Review 15: Sertao natural, Brazil

Source: José Isidro Pereira, Carmo de Minas
Date: 18th May 2016
Country: Brazil
Beans: Arabica (Yellow Bourbon)
Preparation: Cafetiere

Nose of grounds: Nutty and smooth
Colour of brew: Orange/yellow brown
Nose of brew: Very light, chocolatey, a bit sweet
Early flavours: Chocolate, a bit of caramel
Finish: Very light and unobtrusive

Tasting notes: A colleague in the office opened up a bag of coffee and I couldn't resist. He was making a cafetiere and although it was after lunch and against my rules (to ensure I got to sleep okay), I asked for a small amount to taste.

It is a really drinkable coffee. It has very delicate flavours, although it fills the mouth in a very satisfying way without being watery or thin. The taste is like a lighter chocolate dessert of some sort - thinking more like a mousse than a brownie. There are some robust hints there, with only a slight bitterness. Overall, a really excellent coffee probably helped a lot by the fact that it is very fresh.

Coffee maker's notes:

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 8: Nespresso 'Lungo Decaffeinato'

Source: Nespresso
Date: 1 May 2014
Country/Continent: South America
Beans: Arabica (with some Robusta)
Preparation: Nespresso machine

Nose of grounds: N/A
Colour of brew: Pale brown/orange (almost tan)
Nose of brew: Slight sweetness
Early flavours: Creamy and bold coffee flavours with a developing sharpness
Finish: Slightly acid/bitter with a longish finish

Tasting notes:
This represents my first foray into decaffeinated coffee. I have to admit, that for an avid coffee drinker I don't 'do' caffeine much into the afternoon, and no matter how much coffee I have had over my life, I haven't developed an 'immunity' to caffeine which means I can take it at any time of the day.

The main thing I think about when drinking a decaffeinated coffee is how obvious the fact that it's decaffeinated is, and I must say that this coffee does really well on that count. Generally I find that the difference is in the finish - there can be a fair amount of deep and complex flavours in a decaffeinated coffee, but when all is said and done it feels a little less satisfying when you put the cup down - which doesn't necessarily take that much away.

In this case the coffee has a bold and sharp start to it - it really hits the sides of the mouth and the back of the throat and it feels like a heavy, creamy coffee. There are some hints of caramel but on the whole it is dominated by what feel like strong coffee flavours.

The finish is what gives it away; there is a sharpness that grows and comes to dominate the finish, so it feels quite tart in the end, and this is the flavour that lingers. It's a familiar flavour that I feel like I notice in lots of decaffeinated coffees; I'm not sure why.

Overall, it's a good decaffeinated coffee which I felt does the term 'decaffeinated' justice. In fact, if I was served this in the evening, I might hesitate to be certain that it was decaffeinated - which is a good thing.

Coffee maker's notes:
Velvety and Aromatic. A blend of decaffeinated South American Arabicas and Robusta, this coffee reveals flavours of red fruit balanced with sweet cereal notes.

Review 7: Nespresso 'Lungo Forte'

Source: Nespresso
Date: 29 April 2014
Country: South America
Beans: Not stated
Preparation: Nespresso machine (Lungo)

Nose of grounds: N/A
Colour of brew: Rich, Dark brown, with orangey tint
Nose of brew: A hint of vegetable aromas
Early flavours: Light, creamy
Finish: Long, smooth, fairly bitter finish

Tasting notes:

Review 6.1: Nespresso 'Livanto' - update

Source: Nespresso
Date: 11 April 2014
Country: Central/South America
Beans: Arabica
Preparation: Nespresso machine (espresso)

Nose of grounds: N/A
Colour of brew: Caramel brown
Nose of brew: Caramel and vegetable aroma (maybe asparagus?)
Early flavours: Sharp and a bit sweet
Finish: Strong finish with a balance to it - still a bit sharp.

Tasting notes:
Having had the Livanto in a Lungo shot, i thought I'd do what was recommended and try it in an espresso shot. The main reason was I felt that the original was a bit weak and watery. The result was a much more interesting coffee. The flavours were more intense, with some of the original notes coming out a bit stronger. However, it was still not the strongest - it feels like it's just a more delicately flavoured drink.

Office Coffee 1: Astra Necta

Source: Astra Necta coffee machine, office building, Paris
Date: 04 April 2014
Country: No information given
Beans: "100% Arabica" according to the machine
Preparation: 'Expresso' (Selection 12)

Nose of grounds: N/A
Nose of brew: Creamy, slightly bitter aroma
Early flavours: Slightly nutty, rounded coffee flavours
Finish: Bold, fairly long finish

Tasting notes:

Review 3: Paddy & Scott's

With my work I travel to a lot of client offices and sometimes spend a few days there. The type of coffee machine they have makes some difference to how my day goes. Usually I start off my day with a travel mug of Lavazza Rosso coffee brewed at home in a cafetiere, and if the coffee machine at the client is poor, that will be it for the day.

On this particular week in February I was travelling long distances (50 miles) morning and evening, and the tiredness was creeping up on me. So I decided to fuel up and, with the coffee machine serving instant brown liquid, I had to shell out at the cafeteria.

I found that the cafeteria served Paddy & Scott's Slow Roasted coffees. I'd never heard of them before, so I thought I'd apply the coffee tasting to them to see if I could tell the difference that they claimed was obvious.

Source: Paddy & Scott's Slow Roasted coffees
Date: February 2014
Country: ?
Beans: Arabica
Preparation: Café espresso maker (espresso shot)

Nose of brew: Strong and bold espresso aroma, with a sweet fragrance on the edge - like candy floss (cotton candy). Maybe a slight hint of spices
Colour of brew: Deep brown, on the orange end
Initial flavours: very even. No sharpness or burnt flavours; maybe a bit of bark. No trace of the sweetness of the nose.
Finish: a bit of sharpness in the finish, but not overwhelmingly so. Pretty smooth but not a long-lasting finish. No great bitterness and no particular after-taste.

Unfortunately, though I looked over their website I could find nothing about the beans themselves apart from the fact that they only seem to do Arabica bean coffees. But the key thing they seem to market is that the coffees that they make are slow-roasted. I love a bit of slow-roasted meat, but I hadn't heard of slow-roasting coffees (in fact, I don't know much about roasting at all). I'll do an additional post about roasting once I've done a bit of research, but for now I can talk through the flavours.

What I definitely found was that the flavours were very even. Often I find that one thing dominates - spices, or a savoury burnt flavouring, or flowery tastes, or something else. But in this case it was really very even. The flavours of the coffee all came through subtly; there was definitely some spice, and a bit of fragrant sweetness, but nothing too strong. It wasn't too bitter nor was it too bland.

Was it interesting to drink? Not particularly. I wouldn't say that I knew much about the slow roasting but it is very possible that the slowness added to the evenness of the flavours. It would be a good coffee to drink on a daily basis though I felt that it lacked a bit of punch, even as pure espresso. And later on when I added a bit of water to see if that developed any of the flavours, I couldn't say that anything came out.

But in the end, all that was important was that it kept me going for the day!