Seattle's Best Organic House Blend

Review - Organic House Blend by Seattle's Best

Seattle's Best has changed the look of their packaging. It is so much unlike the familiar red bags that it caught me off guard. At first I thought the store had removed one of my favorite coffee brands from the shelves. Fortunately, there were a few of the old-style packages next to the new ones to get my attention.


Besides being an organic coffee, it is a fair trade blend. When you purchase it, you are not only getting a coffee that is free of pesticides, which is good for the planet, you are also making sure that those who produce it are not taken advantage of financially. This is a win-win for everyone involved.

I tasted this coffee as an Americano. The coffee is definitely a dark roast coffee, but it is not as overpowering as most. The folks at Seattle's Best rate this coffee, according to their new scale as a "Level 4". This means it is a dark roast that is one step below their maximum scale of Level 5. Click on Seattle's Best Level System to download a pdf document of the press release that gives more info about the new packaging.

There is a definite earthiness to the coffee, although it is not exceptionally strong. The flavor has a mild bite to it with a really nice bitterness. This is a coffee that should only be sweetened a little, as too much sweetener would detract from the coffee's dark roast flavor. The flavor is definitely deeper than a medium roast, but not as strong as most dark roasts. The mouth-feel is smooth, and the finish of this blend is very clean - it dissipates in about four seconds.

I would recommend this coffee for pairing with fruit, such as strawberries or perhaps peaches. It will not cover their flavor, it will only enhance. I tried this blend with some homemade Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chip cookies with pecans in them and found it to be a very pleasant combination. Again, this coffee seems to pair well with a little sweetness, not a large amount.

The new packaging on Seattle's Best is very informative. Those familiar with the old packaging will like the large number on the package - finding your desired roasts is very easy with the level system.