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.

Review 10: Starbucks Medium Colombia

Source: Starbucks 'Medium'
Date: 11 May 2014
Country: Colombia
Beans: Arabica
Preparation: Cafetiere

Nose of grounds: Rich, nutty, even
Colour of brew: Deep, dark brown
Nose of brew: Earthy/leaves, but pretty faint
Early flavours: Light, nutty
Finish: Short, punchy finish

Tasting notes:

Guest Review 1: Waitrose Kenyan AA Arabica

Source: Waitrose
Date: 4 May 2014
Country: Kenya
Beans: Arabica, AA
Preparation: Cafetiere

Nose of grounds: Rich, citrusy with a sweet "after-nose"
Colour of brew: Brown
Nose of brew: Slightly nutty, soft
Early flavours: Smooth and light taste
Finish: Short and clean.

Tasting notes:

At £3.29 for 227g, this is one of Waitrose's premium range of coffee beans. I've tried a few different Kenya AA coffees, but this is the first supermarket-branded variety I've seen, and I was curious to see how it would compare to others.

As it happens, I was most impressed by the smells of the beans and the grounds, both of which left a distinct mouth-wateringly pleasant sensation. The coffee drinking itself was enjoyable, but I think I might have slightly overestimated its strength, and didn't get all the flavours coming through in the actual brew.
The citrusy flavours that the label suggested were not the most prominent, but there was a distinct sweetness about the coffee. It was easy and light to drink, and left a clean pleasant feeling on the tongue.

Coffee maker's notes:
A top AA graded coffee grown in the northern region of Nairobi on high plateaus surrounding Mount Kenya and to the west along the Rift Valley, at an altitude of between 1500-2100 metres. This climate produces two harvests per year, in March and then October. The fermentation time ranges from 24 to 48 hours. All coffee is graded by the Kenyan coffee board and then sold at fortnightly auctions. Use this sticker to reclose.

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.