Review 14: Kaweh Ijen, Indonesia

Source: Waitrose
Date: 24 December 2015
Country: Indonesia
Beans: Arabica
Preparation: Cafetiere

Nose of grounds: roast meat
Colour of brew: very dark amber
Nose of brew: earthy, herbs
Early flavours: dark chocolate
Finish: spices

Review 13: Percol Columbia

Source: Percol packet grounds (supermarket)
Date: 09/06/2015
Country: Colombia
Beans: Arabica
Preparation: Cafetiere

Nose of grounds: Bright and light
Colour of brew: Deep, dark brown
Nose of brew: rich but not strong aromas
Early flavours: Slightly chocolatey, slightly nutty
Finish: Rounded with a little bitterness

Tasting notes:
When I first started getting into coffee while I was at university, my brew of choice was Percol Colombia Arabica. It was the standard for me - not too expensive, but really flavoursome. It didn't have anything weird going for it either - it was solid. So I probably bought more of that than anything else at the time. It was also Fair Trade - which was important to me.

So when it was a colleague's turn to bring the coffee in, and he brought the most recent iteration of Percol's coffee, I thought it was high time for a review of this coffee.

My feeling overall is that it's basically an easy-drinker without a great deal of character. There are two main notes - one slightly chocolatey, and the bitterness at the end. But neither is particularly strong, and the overwhelming flavour is pretty bland without being watery. To be honest, I could drink this all day if I wasn't thinking about having a particularly tasty cup of coffee.

There's not much else to write! Good but nothing special, I'm afraid.

Coffee maker's notes:
Our Fairtrade Colombia coffee contrasts a full and rich flavour with a satisfyingly smooth taste. Freshly ground from 100% Arabica coffee beans, this Fairtrade coffee is well balanced with a slightly nutty aftertaste.

Review 12: Seattle's 'Best' Coffee

Source: KFC Reading Gate
Date: 27/05/2015
Country: Don't know
Beans: Don't know
Preparation: Not sure, but probably filtered

Nose of grounds: N/A
Colour of brew: Deep, dark brown
Nose of brew: Not much, though a slightly alarming chemical hint
Early flavours: Light and bland
Finish: Not a great deal, but not bad either. Some rounded bitterness

Tasting notes:

Any coffee marketing itself as 'Seattle's Best Coffee' (it's not actually a marketing slogan - it's their name) is asking to be held up to high scrutiny. Many will know that Seattle has a reputation for high quality coffees, and Starbucks itself originated from that city. Here in the UK Starbucks made its big break by buying the Seattle Coffee Company chain and converting them to Starbucks.

Review 11: Lincoln Coffee House, Reading

Source: Lincoln Coffee House
Date: 23/05
Country: Rwanda/Guatemala
Beans: 60% Rwandan Gisuma; 40% Guatemalan Finca la Esperonza
Preparation: Americano

Nose of grounds: N/A
Colour of brew: Rich, reddish-brown
Nose of brew: Light, earthy
Early flavours: Chocolate, toffee, nutty - almond or hazelnut
Finish: Even, rounded, no bitterness

Tasting notes:

It's been a fair old while since I've posted a review - just over a year, in fact. It's not that I've stopped drinking coffee; it's just that I got busy and stopped updating. And not only that but I've started another blog in the meantime - a collaboration with some friends around the sheer joy of food. Go and have a look at food.matsuya.co.uk.

I was walking in a part of Reading that I don't normally see that much, and I noticed that there was a new coffee shop. It looked interesting, so I dropped in.

I was hoping for a good filter brew, but the only options were espresso-based. Going for the americano, I noticed that their brew was written on the wall - and very interesting, too. I've never had a Rwandan coffee and don't know anything about it; in fact, I'd never heard of either coffee bean (Gisuma and Finca la Esperonza). I found out a bit of information about each on the internet, but not a lot; but what I've seen looks interesting.

Tasting the coffee, I immediately felt that this was slightly different to usual. There was very little nose to it, and no sharp aromas at all. Tasting it, I immediately got a hit of sweetness - a nutty toffee with some chocolate to it too. It was beautifully rounded with no bitterness or acidity at all; it really slipped down easily. None of the flavours were what I would call 'bold' but everything was fairly subtle, which I really liked. The only thing I might hold against it was that it was a touch watery - perhaps there was a little too much water in it but I wasn't convinced that the strength of the brew was right.

But an excellent coffee. If I was having it again I'd have an espresso, to see what the flavours were like a little more concentrated. On the whole, though, a really worth-while visit and a great coffee to kick-start my reviews again.