Starbucks Reserve Sumatra Tapanuli, reviewed

The other Starbucks Reserve coffee that I tried at the tasting event the other day was the Sumatra Tapanuli. Unlike the Kenya Tana River, this was not a coffee we tasted iced. Instead, we brewed it up in one of the largest french presses I’ve seen. To give you an idea of its size, our coffee master had to use both hands (and stand up for leverage) to push down the plunger!

Getting back to the coffee, I generally really enjoy Sumatran coffees. They have rich berry notes and a great depth of flavor without the light citrus overtones that you find in a lot of South American and some African coffees. The Starbucks Reserve Sumatra Tapanuli was no exception. This was a rich coffee and, while it didn’t have all of the berry notes that I might have expected to find, it had a really earthy and chocolatey flavor to it. The earthiness was very deep, like very wet potting soil (Starbucks suggests this is a “mushroomy” note). The chocolate was dark, bittersweet and did have hints of berry, but they were subtle.  It was delicious, and worked well in the french press. We paired it with maple scones that toned down the dark intensity of the coffee, but I definitely wouldn’t mind pairing this with an intense chocolate dessert or a few pieces of salted caramel.

Starbucks Reserve Kenya Tana River, reviewed

One of the Starbucks Reserve coffees that I tried at the tasting event the other day was the Kenya Tana River. This coffee is grown near the base of Mount Kenya by a network of small farmers that all grow coffee in the same rich area. It has a unique, but distinctly African (and I’m referring to African coffees here) flavor to it. It has a noticeable black tea flavor, a subtle grassy fruitiness and notes of berries throughout. Best of all, this coffee is incredibly smooth and balance. This makes it a coffee that literally anyone can enjoy. It also means that not only does it make a wonderful hot cup of coffee, but it also makes fantastic iced coffee without a hint of bitterness. The tea notes come out a little more strongly in the iced version, which makes it very refreshing. I drink it black both hot and cold, but I think that it would take very well to sweeteners, especially when served over ice.

Our coffee master paired this coffee with orange cranberry stones, where the bright, tangy acidity of the orange and cranberries brightened up the coffee and highlighted the berry notes. I’d definitely match this with anything orange, but its smoothness and balanced flavor means that this is a coffee that would pair well with delicately flavored foods without overpowering them, so while it is a limited edition, it’s definitely an all purpose coffee.

Starbucks Natural Fusions, reviewed

Flavored coffees aren’t usually the first coffee that I look for when I’m looking to stock up on beans. Often, flavored coffees are made with bean blends that don’t pay a lot of attention to the flavor profile of the beans themselves (or not much attention to it, certainly) and count on the added flavor to dominate the brew. This isn’t to say that all flavored coffees are bad, just that you can get away with more than you can when you’re tasting the beans themselves. Starbucks Natural Fusions are flavored coffees from Starbucks made with all natural flavors. The Fusions come pre-ground and are sold in grocery stores, rather than at Starbucks locations, and they are available in Cinnamon, Vanilla and Caramel.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I tried them, but I was very pleasantly surprised at how well the flavors came through – with no artificial overtones – in the brewed coffee. The Vanilla is made with ground vanilla beans that lend a subtle vanilla flavor and lend a smoothness to the coffee that makes it go quite well with milk. The Caramel is flavored with butter, licorice orange peel, ground cinnamon and nutmeg and, while it has a bit of spice to it, it also captures a light and buttery toasted-sugar flavor that a lot of flavored coffees miss (or just over-do to the point where they get a funky aftertaste). My favorite was the Cinnamon, and my preference is probably influenced by the fact that I will sometimes add a sprinkle of ground cinnamon to my coffee when I want to spice it up a bit (often at coffee shops when they have just so-so coffee). The Cinnamon is flavored with cinnamon, dried orange peel, nutmeg and sarsaparilla root. It has a definite, but not aggressive, cinnamon flavor and makes a great base for cappuccinos.

Overall, I know that in all honesty I will always choose something like Tribute Blend over a flavored coffee, but these coffees are quite good and I really did enjoy them. They are definitely the way to go if you are looking for a flavored coffee because of the all-natural flavoring and the smooth overall flavors.  I would also definitely put them on the shopping list when I’m entertaining and need to brew up several big batches of coffee because I have a feeling that they’ll be real crowd pleasers!

Javaz Milk and Dark Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans, reviewed

I love chocolate covered coffee beans, but more often than not they’re a bit disappointing and either use mediocre chocolate or beans that don’t have enough flavor to them. The packaging of Javaz, a brand of milk and dark chocolate covered coffee beans, really caught my attention with their promise of being “artisan confections of organic coffee beans and fine chocolate.” The candies are Arabica coffee beans enrobed in chocolate and finished with a very thin candy shell. The dark chocolate is not too sweet, with a good cocoa and berry notes to it, like a dark roast coffee. There is a good ratio of chocolate to coffee bean, and the chocolate compliments the crisp bean inside very well. The milk chocolate version is much creamier than the dark chocolate Javaz, and melts easily on the tongue. It leaves behind a sweeter, creamier flavor that reminds me of a mocha latte rather than of black coffee. The shells are extremely crisp and thin – much thinner than the shell of, say, and M&M -and they shatter with a satisfying crunch when you bite into them.

I’ll definitely pick these up again, going for the dark when I want more of a strong coffee flavor and the milk when I’m in the mood for something creamier. I found these at a local store (Cost Plus World Market) but it appears that they are also available online if you’re looking for a new way to get your chocolate covered coffee bean fix.

Trader Joe’s 100% Hawaiian Coffee, reviewed

I am a big fan of Kona coffee, and while not many coffees will beat out a perfectly roasted and brewed cup of Kona in my book, it is well worth noting that there is a lot of coffee grown in Hawaii outside of Kona and a lot of it is really excellent – and more affordable than pure Kona. Trader Joe’s 100% Hawaiian Coffee is one of these. This coffee is a single-plantation coffee grown in Hawaii but outside of the Kona area. Trader Joe’s won’t say exactly which plantation produces the beans, but at less than half the price of Kona beans, it’s worth a little mystery.

This coffee is a very dark roast with strong earthy flavors and a hint of smokiness. It does not have the berry overtones than some of my favorite dark roasts have, and instead has a woodsy and slightly spicy finish to it that reminds me of cloves. TJ’s says it makes good espresso, and I can see that because it’s clear that this is an all around coffee. It blends very well with milk and would stand up to the other flavors in something like a mocha or vanilla latte.