Coffee
Below you will find the three coffee roasters that I rely on. I hardly drink anything but coffee from these places. The beans are high quality. The roasting is superb. When you open a bag of any of these freshly roasted coffees you are blown away by amazing aromas.
Roaster: Happy Mug
Type: Kenya, Kathakwa AB, Whole Bean
Description: This is probably our favorite coffee of the year.
Three Noses:
Nose 1: Open the bag and stick your nose in and you get a full snoot full of lovely fruit aromas — intense, concentrated scents.
Nose 2: The Grind: After grinding the scent goes exponential. Really, really intense coffee/fruit scent. You would think this coffee has been augmented with flavorings. But this is what a coffee bean should smell like. It’s a cherry pit!!
Nose 3: Add the water: This has the roundest nose under hot water. The notes on the package are very accurate, but we got berry scents as well.
The Palate: One word: LUSH. This has body, concentration and great intensity. Every corner of the palate is covered with cherry, cocoa and berry.
97 pts
Roaster: Fresh Roasted
Type: Columbian, Whole Bean, Medium Roast
Description: We haven’t ordered from these guys in ages. They always have a huge selection of single origin coffees from all over the world. There is a lot to choose from here. And their bags are dated by roast. If you can find their Santa Barbara Estate Columbian, buy it immediately. This one is good runner up to that.
Three Noses:
Nose 1: Pop open the bag, stick your nose in: The bag freshly opened lets out a rush of cocoa, dark cherry and honey. This is a perfect roast to showcase these beans — a coffee that remembers where it came from: CHERRIES!
Nose 2: The post grind: Mind blowing scents as the coffee off gasses. Let’s get some water on this!
Nose 3: Add the water: Cherries on the nose here but surrounding a black hole of dark roasted cocoa nibs. And this is a medium roast!
The Palate: Don’t even think about adding creamer to this. This coffee stands on its own with intense, concentrated flavors of dark nibs down the center — honey, florals and cherry at the sides of the palate.
94 pts
Roaster: Fresh Roasted
Type: Kenya-AA, Whole Bean, Medium-Dark roast
Description: We haven’t ordered from these guys in ages. They always have a huge selection of single origin coffees from all over the world. There is a lot to choose from here. And their bags are dated by roast.
Three Noses:
Nose 1: Pop open the bag, stick your nose in: Oh wow. Just loaded with stone fruit, chocolate covered dried citrus peel and dark richness.
Nose 2: The post grind: Same rich scents of stone fruit, cherry, citrus peel and dark roasted cocoa nibs.
Nose 3: Add the water: 100% solid, concentrated scents of dark roasted cocoa nibs with cherry/berry coming up the sides.
The Palate: Very concentrated flavors. Very dark on the palate with brighter citrus and floral notes coming up the sides.
93 pts
Roaster: Fresh Roasted
Type: Tanzania Peaberry, Aviv Estate, Whole Bean, Light Roast
Description: We haven’t ordered from these guys in ages. They always have a huge selection of single origin coffees from all over the world. There is a lot to choose from here. And their bags are dated by roast.
Three Noses:
Nose 1: Pop open the bag, stick your nose in: The first sniff of a fresh bag of coffee is my favorite. We get blueberry, banana and cocoa nibs at first sniff.
Nose 2: The post grind: All that CO2 coming out of the grinder container is lush with berries and cocoa. Super intense.
Nose 3: Add the water: For a light roast this has a ton of dark notes, but the aroma coming off of the fresh water hitting the grounds is heavenly.
The Palate: Full bodied, richly flavored on the edges but a little flat on the center of the tongue.
90 pts
Roaster: Drink Coffee Do Stuff
Type: Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Whole Bean, Light-medium Roast
Description: I was talking to my brother-in-law about Happy Mug coffee. He told me he has a coffee-addict friend of his try it. And his friend said, that’s good coffee, but have to tried Drink Coffee Do Stuff? So, we did.
First thing we loved about this coffee is that they have a roast date on the bag. That builds my trust already. The bags are well sealed.
Three Noses:
Nose 1: Pop open the bag, stick your nose in: very rich nose of dried coffee cherry, honey and stone fruit. Very intense.
Nose 2: The post grind: Just insane scents coming up out of the grinder, powerful aroma as that fresh grind hits your nose.
Nose 3: Add the water: Equally lovely scents showcasing the fruit and the well roasted beans.
The Palate: This Ethiopia has classic richness on the palate. The flavors fill the whole palate leaving no part of the tongue untouched.
92 pts
Roaster: Drink Coffee Do Stuff
Type: Tanzania Peaberry, Whole Bean, Medium Roast
Description: I was talking to my brother-in-law about Happy Mug coffee. He told me he has a coffee-addict friend of his try it. And his friend said, that’s good coffee, but have to tried Drink Coffee Do Stuff? So, we did.
First thing we loved about this coffee is that they have a roast date on the bag. That builds my trust already. The bags are well sealed.
Three Noses:
Nose 1: Pop open the bag, stick your nose in: and you get a rush of lovely, rich scents that harken back to the actual coffee cherry.
Nose 2: The post grind: scent is very nice, rich and aromatic.
Nose 3: Add the water: The scent changes massively. Now it’s coffee. The roast emerges as well as the fruit.
The Palate: The flavor has lovely edges, but it is a little unsubstantial in the middle palate. All in all, a great bunch of beans well roasted.
89 pts
Roaster: 8th and Roast
Type: Whole Bean
Description: This coffee came to me as an accident. A coworker received it by accident in the mail. She said she didn’t like dark roast and handed me the bag. Now, I generally like a lighter roast, but this coffee is roasted so well that I ended up really enjoying it. I took a small quantity to work and brewed it (press-pot) for my coworkers. They loved it too.
It is nice and roasty with a nutty/cocoa nose. On the palate it is almost the consistency of a cup of well-made cocoa. And while I have not tried anything else by this roaster, this experience would make do so.
The roaster is located in Nashville on 8th Ave. These guys have done an awesome job creating deep partnerships with the growers they work with. They pay above the minimum fair-trade prices for green beans, helping their partner/growers make a living wage and creating lasting partnerships.
Roaster: Fresh Roasted
Type: Whole Bean
Description: A year ago when I was looking around for good coffee on the net, I happened across this place. What sold me on them was the statement that the coffee is not roasted until the order comes in. I love that! It means that it takes about 5 days to get your order but you are guaranteed the beans are fresh roasted. And they are.
I just ground 23g of beans for my half liter press pot. And man did those ground smell nice. Potent dark Brazil.
This place is worth giving a try. They used to carry a Columbia Santa Barbara Estate, which was my favorite, but no more.
Roaster: Happy Mug
Type: Whole Bean
Description: Happy Mug is one of those companies I would have overlooked just due to the odd package art. But judge not a bag-o-beans by its packaging, ok.
So, these guys are one to watch. I refresh their page every day because there are new allocations popping up several times a week. And they go fast. I order a bag, it arrives in two days, I try it — and if I hesitate some of these will vanish in a week. Guessing they get very small batches.
HM seem to specialize in African coffees. The beans smell and taste like they’re flavored, but that’s the just the natural flavor of these cherry pits. They are amazing coffees.
Roaster: New Day Coffee
Type: Whole Bean
Description: Very happy with many of the whole bean coffees I have purchased from New Day. I was just looking for another Santa Barbara Estate and found these guys. This coffee is worth every penny. It’s nutty, chocolate and earthy. And the aftertaste lingers . . .
Very good value. I always keep a bag of this around, especially for people who live cream in their coffee (that’s me out you see). Cream compliments this cup very well. But it’s even better black.
