check out this recommended product

this is one pretty sweet coffee press, and hopefully i can win it!

http://www.windtraveler.net/2012/08/coffee-anyone-aeropress-coffeemaker.html

Indonesian Sulawesi

The name says it all...hard to say and hard to drink. It is a light to medium bodied blend, with low acidity, but it has a potent aftertaste which lingers like someone at a party that you desparately want to leave but won't get the hint. Indonesian coffee is known for their intense foresty or earthy flavors. Earthy - yes.

Bean rating: 2 out of 5

Oh Muddy River

I picked up some of the Delta Mud blend from Alterra the other day at Metcalfe's Market (awesome, awesome grocery store in Madison).

The description on the Alterra website is about a coffee that is "not for the timid or faint of heart..." and "an extremely rich, deep cup of coffee".

I wouldn't say this is not for the timid. I didn't find it to be all that full bodied, but it did have a nice depth and intensity to it, without being a full french roast type blend. The name initially scared me off, but I'm hooked on the Delta Mud.

Bean rating: 4.75 out of 5.

Luna Stout

Luna coffee roasters is a small roaster based in De Pere, WI. For whatever reason, their website was down today or otherwise I'd give you the linke (it's Lunacafe.com). You'll see their coffees all over Door County.

I tried the Luna Stout. This roast is more famously known for being incorporated into Hinterland Brewery's Luna Stout Beer (beer mixed with coffee), which is quite a tasty concoction.

That being said, Luna Stout is a dark, dense taste without being overly acidic or earthy. Surprisingly, it had little aftertaste.

Bean Rating: 4 out of 5.

Happy Admin Professional Day

As a small token of our appreciation, I stopped by Starbucks this morning to pick up a mocha and gift card for our wonderful administrative professional, Mary, as today is Administrative Professional Day.

While there, I grabbed a cup of the Cafe Estima blend, or at least that's what I think it was. I did not have my glasses on this morning, so who knows what I'm really reviewing. Anyway, whatever I had, and I will assume it is Cafe Estima, was delicious. Very smooth, not bitter at all and full of subtle citrus and floral notes. I think I prefer it to their Pike Place roast.

Also, Starbucks in case you read my pathetically small blog, please keep the Via Tribute Blend available! It is far and away the best Via offering.

Bean rating for Cafe Estima: 4.5 out of 5

Get out today and buy a cup for your administrative professional as a means of your appreciation of their hard work and efforts.

Starbucks tribute blend

Claimed by Starbucks to be the culmination of "40 years of stories, discoveries and relationships". Not sure what that means because they never ask my opinion about what coffee they should serve. Anyway, I bought some of the Tribute Blend Via packs. I'd describe this coffee as somewhat spicy undertones. I did not detect any cherry undertones, which the box claims. Overall, a decent blend and one of the better options for the Via route. Bean rating: 4 out of 5

Yo soy americano

Perhaps my favorite coffee drink is an Americano. An Americano is prepared by adding hot water to espresso, which creates a drink of similar strength but much different taste than regular drip/brewed coffee.

In case you are curious, the name Americano has its origins from World War II when American soldiers stationed in Europe would add hot water into espresso to imitate the drip coffee to which they were used to.

Ruwanda some coffee?

Ok, sorry for the poor joke. I apologize for my lengthy delay away. Due to my wife's pregnancy, she's drinking half-regular/half-decaf coffee and so am I. But, due to a week of vacation last week, I was back at the grinder making some fresh brews.

I tried some Ruwandan beans and have to admit that it is one tasty cup of coffee. The coffee is bright, sweet and citrusy. It has a smooth, almost silky body, but not heavy. Any aftertaste is strictly sweetness.

I will definitely drink this again.

Bean rating: 4.65 out of 5 beans.

Grind your own

I'm sure you all grind your own coffee beans, right? Right?

Anywho, there are 3 types of bean grinders out there. The first is the Blade Grinder. Usually the least expensive of the 3. This can also be called a mill grinder. The grinding action consists of a tiny blade that spins around very quickly, chopping the coffee beans into small pieces. The longer you run the blade, the finer the coffee grounds are. Warning though, if you grind the beans too fine, the resulting coffee will be very bitter.

The next type of grinder is the flat plate burr grinder, which grinds the beans between two hard burrs on top of each other. The result is coffee grounds of consistent size. Most burr grinders have settings for different sizes.

Perhaps the best grinder is the conical burr grinder. This grinder grinds very slowly, which creates very little change in the flavor of the beans, due to the lack of heat created during the process. This grinder is also less prone to clogging than the plate burr grinder. This is then an excellent choice for flavored coffee blends which contain more oils/liquids in the beans. However, this is a larger unit and usually somewhat expensive.

Starbucks French Roast Via

Sorry to all of my followers for the lack of posts lately. I've been quite sick with some stupid sinus thing lately, and when I have such an issue, and an accompanying sore throat, I prefer cold beverages to warm.

So, Starbucks just announced their "Trenta" size for various iced drinks. Pretty stoked for that come summer. Now, we just have to survive this upcoming arctic blast...did you see a high of 3 on Friday? Craziness.

Anyway, Starbucks also recently released their French Roast for Via. It's promoted as intense and smoky, their darkest and boldest coffee. To my pleasant surprise, it's not very smoky. All other descriptions are on point.

