Mugged: Goshen Coffee's Secret Stash

Subject: Goshen Coffee
Coffees Mugged and Rating [see key]:

- Adame Gorbota, Ethiopian 6+

- Gedeb, Ethiopia 6+

- Kintamani, Bali 6+
- Pedro Melgar, Honduras 5+
- Toribo Vasquez, Honduras 5+

A lot of great things have come out of Illinois. Abraham Lincoln, Portillo's hot dogs and Home Alone (just the first movie) usually top my list. But over the years, I have found another contender amidst the regulars: Goshen Coffee.

Birthed out of Edwardsville, Goshen is a no-nonsense coffee company committed to ethical, fantastical coffee. With a small roastery and a growing repertoire of wholesale customers, Goshen boasts a variety of coffee for their many patrons. One particular subset of their coffee offerings that caught my eye was their Secret Stash, a variety of high quality, limited quantity beans that promise to knock off socks. Fortune favored me when five of them arrived on my doorstep, each I sampled via pourover, french press and siphon.

First on the docket was the Adame Gorbota, a fully washed Ethiopian. The pourover doled out notes of peaches, caramel, milk chocolate, corn flakes, graham cracker and a bit of fig, proving sweet and sultry with a medium body. The french press smacked of peach cobbler, graham cracker, sweet milk, fig and slight tootsie roll; sweet and super smooth. The siphon gave out vanilla cake, nougat, shoo fly pie, fig, graham cracker, black cherry and romaine in a medium body. All together, a sweet, multifaceted African coffee that proved both bright and rich.

Next up was another Ethiopian dubbed Gedeb. Sipping the pourover, I found lots of chocolate and blueberry, as well as frosted flakes, flan, horned melon and almond milk amidst a medium body. The french press trumpeted out chocolate, hefeweizen, plum, strawberry, milk and shortbread cookie, proving bright, creamy and delicious. The siphon rounded out the three with a spectacular arrangement of strawberry cream candy, wheat ale, almond, soda bread and cocoa in a light/med body. All around, the Gedeb was a solid coffee bursting with acidity and sweetness.

Third to supper was the Kintamani, a coffee from the distant land of Bali. The pourover rolled out notes of strawberry, sweetened condensed milk, cherry, nougat, kale and light bran, making for a beautifully nuanced brew. The french press blasted forth strawberry, cherry and nougat, with some supporting flavors of kale and whole milk in a medium body; super fruity, smooth and sweet. The siphon competed similarly, with sonatas of strawberry salad, chocolate milk, grape and a little scone. Not having the best overall experiences with Indonesian coffees, these beans more than made up for the poor samples with its noticeable fruitiness and consistent decadence.

The Pedro Melgar of Honduras batted clean-up (aka fourth). From the pourover, I received plum, nougat, vanilla, corn, birch beer, romaine, molasses and sugar cookie tucked into a medium body. The french press issued out chocolate wafers, fig, cream, corn chip and romaine; a sugary, medium-bodied brew. The siphon finished complexly (in a good way), with chocolate, asian pear, vanilla ice cream, pine nuts, corn, molasses and slight nutmeg. In summation, a delicious coffee with lots of nuance.

Fifth and final to the table was the Toribo Vasquez, also of Honduran origin. The pourover slung honey, pear, shredded wheat, carrot, collard greens and light milk, proving rich and sultry. The french press similarly sang of honey, bran, pear, carrot cake, cream and spinach; a delightfully sweet and hearty brew. The siphon rounded out the trials with notes of milk, bran, pear, spinach, wheat cake and celery, denoting a sweet and slightly vegetal coffee.

To say the least, I was thrilled with the wondrous coffees coming from the skilled hands of Goshen. If you seek to try some of their delicious limited offerings, look no further than the caffeinated pride of Edwardsville, Illinois: Goshen Coffee.


note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.