Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Mugged: Single Estate Signature [Doi Chaang]

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What does "Mugged" mean?


Subject:
Doi Chaang Coffee
Coffees Mugged:
Single Estate Signature
Rating:
3+ [see key]





W
rapping up my overall Doi Chaang experience is their Single Estate Signature blend, a coffee that is blended post-roasting and was the dark horse of the three coffees I received (the other two had ratings on the bag to give me an idea of what to expect). I sampled it a la drip, french press and siphon.

As I sipped the brew from my french press, I noticed a smoky aroma and taste, followed by a kick of pepper and then, a leveled out, smooth coffee with dollops of apple butter. This brew stood as the smokiest and the bitterest of the three batches.

My drip fared less smoky, still showing up with a bit of bitterness and pepper as well as the apple butter middle and finish. This cup also tasted nuttier and was smooth-ish overall.

The siphon produced the lightest of the three, demonstrating not much smokiness, but instead more cocoa. This cup was the least bitter and had flavors of apple as well as vanilla and nutmeg. The most enjoyable of the three in my estimation.

This
Single Estate Signature left its mark as a fair coffee; by no means a bench warmer but still not at the level of a home runner. Give this coffee a sip if you're looking for a good Thai medium/dark coffee.


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

Sunday, March 14, 2010

CC: Neat Coffee Shop

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What's does "CC" mean? Location visited: Burnstown, ON
Free WiFi ? : no

Rating:
4+ [
see key]



Aside from Canada's many cities, I can't say I've seen a whole lot of our neighbor to the north. Granted I've passed through lots of interesting-looking towns (especially in the Thousand Islands) but it wasn't until a coffee destination turned up a little off my beaten path in Burnstown that I got a chance to take a nice detour on some back roads.

Said coffee destination is called Neat Coffee Shop, a cafe nestled in an old schoolhouse at the main intersection of town. The exterior consists of two buildings, with the most of the cafe in the blue portion (I have no idea really what they do in the brick section). The interior held a nice open space, with some wood furniture, local art and a big Apple desktop for customers.

Neat roasts their coffee in-house, though per their website they also claim to carry 49th Parallel and Fire Roasted Coffee (49th Parallel's Epic Espresso is their espresso blend). They do have a Clover but it was down for repairs, so I ordered a french press of their Ethiopian. The coffee was really bright with notes of raspberry and caramel, as well as some strong dark notes. The espresso, pulled short and served in a shot glass, had a milkshake-ish head followed by a slap of dark bitterness, plus some flavors of cocoa, lemon and a bit of pepper. While I failed to ask if the espresso that day was 49th's Epic, it seemed that the pull was more of the concern then the espresso blend. Their tea was free leaf.

I can't say that Neat was completely worth the detour but it seems that the place has a lot of potential with a few tweaks (they seem to really like their darker roasts). If you're nearby, give Neat a stop.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Mugged: Single Estate Piko's Peaberry [Doi Chaang]

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What does "Mugged" mean?


Subject:
Doi Chaang Coffee
Coffees Mugged:
Single Estate Piko's Peaberry
Rating:
2+ [see key]




Q
uality coffees really aren't that much different than mediocre coffees.

WAIT...what?! That is heresy! Clearly, factors such as the quality of the crop, the way in which said crop was processed and how it is then roasted all separate an amazing coffee from the rest. How could I say that an amazing coffee isn't that much different then a mediocre coffee?!

Well, lets agree that when you get a coffee that is grown, processed and roasted well, my digestive planets align and I swoon like an Elvis impersonator at Graceland. Such coffee stands head and shoulders above lesser coffee.

But mess up one or more of the steps from crop to cup, a quality coffee is lost in a sea of average beans. So it seems was the case with a recent coffee I got from Doi Chaang. The coffee was their peaberry and had an admirable 93 from Coffee Review on the front, so opening it up, I was excited. But when I opened the bag, I noticed a pretty dark coffee and the first thing that hit me was "Ken (from Coffee Review) usually doesn't rate a lot of dark coffees in the 90s" but I dismissed it as pessimism and gave it a go via drip, siphon and french press (later I found that when Ken rated this coffee, it was of a medium roast).

