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This coffee press makes a single regular sized cup of coffee. It was $9.99 on sale at Meijer. It works and cleans pretty well but because I have nothing to compare it to my assessment might be skewed.
I have been using it to make a cup of Maxwell House when I don't have a pot of my own roast brewed. For the most part the flavor has not been enjoyable and quite bitter. But I have discovered that this is because of user error. I have been making the coffee in the press with water from the tap. I know the importance of using filtered water when making coffee but for some reason I have been too lazy to get water from the fridge when using the press.
Yesterday I made a cup of Maxwell House using the press and I used filtered water. What a difference in the flavor. While I find Maxwell House to be a boring/common coffee it is a stable blend and the basis from which I compare all coffees. Using the filtered water the flavor is not bitter and pretty much without quality flaw. The flavor is still common and unimpressive but it is not bad. The press is a nice way to make a quick cup of coffee but filtered water is still a necessity.
Guatemala
The Huehuetenango is a good solid cup of coffee that seems almost classic. The body is thin enough to leave the mouth clean and hearty enough to not be confused with tea. I've been drinking Maxwell House these past few days and really enjoy the departure from the normal bitters that exist in that roast.
From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 4.
Guatemala
The Antigua Pastoral is a bust. I think I made it too weak. I usually make coffee 2oz. to a 12 cup pot but I made this one at 1 oz. to a 6 cup pot and I think it was too weak. It smelled good but also too weak.
This Guatemalian is said to have a "big" chocolate taste although I did not notice it to be that big. The body was too thin and drank more like a watery tea than a full-bodied coffee. I was disappointed but again, I think I made it wrong.
I will brew this coffee again and add my updates in the comments.
From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 4.
Yemen
This is a great cup of coffee! The Mocca Matari has an exquisite aroma, from its ground City roasted bean to the hot brewed cup. It smells like warm chocolate pudding just like mom used to make which beckons the drinker to eagerly sample the cup.
The flavor is full and complex but most of all chocolaty! There are undertones of spice upon the finish but without doubt the chocolate flavor wins the day. The Yemen, Mocca Matari is a must try for all enthusiasts who want to know what it's like in Yemen.
From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 8.
Uh oh, I think I really am becoming a coffee snob. I just had a cup of McDonald's coffee and I was quite disappointed with it. I used to like the stuff, in fact I was quite impressed with it when it was first introduced in the market. However, today's cup had no body and the strong flavor came only from the roast itself. It tasted like it was burned, not quite charcoal, but burned.
I used to be happy with coffee, any coffee, the good, the bad, the ugly. Now I actually taste it and know the difference between a good brew and a brew that is not so good. I think I liked it better being ignorant but alas I know that I will never go back. I am sure that a snob I will forever be. Ah well, I guess there are worse things to be snobbish about.
Costa Rica
As I have seated myself and am preparing to write this review I ask that you would bear with me a bit while I go get another cup of this Tarrazu.
O.K., I have returned. Thank you for waiting.
As a Full-City+ roast I find this cup to be very pleasing. The aroma is strong and spreads around the house like a fine linen blanket that invites you to snuggle in while it brews. Very smooth with a strong fragrant scent.
The flavor is very earthy, and (as someone else describes it) pleasingly straightforward. Straightforward is a great term that describes the flavor in this cup because other adjectives do not seem to identify the quality here. It really is a flavor that has to be experienced to be understood. I read that the Tarrazu is a classical bean that is known for its fruity and nutty attribute but I am afraid that the nut is lost on me - all I taste is the pleasing fruitiness that seems to make this cup "straightforward".
From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 6.
I found a 5 minute video that is a great overview of coffee beans. It covers origins, harvesting, Arabica beans, Robusta beans, wet processing, dry processing, blending, coffee strength, and caffeine.Click here to open the video in a new window.
Sumatra
The flavor here is full with a Full-City roast - Highly chocolate, semi-sweet, and quite deep. The flavor lingers after the cup is gone suggesting a heavy body.
My lack of enjoyment of this cup is not because of the coffee but rather because I was not mentally prepared to fully experience it. I am learning, as I go, that I need to be ready to take some time to smell and taste the coffee that I make. Also, I think I need to drink some regular coffee for a while to find my baseline again.
I will post updates in the comments section as I try this bean again/
From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 4.
Brazil
Nutty and Earthy! Here is a great example of what Nut and Earth taste like in coffee. There is a bit of a wine attribute on the finish of this flavor but it is slight enough to leave you asking if it is really there. The dominant flavor is that of Nut with a fine compliment of Earth tone that balances off the taste.
The aroma is strong with a sweetend earth flavor which is pleasing but not fascinating.
The overall experience is good because this Brazilian bean is the best example of Nut that I have had so far. The flavor does not beg me to drink more but at the same time I like it enough to suggest it to you and to pour myself another cup.
From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 5.
Zimbabwe
At city, to full-city, this is a very pleasing and surprising cup. You know that it is a good cup when you take a sip and say "wow" and you look for your wife to try it.
The coffee has a dominant floral quality that hits you with a definite floral sweetness right off. There is a nutty quality to this brew which is only slightly noticeable upon the finish.
The aroma did not stand out as one of distinction - smelled like coffee. I will comment later about how it tasted over ice.
From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 6.
This coffee press makes a single regular sized cup of coffee. It was $9.99 on sale at Meijer. It works and cleans pretty well but because I have nothing to compare it to my assessment might be skewed.
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