Pluma - Don Edwardo

Mexico

You smell the lilacs in the late spring and you know that the world is alive... Yeah, this Pluma is sort of like that. However, it is the flavor of this brew that awakens the senses - not necessarily the aroma. The flavor invites you to life and blankets your taste-buds with a shawl that wards of the south wind that sometimes threatens a world of summer.

Oh how I wish I was in the business of roasting coffee, because this coffee would make you happy you were alive for another season of life.

Marcala (Organic)

Honduras

When the first rays of sunlight caress your face and you smell nature before any deer have awoke to take the day's first drink from the lake - you will only then most intimately know this coffee. It's aroma can only be described by feeling and its flavor can only be realized with the methodical rhythm of Argent's Hold Your Head Up. This is a coffee that demands to be experienced and begs to be beheld.

I sure wish I sold this stuff so that you too could experience the very best of God's glorious creation.

Mocca Matari - 5

Yemen

Like school kids in the lunch-line on pizza day - this coffee made me happy.

The aroma was rich, thick, and warm like an evening fire. It was robust with nostalgia and made you say "wow". The flavor was as committed as Little Ann was committed to Old Dan. Thick and solid this coffee did not let you down, chasing down the ring tails of satisfaction.

That said, the Mocca Matari is a demanding mutt - as fickle as a cat. Some beans you can roast without too much attention and still brew a cup that contains the flavor that you expected. However, the Mocca in this bean will not be realized until it has been roasted quite dark - well into the second crack. Though the flavor is good at the cinnamon level the potential will still be in the bean waiting for the maturity that comes only with a fuller roast.

Kahura Peabery

Kenya

I just roasted another Peabery - this makes the forth kind so far. As I type I am waiting for it to fully steep so that I can taste it. I am so excited I might just wet myself (ok, not really but I am excited).

This bean seemed to be more dense than any other bean. I usually roast 2/3 C of green beans without incident but this time the air was not moving the beans to roast them evenly. So, I did what anyone would do - I stood there shaking the roaster.

(Be right back, I have to get the coffee and I think I hear the baby crying)
(Alright, I got the coffee and the baby is babbling and contained safely in her crib)

This cup smells wonderful, like an autumn evening after the leaves have fallen. I mean, this cup smells "take her home to mother" good. It is a pleasure to just sit and smell her beauty and imagine that first kiss. When I dared to lean over for a peck on the cheek I was rewarded with a passion that only a woman can deliver. The flavor is woody and nutty with a depth that only Alice's rabbit hole can know. This flavor begs for a pallet to cause to rejoice and it makes the angels sing. If only I were in the business of roasting coffee - the world would know peace.

I highly recommend this Kahura Peabery...

Kigoma Peaberry

Tanzania

Just like the Paupa New Guinea, this Peaberry possesses a sophisticated flavor that only the most seasoned coffee lovers will appreciate. Like the flavor of Borolo Pio Cesare, this coffee is full of complexity.

This is a good coffee but one I fear will not be liked by most poeple. It really must be drank like a wine because one must approach it like the connesuer of wine rather than a teenager drinking a Budweiser. I do appreciate it for a change but the flavor is odd (sort of like chickory flavoring) and so it will not become my favorite.

Biggby Coffee

Alright, alright, I realize that I have been spending way too much time trying and posting about store bought coffee. You are correct to be getting sick of it and considering me a turn-coat because this site was founded upon the purism of freshly home-roasted coffee. I promise, I will return to my roots but for now, well, I have to use this store bought coffee before it gets any more stale.

I don't know if you have noticed one of the 150 or so Biggby stores that have popped up in 6 states. But they are around us and I've noticed. I would like to do some research concerning their business model and how they plan to compete with Starbuck's and the others but I'll leave that for another day. Today I'll simply talk about the coffee.

I could say it is "AWESOME!", I could say that it is "great", I could say that I have been converted from my home-roasting ways but then I would be a liar. At best the Biggby Coffee was a lot better than the Ugly Mug and light years passed the Seattle's Best. I would concede that it is on par with Dunkin's Coffee and less burnt than Charbucks. So if you want a really great cup of coffee learn to home roast.

Ugly Mug Coffee

It would seem that my latest coffee exploits have veered away from the original scope of this blog (to review my home roasted coffees) - but hey, at least I am still posting.

I tried a new coffee from the store called Ugly Mug Coffee. It's not all that great but a heck of a lot better than my Seattle's Best sample. The best part of this Memphis brew seems to me to be the packaging and the dreadful morning pictures of people that they use on their packaging and website.

Oh. The taste review? Hold on a sec while I go brew a cup...... Alright, here it is.

This roast is called "BOLD" and while it is certainly dark roasted the flavor nor the aroma calls out to me. This could be in part because the package indicates that it would have been best if used by last month but hey - that explains why it was on sale. However, the flavor is good enough that I am not trying to figure out what I can mix it with to mask any annoying attributes.

This brew does remind me of a cup of coffee that I can only get in the office break room, early in the winter morning when it is still dark and nobody else is there to disturb the few moments of peace before the work day begins. The coffee made from a mass packet of grounds that has been in the cupboard for only God knows how long and brewed with office sink water. In those moments it is not the flavor of the cup that stands out but the peacefulness and warmth of the moment.

So Ugly Mug Coffee is not exceptional coffee but it does seem to have a nostalgic quality about it.

Dunkin Donuts

I purchased a bag of Dunkin Donuts coffee to have on hand when I was out of fresh roasted beans. I have to say that I was expecting something really extraordinary by the way people gush about the stuff. I found it a little bitter with a flowery note. It was better than Seattle's Best - but then again Folger's is better than Seattle's Best is.

To correct the DD's bitter and floral taste I did add a 50% mix of Seattle's Best to the mix and it was not a bad blend at all. I need to sample it again but I think I found a decent blend of store bought coffees. I'll keep you posted.

Seattle's Best Coffee

I've not been able to roast coffee as quickly as I drink it so I have a stash of store bought coffee that I use when I am empty. I picked up a bag of something called Seattle's Best Coffee and I must say that this stuff is horrible!!! It is considered a "dark roast" which simply means that it is burned, they could be using any bean from anywhere because there is no flavor to this cup except the taste of burn. They call this sludge Seattle's Best Coffee and I cannot help but feel sorry for the folks in Seattle if this is the best that they have. The name reminds me of that beer Milwaukee's Best which is also pretty sad for the people of Milwaukee.

El Salvador Organic - Cuzcachapa

The fun of this coffee began the moment that I tried to pronounce its name. I finally have it phonetically but I am quite sure that my accent is way off. ;-)

I roasted this bean to just through the 1st crack and it ground just slightly darker than cinnamon. The flavor is very full and is supposed to have a definite chocolate note. I did not notice this, what is dominant to me is the floral qualities of this bean. I am sensitive to the florals because I'm especially fond of them.

The body of this cup is wonderful! As it cooled and I could take a full swallow I realized that this is a very viscous coffee which makes it more a meal than a warm and comforting drink.

The next time I roast this bean I will take it through the 2nd Crack and explore the flavors through caramelized sugars.