Coffee tastings

[paralleljalebi]

Going to be sharing coffee tastings in this thread. It'll mostly be Starbucks bags (I get them for free every week, so why not try them all?) and other roasters that stock the grocers and coffeehouses in the Pacific Northwest. I will probably list the other variables influencing my tasting, but this isn't a statistical analytic review or anything. Just sharing my thoughts. And I encourage others to do so as well.

[paralleljalebi]

La Soledad, Ritual Coffee
Harvested in Sacatepéquez, Guatemala
Roasted in San Francisco, California



My mom bought these beans for me for Christmas during a visit to San Francisco. Since starting my lil' coffee snob adventure, I have rarely drank single-origin roasts, apart from what's offered at Starbucks in the category. The Sumatra we have is disgusting, but I was really fond of the Guatemala Casi Cielo beans. Similar tasting notes for that coffee as well as this bag from Ritual, which include milk chocolate, lilac, and nectarine. Opening the bag immediately hits you with this bright and floral aroma. Upon tasting it, you get this thick mouthfeel, and it's more towards the chocolate-y sensation, but the light citrus comes out in further sips. I tried this in an AeroPress (brewed like drip coffee) and a French press, and the results are very similar. I would say the French press brought out the milk chocolate flavour more than the AeroPress, which gave way to a lighter, almost floral taste.

[paralleljalebi]

Looking up Ritual's website and I'm seeing they have a coffee bag subscription service. It's 26$ for each bag, and it's the same price no matter if you pre-pay or make recurring payments, and the shipping is included in that 26$. They roast the beans to-order so it'd be a fresher bag than any nearby roaster. I might look into this, and check out other roasters' subscription services to see if they would be worth it.

[matt]

you just missed out on the Smosh Coffee https://www.instagram.com/smoshcoffee/?hl=en

[paralleljalebi]

you just missed out on the Smosh Coffee https://www.instagram.com/smoshcoffee/?hl=en

oh my gawd

[paralleljalebi]

Seattle Roastery Microblend, Starbucks Reserve
Multi-origin Blend
Roasted in Seattle, Washington, at the Starbucks Reserve on Capitol Hill

Seattle Roastery Microblend, Starbucks Reserve.png (3.51 MiB) Viewed 10825 times

I've had these beans since Parker and I went up to Seattle in August. I bought two bags of this microblend, and thoroughly enjoyed the first one. I only had a French press at the time, but it really complements the sweet aspects of this coffee. The card attached (might I say, one of my favourite things about Starbucks is the presentation of Reserve coffee bags) lists tasting notes of "blackberry, warm spices, dried orange peel, and cocoa nib". It feels both like a summer blend, and a rainy day pick-me-up, which is why I brought out the second bag today.

I had stored this second bag in the freezer for a few weeks because I heard it was fine to freeze coffee, but then some of my co-workers at SBUX said I shouldn't freeze coffee, so I just decided to take it out. I don't taste a heavy loss of flavour, but it doesn't feel as impactful the second time around. I remember sharing a french press with my manager during a barista check-in, and we both agreed about how it tastes real 'jammy'. The low acidity lends way to that sweetness. I tried making an AeroPress and French press version to compare, and I fumbled the AeroPress cup really bad. It was bitter and had no hint of sweetness. It only brought out the spicier notes. This feels like a French press roast for sure.

[paralleljalebi]

Seattle Roastery Microblend, Starbucks Reserve
Multi-origin Blend
Roasted in Seattle, Washington, at the Starbucks Reserve on Capitol Hill

Seattle Roastery Microblend, Starbucks Reserve.png

I've had these beans since Parker and I went up to Seattle in August. I bought two bags of this microblend, and thoroughly enjoyed the first one. I only had a French press at the time, but it really complements the sweet aspects of this coffee. The card attached (might I say, one of my favourite things about Starbucks is the presentation of Reserve coffee bags) lists tasting notes of "blackberry, warm spices, dried orange peel, and cocoa nib". It feels both like a summer blend, and a rainy day pick-me-up, which is why I brought out the second bag today.

I had stored this second bag in the freezer for a few weeks because I heard it was fine to freeze coffee, but then some of my co-workers at SBUX said I shouldn't freeze coffee, so I just decided to take it out. I don't taste a heavy loss of flavour, but it doesn't feel as impactful the second time around. I remember sharing a french press with my manager during a barista check-in, and we both agreed about how it tastes real 'jammy'. The low acidity lends way to that sweetness. I tried making an AeroPress and French press version to compare, and I fumbled the AeroPress cup really bad. It was bitter and had no hint of sweetness. It only brought out the spicier notes. This feels like a French press roast for sure.

Coming back to this one and I will agree it's one of my favourite coffees I've had unfortunately