Coffee Review: New Harvest Coffee Roasters Steamroller Blend

With the upcoming move to Rhode Island, I thought it was a good idea to begin to sample some coffees from the Ocean State. My first choice was New Harvest Coffee Roasters. New Harvest has been around since 2000. Founded by Rik Kleinfeldt and Paula Anderson and based in Pawtucket, these two have created a roaster which is bringing new and interesting coffees to Rhode Island, and the rest of Southern New England.

For my first choice, I went with their Steamroller Blend. This is a darker roast, which they describe as:

A solid blend for all: bittersweet chocolate from the aroma to the finish, complimented by toasted nuts, subtle lemon and creamy cocoa at the end.

This morning I made my first cup using our French Press. First thoughts as I opened the bag were that this is one smokey aroma. This makes sense as it is a darker roast. I was concerned that the taste might be burnt. No burnt taste. The prominent flavors in this coffee are the chocolate and the nuts. This is a blend of Costa Rican and Honduran coffees. I find a good many roasters go lighter in the roast cycle, especially with coffees from the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica. Bold choice to go darker on this coffee. 

I didn't get the lemon, maybe that was too subtle, but I did get the creamy cocoa at the end. All of this confused me though. When I think of a coffee being a steamroller, I think this is going to slap my face awake in the morning. 

On our Cher Scale of Strength, this is a subtle coffee which will not slap you around. On the 1-10 portion, this is a 7. Imagine Cher having to break the news to Danny Aiello in Moonstruck, that Nicolas Cage is hotter, and he responds with, ok...I don't want to marry you anyway. It's an intense coffee, but the softer side of intense. 

If I were pairing this with food, this would be a great brunch coffee, with an omelette and a muffin. 

I'm excited to be moving to New England, and I am especially excited to try more coffees. New Harvest was a great entree into the coffees of the area, and I know I will go to them again and again. 

www.newharvestcoffee.com 

Charlie