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 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.

Review 9: Nespresso 'Leggero Lungo'

Source: Nespresso
Date: 2 May 2014
Country: East Africa/Central America/South America
Beans: Arabica
Preparation: Nespresso machine - Lungo

Nose of grounds: N/A
Colour of brew: Red-brown
Nose of brew: Light, floral, spices.
Early flavours: Cinnamon
Finish: Medium, balanced finish with spices.

Tasting notes:

Review 6: Nespresso 'Livanto'

Source: Nespresso
Date: 8 April 2014
Country: Central/South America
Beans: Arabica
Preparation: Nespresso machine (lungo)

Nose of grounds: N/A
Nose of brew: Bitter and sharp (though not unpleasant)
Color of brew: dull brown
Early flavours: Rounded, broad based coffee flavours
Finish: Not much there.

Tasting notes:
This is another of the Nespresso offerings that I found while based in a client office. Having been slightly disappointed with the Vivalto Lungo, I wondered whether the Livanto would be any more interesting.

There was a decent broad base to this coffee to start off with but I found that it was a little watery towards the finish. There were some interesting flavours in there, though none of them dominated and indeed it was a little difficult to detect exactly what they were. This may be because according to the Nespresso website, the capsule is designed to be had as a short drink (i.e. espresso/ristretto). It may be that this is the reason why the coffee felt a touch weak to me. Then again, I would argue that to have a type of drink that is so restricted isn't that great either.

On the whole, quite an interesting coffee, but could use a little more depth when served long.

Coffee maker's notes:
"A pure Arabica from South and Central America, Livanto is a well-balanced espresso characterised by roasted caramalised notes."