Sunday, October 06, 2013

Mugged: Crosshatch and Colombia [Path Coffee Roasters]



Subject: Path Coffee Roasters
Coffees Mugged and Rating [see key]:
- Crosshatch 5+ (1st batch), 4+ (2nd batch, from 2014 update)
- Finca Potosi, Colombia 4+

*Updated 1/30/14* (below original post)


Once a land full of mediocre coffee productions, the land north of New York City is now really beginning to blossom not only with good coffeehouses, but with good coffee roasters. One new entity to the area is Path Coffee Roasters, located in Port Chester, NY along the sea near the Connecticut border. Working what looks like some great coffee, they offered to send me some to take for a spin, which I did via my pourover, french press and siphon.

The first up was from a farm in Colombia called Finca Potosi. The pourover produced notes of cherry cola, corn on the cob, a little curry, fried green beans, pears and a little toffee; an overall smooth and tasty coffee. The french press came out a little fuller and heavier-bodied, smacking of merlot, collard greens, lemonade, beef bullion and poundcake. The siphon, more akin in flavor to the drip, delivered cherry cola, corn, cooked cabbage, some toffee and a little curry. All in all, a coffee with some noticeable deep spice, a slightly thick body and some rich sweet flavors.

Next up was their Crosshatch, a blend of South American and African coffees. The pourover rocketed in with sultry notes of chocolate, rice krispy treats, figs, little butter, portobello and nougat amid a perfect medium body. The french press continued with additional rich chocolate and also fig, pear skin, honey, romaine lettuce and slight cantaloupe. The siphon sealed the deal with chocolate, cracker, honey, dates, white wine and a little thyme. All together, the Crosshatch blend proved exceptionally rich and full of flavorful facets throughout.

Based on these two coffees, Path had me yearning to try out more of their coffees. If you happen to be looking for some coffee for home and/or work, or you hit a coffee joint slinging their coffee, check out the fine joe of Path Coffee Roasters.

Update 1/30/14
Path sent out another batch of their Crosshatch blend. While the coffee still held a lot of the same characteristics, it definitely sampled a bit heavier. Still existing were the great flavors of rich chocolate, pear, toffee and butter, albeit many of them more muted. Some of the new reoccurring notes were of malt and slight hints of pipe tobacco, making for a smokier profile, darker hue and more subtle a sweetness. While still good, this batch of Crosshatch lacked a bit of luster that the first batch had, and hence I would rate a 4+.

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

4 comments:

Coffee Subscription Australia said...

great detailed description of the coffee. must admit that a lot of coffee sites that sell beans often miss the true character of coffee in their descriptions.

am keen to try your coffee will be ordering shortly.

Coffee at St Simons said...

Good to hear the in-depth discussion about the coffee. I really like the fresh coffee like you can get in south and central america. I guess it's the shipping time that takes a lot of flavor out once it makes it to the U.S.

Dan Settle said...

Thanks for the excellent, in-depth review! This is one of the most descriptive I have seen.

Would you be interested in checking out our coffee as well? We add a unique twist!

Cozzee - The New Socially Conscious Way to Drink Great Coffee | www.cozzee.org

Introduction Agency said...

I'm really interesting for quality coffee. Because it makes really interesting.