First taste of Starbucks Gold Coast Blend

When you first open the bag of beans, Gold Coast Blend fills the room with the aroma of dark roast coffee.  The beans have a nice sheen to them and are very dark in color.

I brewed this blend as an Americano. The first taste of this blend has a definite bitterness to it. The flavor is almost soapy to the taste. I do not advise drinking it without some kind of sweetener unless you normally drink your coffee without it.  It is very likely that when this coffee is brewed as a drip it will be a lot milder in nature.  It is a typical Starbucks blend in the fact that despite the bitterness, it has a very smooth finish.

I added 1 teaspoon of my usual sweetener to this and the coffee burst into a really wonderful flavor.  As I stated before there is a lot of depth due to the bitterness of it, but this stuff is really great.

A scale of 1 to 10,  I would rate this at a 9.8 on the flavor scale. If you love dark roast coffee, this is an excellent blend for you to choose - you can't go wrong with Starbucks Gold Coast Blend.  Pick yourself up some of these great dark roast coffee beans today.

And, as always, may your next cup be your best!

Indivisible Blend by Starbucks Coffee

“Americans Helping Americans Create Jobs”

I was curious about this blend when I went by the local Starbucks - first the name intrigued me and then the image on the package of people standing side-by-side caught my eye.

The text on the side of the package states this is all about America - about opportunity of liberty and justice - it states that there are lots of people that are without jobs and really want one. On the package it states that five dollars from the sale of each bag of this coffee goes directly to Opportunity Finance Network and the Create Jobs for USA Fund - to get Americans working again.

I cannot deny this is something very very close to my own heart.

The first taste of this coffee has a bit of a good bite to it as far as bitterness. It is just right for that very first cup of morning Joe. The taste of this coffee is pleasant but not overpowering. It is a medium roast coffee that definitely is very, very familiar - almost like a Gevalia blend. It is definitely a quality medium roast no compromises made here.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate this at least a 9.2 - it is a high-quality coffee that helps to support American jobs - no way to go wrong here.

I paid around $10 for the coffee and half of it goes towards supporting people getting work - a win-win for you and for those seeking work. God bless the USA.

As always, may your next cup be your best!

Peet's Coffee - Monte Alegre Limited Edition

First taste of Peet's Monte Alegre

I was in my local Safeway yesterday and noticed a new Peet's coffee on the shelf.  It was the limited edition coffee Monte Alegre. 

Although Peet's rates this as a medium roast, these coffee beans definitely have the flavor depth of a dark roast coffee - with no noticeable bitterness.  This coffee requires no sweetener at all, as it doesn't have a bitter flavor to it at all.

I brewed this coffee as  an Americano - there is no noticeable acidity in this blend, and it is suitable for even the pickiest coffee drinker.  When sipping this blend, the flavor hits the back of the tongue almost immediately.  

The flavor of this coffee doesn't linger on the tongue very long - it lasts for only a few seconds.  This coffee would be a great complement to almost any meal.  It's flavor compliments rather than overpowers other flavors, so it's a great coffee for having with breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert in the evening.

As always,  I decided to try the brew with some sweetener for additional tasting. With only 1 teaspoon of sweetener in the cup, the flavor was definitely enhanced.  This would be a great coffee for serving after dinner as a dessert.

As I said earlier this is a great complement to almost anything else, it would be really great paired with fruits or even with something really sweet such as a cake or pie.  Since this is a limited edition coffee it won't be on the shelves very long.  I suggest you get some while it is still available.

On the scale of 1 to 10, I would rate this coffee easily at 9.6 or better.  If you want coffee that won't disappoint you, this is a very good selection.

Thanks for stopping by and as always, may your next cup be your best!

Costa Rica Tarrazu by Safeway Select

Safeway Select Costa Rica Tarrazu

The aroma of this coffee has a lot of depth. It has a slightly acidic smell to it and has an extreme depth of aroma that tells you it's an extremely rich dark roast coffee.

I'm brewed this coffee as an Americano and was pleasantly surprised by the results. With the very first sip of this coffee, you start thinking about items to pair it with such as some nice milk chocolate or some quality dark chocolate.

Despite this being a dark roast it is extremely smooth and subtle to the taste. Although I normally drink coffee with sweetener, this coffee definitely is one that you can easily drink unsweetened because there is no large amount of bitterness to it.

When you roll the coffee across your tongue by slurping it you notice a definite earthiness to this particular blend.

I would rate this coffee on a scale of 1 to 10 at about 9.2 - it is not the greatest coffee on the shelf but definitely one that bears serious investigation if you are a true coffee lover. The folks at Safeway select have done an excellent job of getting the best of out of these beans - I don't think that they can play second to Starbucks, Seattle's Best, Peet's or any other major coffee in this in this particular instance.

The great thing about this coffee is it's as near as your local Safeway store.

I hope you find this review helpful in your search for that perfect cup of coffee and, as always, may your next cup be your best!