as I was looking for the cafe, I went by it.

Dave's is a certified organic coffee roaster. According to their website, they use a 12 kilo drum roaster, which can roast 30 lbs of coffee. When things are humming, they can roast 700 lbs of coffee a day. This would be the definition of small batch roaster.

The staff could not have been nicer as I was trying to decide what to order. The woman at the counter told me they had a special - 2 bags of coffee for $20. With a blizzard approaching,  I thought it was good to stock up. I got a decaf and a Papua New Guinea. This morning I made the PNG.

This coffee is a medium/darker roast. Upon first sip, I tasted chocolate and a bit of citrus. Like a good many coffees from that part of the world, there is an earthiness to it, but it doesn't overwhelm. In this case, the earthy quality gives this coffee a richness I didn't expect.

This is a pretty strong coffee. On our Bean Scale of Strength, this is 3.5 out of 5. It will wake you up, but won't punch you in the face.

This is an excellent coffee, which I enthusiastically recommend. Sometimes you have to search for a gem, and Dave's is a gem.

Their cafe was delightful. I'm only sorry I was just passing through. This is a fun, laid back place to chill. The staff could not have been nicer.  The guy making Mark's Soy Cappuccino was talking to everyone like he'd known them for years. This is a place where no one is a stranger, and everyone is a friend.

I've been very lucky in Providence, in that I have found not 1, not 2, but 3 excellent coffee roasters. This may be the secret of Providence, it's really a coffee roasters' hub, and no one has known it. Seek out Dave's and get some coffee.

www.davescoffeestore.com

Charlie

Coffee Review: Stone Creek's Ring of Fire

This is one of the more interesting coffee reviews, because I find the story of this coffee so interesting. This blog's 2014 Innovator of the Year was Stone Creek Coffee of Milwaukee. One of the reasons I gave them that honor was the way they have educated the coffee public about the science of coffee. Through that science, they have roasted some amazing coffees.

In January, I got an email that owner Erich Resch and Director of Coffee Christian Ott were heading to Guatemala and Costa Rica, not only to visit farmers, but understand more the science behind the coffee. I was intrigued, and pour over every email I got.

Here is a piece Otto wrote on the company's blog about the pH of the soil used on one farm in Guatemala.

http://www.stonecreekcoffee.com/blog/main/1968/Why_were_curious_about_the_pH_of_soil.aspx

As they went on their journey, Ring of Fire was released. Of course I had to try it.

This coffee comes from Finca San Sebastian in Guatemala, and is raised at 2000m. That is about the highest elevation coffee has been grown. It's a much colder climate, and according to Christian Otto, "Colder temperatures cause the plants and cherries to mature more slowly. To be precise, it slows down respiration, which yields to higher concentrations of sugars and acids." Because of the higher concentration of sugars and acids, what flavors does that bring out?

This morning, I brewed the coffee in the French Press. First sip, I got an amazing lemon taste. If coffee could have a lemonade flavor, this did. Stone Creek says in addition to the lemon, there is a melon and caramel taste. The melon is the aftertaste. The caramel is a rich taste in your mouth. In fact, this is a rich coffee.

On our Bean Scale of Strength, this is a pretty strong coffee - 4 out of 5 beans. To be honest though, the smoothness of the coffee almost fooled me, but this is a strong coffee. It doesn't slap your face, but you know if you have had it.

When I started this blog, I wrote that coffee is both science and art. Stone Creek, time and time again prove my point, that the science behind a coffee, can create something that is artistic and really takes hold of your senses. This coffee is yet another great one from Stone Creek. This is a seasonal offering, and I urge you to get some before it's gone.

www.stonecreekcoffee.com

Charlie

My Favorite Time of Day

The kitchen is dark and quiet, and then flick, the lights go on, and I am ready to start the day. Making the morning coffee is my favorite time of day. I'm willing to bet some of you feel the same way. We all have a ritual or way to make our coffee, and that is really what gets our day started.

First I fill the kettle with water. We have a Bonvita Kettle, which does a great job of heating the water to the ideal coffee temperature. While the water is heating, I get the coffee ready. Some people weigh coffee. We have a coffee scale, and sometimes I use that. I typically though can eyeball the coffee and then I put it in the grinder. If I used a French Press, I do 4 quick grinds, because you don't want a fine grind with the French Press. If I use the Chemex, I do 5 quick grinds. 

Once the water is done, the fun and magic begin. No matter which process, this is my routine. I pour just a little of the water to get the grounds moist. This allows the coffee to bloom. I don't pour additional water for about 10 seconds. Then it's a slow pour, in a circular motion. If I'm using the Chemex, I pour to a certain point, and then let the coffee drip into the carafe. Once that is done, then I pour more.

If I am using the French Press, I slowly pour the water in, and when I am done, I let the coffee sit for 4 minutes. Once the time is up, I stir it a bit, and then I put in the plunger. If the plunger goes down easy, I know I ground the coffee correctly. If it is struggling a bit to go down, then I ground the coffee too fine. 

I pour the coffee in the cups, and put the Splenda and Cream in. Then I head to the bedroom. Mark gets his coffee on his night table and then I put mine on my table. Then we can both drink to our heart's content. The first sip lets me know if it is: 1)good coffee, 2) did I do everything correctly, 3) I'm in coffee heaven. 

I think rituals like this are a nice part of our lives. They are something we do for us, and that's why it's such a pleasurable experience. I like focusing on the coffee, because it allows me to just be in the moment at the start of the day. I don't have to worry about anything. 

Now....I suggest you go make your coffee, and take it easy and sip away.

Charlie