Sadly, the results were less then exciting. The drip produced a dark cup with hints of cocoa, a little bit of orange and a good amount of bitterness over a medium body. The french press was very similar, with bitterness throughout, a deep cocoa and a peppery orange flavor. The siphon had a little lighter body, as well as a little more of a nougat and curry flavor, but overall, still the same. To say the least, the coffee was consistent throughout the various brewings.

Thus, it seems that the darker roasting of this coffee sunk a lot of its finer flavors and needless to say, I would love to try it as a lighter roast. If you are looking for a decent dark coffee of Thailand, give
Doi Chaang's Piko's Peaberry a sampling.


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

Sunday, March 07, 2010

CC: Xpresso

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What's does "CC" mean?

Subject:
Xpresso
Location visited: Ottawa, ON
Free WiFi ? : yes

Rating:
4+ [
see key]



Hitting a local spot for a meal doesn't always work out when visiting a city on a cold winter evening. The weather on a recent trip to Ottawa became a hurdle for my wife and I as we braved the raving winds for dinner. But determined to eat a good meal, our fortitude paid off, as we found mighty fine Mexican fare at Ahora Mexican Cuisine.

Next on the list (for me at least) was a decent cup of coffee. We ventured out into the cold on a shaky lead to a place nearby called Xpresso, apparently owned by the same people who own a local Indian restaurant called Shafali. We found the place soon after, with black signs (
somewhat hard-to-see-in-the-night) and open windows. Inside there was lots of Indian art amidst a red modern decor and a cozy furniture.

The coffee comes from Reunion Island Coffee, a roaster out of Oakville, Ontario (though Xpresso's website claims they use Intelligentsia). I had the Ethiopian via drip, a light roast with blueberry, chianti and lemon throughout; a tremendously good, fruity cup of coffee with a medium body. The espresso, pulled medium/long despite asking for it short, had chocolate notes followed by a strong bitterness that had a developing salty facet as well as a milk-ish body (i.e. fair shots). The tea was free leaf and Xpresso also had beer and wine options.

Though the experience satisified my desire for some evening coffee, I felt the place had a lot of potential to be even greater. Never the less, if you're in town, give Xpresso a go go.


Monday, March 01, 2010

Mugged: Single Origin Medium [Doi Chaang]

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What does "Mugged" mean?


Subject:
Doi Chaang Coffee
Coffees Mugged:
Single Origin Medium
Rating:
4+ [see key]




Farming coffee often seems like such a distant process in regards to roasting. Especially in my consumption, it seems the only times one sees a farm and roastery combo are with Konas and Jamaican Blue.

But now I can add Thailand to my list, as I was sent a few coffees to try from Thailand coffee cooperative Doi Chaang Coffee. According to their website, the company was started when several tribes of the Doi Chaang village united to sell their premium coffee as single origin coffees to the world. So they put a headquarters in Vancouver, BC and seem to have a pretty slick operation. As I have never had coffee from Thailand and I'm a fan of such ambition, I was excited to see what Doi Chaang had to offer.

I sampled their Single Origin Medium roast first, a coffee that was the lightest of the three coffees sent (though still close to dark) and had also won a 90 from Coffee Review. I ingested the coffee via drip, siphon and french press.

The drip proved smooth, had touches of honey and some bits of clove along with a little bitterness provided by the darkish-ness of the beans. The coffee was thorough in the prior flavors but didn't have much else.

The french press developed the flavors a bit more. This brew was much sweeter, still showing honey and bits of cocoa and cloves. There was more brightness and less bitterness in this cup as well.

The vacuum press was the proverbial baby bear's bed as it was just right. Really sweet honey and cocoa with a noticeable grain-like element, followed with a little clove and a really nice brightness (practically no bitterness in this cup). By far, the best of the three methods for this coffee.

To say the least, I was satiated with this coffee, though it would seem like a good idea to roast it a little lighter to negate the bitter effects all together. If you're looking for a decent medium roast, give Doi Chaang's Single Origin Medium a go.


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