Bean rating: 4 out of 5. The French Roast, is in fact, my favorite of all the Via options.

cut me some slack

Lately, with all of the usual holiday activities, a sick child, etc., I've been a little lazy in getting more coffee to review. To make matters worse, I've again resumed my Starbucks Via instant coffee habit. I drank through a box of the Holiday blend packets and am now on the Italian Roast blend. My local Starbucks was totally out of the Holiday blend, which was quite a disappointment.

That being said, I do enjoy the Italian Roast Via mix. For an instant coffee, it has a deep, rich, hearty taste. The Italian Roast is my instant coffee choice in a pinch.

Bean Rating: 4 out of 5 (although, if this were fresh gr0und it would be more like a 3.5 out of 5).

10 ways to tell if you drink too much coffee:

1. you answer the door before people knock;
2. juan valdez named his donkey after you;
3. the only kitchen appliances you own are made by Mr. Coffee;
4. you ski uphill;
5. you get a tax deduction for all the coffee you bought;
6. you get a speeding ticket even when parked;
7. you speed walk in your sleep;
8. you haven't blinked since the last lunar eclipse;
9. for vacation, you visit the Maxwell House;
10. you're so jittery that other people use your hands to blend their margaritas

Java - a little bit of this, a little bit of that

Java Estate is coffee produced on the island of Java (who wouldn't want to live there, right?). The Indonesian prhase "Kopi Jawa" refers not only to the origin, but also used to describe the strong, black, very sweet coffee.

I purchased a half pound of the Java Estate blend from La Java coffee house, in Green Bay, WI. This is pretty far from my normal taste preferences, but hey, I turn 35 in a few weeks, so it's time to shake things up and start that mid-life crisis a little early.

The best way to describe this blend is "chocolate earth." It had a slightly spicy initial punch, but the earthy and chocolate undertones lingered a while. I'd describe this blend as a medium to slightly full bodied cup, of medium acidity as well.

While this isn't driving my taste buds to shout to the heavens, it is decent for a change of pace.

Bean rating: 3.75 out of 5.

'Tis cold outside

I made a pot of Brazilian Sweet Yellow Coffee this morning and realized how much I missed this one. Sweet Yellow is made from a mixture of several varietals (bourbon, catoise and caturra). The coffee is very sweet, super smooth with lots of happy high notes. It is a light roast with a medium body. It does not have an overpowering acidity and does not have a lingering aftertaste, so your co-workers do not have to fear the dreaded coffee breath monster.

I purchased this coffee from La Java, located in Green Bay, WI. If you are ever there, make sure to check out their new location on Lineville Road. I hear they have some killer soups and sandwiches, not to mention fantastic coffees.

Bean Rating: 4.80 out of 5.00 (near perfection)

Indonesian Flores

Flores is a small island located off Indonesia. The milling tradition is wet-process. This process uses water at the mill to transport the seed through the process, which allows for the removal of defects to float to the surface. Wet processing often produces a brighter, cleaner flavor profile, with a lighter body than dry process coffees.

The Flores coffee was sweet and floral, with a good, syrupy body and a clean overall cup of coffee. Flores coffee als has uses in espresso.

I thoroughly enjoyed this blend. I purchased this half-pound at EVP Coffee of Madison (www.evpcoffee.com) and highly recommend both the blend and the coffee house.

bean rating: 4.75 out of 5 (near perfection).

Kenyan AA

The last of the Kenyan (different from the Kirinyaga already blogged about). This Kenyan blend has a distinctly bright acidity and lingering aftertaste. The aftertaste is dry and somewhat winy (not like a toddler or nagging signficant other).

Regarding Kenyan coffee, it is estimated that 6 million plus Kenyans are employed in some capacity in the coffee industry. The high plateaus plus acidic soil create perfect conditions for coffee growing.

Bean rating: 3.5out of 5. I enjoyed the initial acidic punch, but didn't really care for the lingering aftertaste. this is the kind of blend that gives you the dreaded coffee breath.

Kenyan Kirinyaga

I picked up a half pound of this "dark roast" from Victor Allen's and am enjoying it as I type. This coffee starts off with a fruity/sweeter hint and then graduates to a darker flavor. The taste lingers and kind of swirls on the palate for a while. It is quite a complex cup of coffee. It takes some time to grow on you, but once it's there, it sticks around like a long lost friend.

Bean rating: 4.5 out of 5

random coffee facts

1. coffee is the world's second-most traded commodity (to oil);
2. coffee trees can only be grown where there is no winter frost;
3. Only 2 types of coffee plants are actually cultivated - Arabica and Robusta;
4. The average yield from 1 coffee tree is 1 roasted pound of coffee;
5. Brazil is the world's largest producer of coffee;
6. No coffee is grown in the US, except for Hawaii and Puerto Rico

new entries

Coming soon...just picked up a couple of half pound bags from Victor Allan. I think that will be my first VA review.

Grounds for Change

Grounds for Change specializes in 100% Fair Trade coffee. They are a certified organic coffee roaster. During the recently held Java Jive event, I won a pound of Mexico Cafe Femenino. No, this isn't feminine coffee, rather it is coffee grown by women. It is a medium roast, with a bright and clean finish. Low on the acidity totem pole, with a nice initial punch.

Bean rating: 4 out of 5