Showing posts with label Fort Worth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fort Worth. Show all posts

Monday, September 18, 2017

Mudsmith




Subject: Mudsmith
Location: Dallas, TX
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

If I've said it once, I'll say it one thousand times: I love quality coffee shops that (can) stay open late. Years ago, the only way a caffeinated establishment would dare stay open late (at least on the east coast) would be if said coffeehouse had an open mic night. But now, across the nation more and more coffee bars keep their doors open past 5 PM, whether it's because they have delved into the food + liquor scene or simply because patrons are just fans of late night lattes.

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Mugged: Black and Tan Blend [Aduro Bean]

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What does "Mugged" mean?


Subject:
Aduro Bean Micro-Roasters
Coffees Mugged:
Black and Tan Blend
Rating:
2+ [see key]



Blending coffee (mixing certain single origin coffees to make a desired flavor) has been a widely-used practice for some time. While I don't know if they were first, Italians truly made popular the art of coffee blending in order to better harness the right mixture of coffee beans to better make their espresso pop (most places still do it today). In the non-espresso arena, coffee entities have looked to blending for years in order to keep a similar flavor profile for a consistent product.

As for appearance, I can't say I've seen too many blends that have beans that look vastly different from one another. But I managed to find such a mixture with an Aduro Bean coffee that mixed a dark and a medium roast into what they call their Black and Tan Blend. Despite some concern of how the darker roast would play with the lighter roast, I assumed the best and dove in.

Thus, in getting started with the sampling, I took a crack at the coffee with my french press first. The cup proved
bitter right up front, followed by a tickle of strawberry, some nice mention of chocolate and then more bitterness in the end and aftertaste. There was also a little bit of a jalapeno burn and overall, the cup was not so smooth and a held a very heavy body.

Next up was the drip. I definitely still tasted the bitterness and pepper but a nice pear-ish and watermelon sweetness swept underneath soon after. This cup had a smoother body once I got past the lingering darkness.


Lastly came the siphon. This cup threw out the least bitterness and pepper of the three, held more of the watermelon than the drip and had a fair earthiness. The body seemed smoother as there was less lingering darkness.

To put it simply, I think Black and Tan might be better off left to blending beer. While the coffee embodied some nice flavors, they were all overshadowed by the dark beans. Maybe if the "black" component of this blend was more of a medium/dark roast (i.e. no oil on the outside), it may fair better.

If you're looking to try out an unconventional blend, try out the Black and Tan.


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

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Mugged: Artisan, Medium/Dark [Aduro Bean]

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What does "Mugged" mean?


Subject: Aduro Bean Micro-Roasters
Coffees Mugged: Artisan, Medium/Dark
Rating: 3+ [see key]


Little nuances in how coffee consumers control their coffee have become interesting trends as of late. Specifically, I speak of the "make your own blend" and "select your roast" trends. While it gives the customer the proverbial steering wheel, I'm curious how customer satisfaction usually ends up panning out (i.e. you might not be happy with what you thought you wanted).

I received some coffee to try out from one such roaster, a Fort Worth coffee roaster called Aduro Bean Micro-Roaster (a roaster I had heard of mind you from the Texas Coffee People). While Aduro sent me their recommended roasts, they normally allow for patrons to select their own roast prior to ordering (Aduro makes their own recommendations of course).

The first coffee I tried out was their Artisan roast, their house blend roasted at their recommended medium/dark level. I sampled it in the usual three methods of drip, french press and siphon.

The french press produced a honey and jersey corn sweetness on the front, plus a bit of grain as well as a
harsh bitterness and pepper on the back end. The body was medium and somewhat smooth.

The
drip turned out a more subdued cup. Still had the corn and honey-like sweetness and a tinge of whole grain as well. The body was much heavier but also much smoother, as the bitterness and pepper were more confined to the aftertaste.

The siphon still had the same sweetness as well as a similar bitterness and pepper to the french press. Like the drip, there was a fairly heavy body but not as smooth. One unique facet was a guest appearance of grape in the middle of the cup.

Oddly, I wonder now that if I had the option of choosing a medium roast of this same bean that it would have proven a better cup. Only time (or $10.50 + shipping and handling) will tell.

If you're looking for a decent med/dark coffee, try out the Artisan blend of Aduro Bean.


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