CC: Budin

Subject: Budin
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Access to coffee roasters across the ocean has been something of a head scratcher in the past. Very few shipping and parcel services could economically get you coffee from one continent to the other well within the window of peak freshness. But recently, things have changed in the equation so that certain roasters are able to get their coffee over the pond from Europe to the States for, by comparison, what seems like a song. 

These new shipping realities, as well as the genius of bulk purchasing, have allowed for new swaths of frontier in US coffeehousing. One of the more interesting and recent openings of the past year is Budin, a coffee bar in Brooklyn serving only Scandinavia's finest coffee. Having received publicity from the local press for their unique coffee roasters, their slightly higher-than-domestic-coffee prices and their stylish nordic merchandise, I could not resist a trip to the shop.

I arrived one overcast afternoon to the unassuming, brown-framed shop with a large glass window that peered out into the calm, city street. Inside, the shop is quite voluminous; a long layout easy on the eyes that accommodates a long bar and plenty of tables, complete with the many Scandinavian wares and a patio in the back. For my coffee, I decided upon an espresso of Colombia Tampana from Norway's Tim Wendelboe, and a pourover of Brazil Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza from Sweden's Koppi. The espresso, pulled short with brown crema, relayed orange, grapefruit, wheaty beer, hazlenut, cocoa and little barley broth, making for a deliciously bright and sweet extraction. The pourover also bedazzled my tongue, with potent flavors of cherry, Cabernet Franc, dark chocolate, honey, elderflower and rye amidst a mellow, light body. 

Delighted with my coffee and the extremely friendly staff, I left Budin satisfied that I had received my money's worth. If you're looking to try out some great coffee from abroad, make your way to Brooklyn's Budin. 

Mugged: Traditional Roast [Gevalia]

What does Mugged mean?

Subject: Gevalia Kaffe 

Mugged: Traditional Roast

Rating: 4+ [see key]

While I am a strong advocate for roasters who go above and beyond to not only produce a fine product but also educate the masses on better coffee practices, I will concede that most folks do not seem interested in that yet. Sure, people are more and more treating their coffee like fine wine and craft beer, but most people still consider their big-name coffees something more akin to a brand of ketchup.

But to the credit of some coffee roasters who have long held a stigma of mediocre product in fancy packaging, there is a concerted effort to make better coffee available. Take Gevalia, a long-time producer of coffee from Sweden who is best known for their "buy our coffee online and we'll give you a free coffee maker" approach. While the old coffee-&-coffeepot method still rolls on, they seem to have additionally dove into the practice of selling their beans whole bean with more of an emphasis on quality.

Curious as to how this distantly roasted-&-packaged coffee held up under scrutiny, I accepted the offer to review a bag of their Traditional Roast whole bean. I brewed it in the usual three manners of drip, french press and siphon.

The drip sent out a cup brimming with notes of cocoa, sweet corn, sourpatch kids, tea with cream and rice pudding. The body was light, mellow and the overall flavors were tasty.

The french press held similar notes, with cocoa, honey, wheat, rice pudding, torte and cream amidst a medium body. Also a good cup though not as delicious as the first.

The siphon brewed a coffee with wheat, cocoa, corn chip, rice, cream and a hint of ginger. Also satisfying, though a bit too mellow in flavor potency.

To my chagrin, the only concerns I had about this coffee were that the flavors were a tad muted. But for a coffee coming from Gevalia, I was quite pleased (though since this one was sent right to me, I wonder if/how they manage to keep the coffee fresh with in-store bags). If you're in the market for a decent medium roast from a giant coffee roaster, give Gevali'a's Traditional Roast a try.


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