Showing posts with label Kahve Koffee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kahve Koffee. Show all posts

Sunday, May 02, 2010

Mugged: Verona Blend [Kahve Koffee]

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What does "Mugged" mean?


Subject:
Kahve Koffee
Coffees Mugged:
Verona Blend
Rating:
3+ [see key]




A
s sad as it may seem, when I see a coffee with an Italian name, I become slightly trepidatious of its quality. That's not because I hate Italian coffee; it's simply that all of the Italian coffee I've crossed has been either massively over-roasted or extremely stale (too many poor roasters trying to cash in on the rich and reputable coffee history of Italy).

Thus, I freely admit that when I received a pound of Kahve Koffee's Verona Blend (I assumed named for the northern Italian city of old) I almost rolled my eyes. Opening the bag displayed a mixed coffee blend of medium to medium-dark roasts (the website spouts that it mixed light and medium roasts).

But my infusions of drip, french press and siphon disintegrated some of my concerns. The french press did produce a bit of a darkness but it held a lot of complexity. There was bits of granola, peanut butter, light cocoa, garlic pepper and an overall sweetness. The darkness seemed to favor the front, the nuttiness the middle and the sweetness on the end.

The drip produced a cup that had a combination of tastes more similar to Dr. Pepper. The coffee was a little less dark and held tinges of granola, cocoa and garlic pepper. The sweetness was a bit stronger here and overall, this brew was much smoother.

The siphon was akin to the drip, similar in its Dr. Pepper taste and its facets of cocoa and nuttiness. There was some vanilla here and though the darkness was still present, it seemed to move to the back and display more subtlety.

Kahve's Verona overall made a good impression but the bitterness plus a mediocre quality made this coffee only so-so. Thus, I wouldn't go as far as to say that Kahve has reconciled my skepticism of Italian-named coffee blends, but its helped me on the road of hope (note that I have nothing against good Italian coffee...just the bad stuff bringing down Italy).

If you are on the lookout for a decent Italian-dubbed coffee blend, sample Kahve Koffee's Verona Blend.


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

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Mugged: Danish Blend [Kahve]

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What does "Mugged" mean?


Subject:
Kahve Koffee
Coffees Mugged:
Danish Blend
Rating:
3+ [see key]




M
assachusetts has existed as a frequent factor in my coffee life as of late. Not only have I traversed various coffee establishments all over the state this past year but I've also had the privilege of being able to try out a few Mass coffees from a distance.

The latest roaster to meet my acquaintance is Kahve Koffee out of Brighton. The first of the two coffees I sampled was their Danish blend, an interesting name in that I recently devoured some Danish/Saxon historical fiction (actual events, fictional micro-events) in Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Tales (sadly, they had no coffee to call their own).

Digging in, I found it to be a mix of medium and dark roasted coffees, a blending method that blends post-roasting. I brewed the Danish via the usual drip, siphon and french press.

The french press produced flavors of snap pea, sweet apple, carrot and a little earthiness. The bitterness was initially subdued but then roared into existence mid-sip. The overall coffee wasn't too bitter but definitely dark in essence.

The drip had a much different cup, with more cocoa up front, followed by apple, honeydew and rooibos. This coffee was much darker, toting pepper and bitter notes throughout.

The siphon was more like the french press in that the cup was lighter and had apple, honey, snap pea, carrot and a noticeable earthiness. This was the lightest cup, with the bitterness not as prevalent but instead, the coffee held more of a juicy and saucy character.

The Danish blend seemed to be a decent coffee overall, though the dark beans seemed to do little for the blend (much of the positive seemed to stem from the medium roasted beans). Thus, if you like your dark coffee tempered or your medium coffee more bitter, Kahve's Danish blend might hit your spot.


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