Starbucks Reserve Tanzania Southern Highlands, reviewed

Starbucks Reserve’s Tanzania Southern Highlands is one of my current favorite reserve coffees at the moment. On paper, it looks like it would be a solid medium roast coffee that has some typical flavors that you might expect to find in African coffees – and this is true, but the coffee far exceeded any flavor expectations I had before I tried it. The coffee has a bold, tangy berry flavor that makes me think of summer and fruit desserts. It does have a chocolaty smoothness to it, but I would say that it is pretty refreshing even when it is served hot. This coffee is also a certified Fair Trade coffee.

I’ve mostly been drinking this coffee hot, but since the weather has really been heating up in Southern California lately I have been opting for iced coffee more than usual. And this coffee is great over ice, and I would say that the citrus notes come out even more strongly when it is brewed strong and served cold. I was pretty surprised at how intense the flavors were on my first sip! The coffee did mellow out a little and get even smoother as it sat for a few minutes, and ended up being an excellent iced coffee choice for a hot day.

Starbucks Reserve Perú Aladino, reviewed

Peru is one of the top coffee-producing countries in the world, although it doesn’t necessarily come to my mind first when I think about coffee. So, I was slightly surprised to see that a Peruvian coffee was the newest addition to the Starbucks Reserve line on my last visit. Perú Aladino is named after one specific farmer – Aladino Delgado – in the Chontali District of Peru who uses an unusually processing method for preparing his beans. The beans are fermented in earthenware tanks before being dried in greenhouses which create a controlled microclimate to dry the beans as evenly and carefully as possible.

After one cup, I knew that this coffee was worth going out of your way for. It has a velvety texture and a strong toasted nut and toffee flavors, with a more subtle flavors that hinted at cream and cocoa. It is actually quite light and so well balanced that it is exceptionally easy to drink. I liked it best straight from the Clover at Starbucks, but it brews well in a french press and also makes very good iced coffee if you brew it a little stronger before pouring it over ice.

Peet’s Anniversary Blend 2013, reviewed

Peet’s is celebrating their 47th anniversary this year and, although they have been offering anniversary blends for many years now, it seems that they are getting more dramatic as the coffee house closes in on their 50th anniversary. The 2013 Anniversary Blend combines Ethiopian Yirgacheffe with beans from Colombia and Java.  Fans of floral and slightly citrusy Yirgacheffe wont’ be disappointed with this coffee, since that provides the base for this blend. It has a lot more body and fruitiness to it than Yirgacheffe alone (and, full disclosure, I tend not to be a big fan of Yirgacheffe), thanks to the two beans blended with it, and so the final blend has a rich, smooth and flavorful profile that  appealed to me much more than I anticipated.

This is definitely a bold coffee and works just as well when put through an espresso machine as it does in a french press. You could opt for a regular drip coffee maker, if that’s your preference but you’ll get a little extra body and mouthfeel from this blend if you opt to press it instead.

West Java Indonesia Starbucks Reserve Coffee, reviewed

Starbucks released two new reserve coffees from Indonesia at the same time, and when I saw them both pop up on the menu board at my local store, I immediately wondered what the difference was. Fortunately, I was able to set up a little taste test so I could do a side by side comparison of Isla Flores Indonesia and West Java Indonesia.

West Java Indonesia delivered a big contrast to the Isla Flores Indonesia coffee, but since it comes from a completely different part of Indonesia and there is actually quite a bit of diversity between the various islands (and microclimates within the islands), I should have expected it. I knew that Iwould like it as soon as I smelled it. The coffee had unexpected sweetness to it that reminded me bit of hibiscus. When I tasted it, I found that the sweetness was tempered with herbal notes – but the coffee still had a rich earthiness and a very low acidity that made for a very smooth cup of coffee (in contrast to bright, high acidity coffees that I am more likely to associate with distinct herbal and grassy flavors). The sweetness came through again at the end and left me with a very clean finish. Definitely a fun, easy to drink coffee that I’ll have again.

Isla Flores Indonesia Starbucks Reserve Coffee, reviewed

Starbucks released two new reserve coffees from Indonesia at the same time, and when I saw them both pop up on the menu board at my local store, I immediately wondered what the difference was. Fortunately, I was able to set up a little taste test so I could do a side by side comparison of Isla Flores Indonesia and West Java Indonesia.

Isla Flores is a very smooth coffee that has a really nice balance of sweetness and earthiness. You can definitely taste some of the butterscotch and caramel notes in the coffee, though they are balanced out by a moist, earth flavor that grounds the coffee. It is quite dark, but extremely easy to drink – even if you don’t usually take your coffee back. The beans are processed using a washed method, different from the semi-washed processing that is more common to the area. Apparently, the method brings out a unique color in the coffee beans (before they are roasted, of course), as well.

This coffee would pair well with just about anything (seriously), from banana bread to those little caramel candies that Starbucks sells at the register (and were sampled to me by a barista who was 100% right in saying they were a delicious pairing). This coffee is only available in very small batches, so this is one to taste first if it shows up at your local store, since it isn’t likely to last.