What does "Mugged" mean?
Subject: Verve Coffee Roasters
Coffees Mugged: Panama Alto Quiel Boquete Elida Estate Dry Process Catuai
Rating: 5+ [see key]
The Bay area is one chunk of California I long to return to, as much has transpired since I have been there last in early 2007. Coffee has taken off quite rampantly, with lots of promise and interesting prospects (you can see a sampling of such things in many Bay-based blogs such as Man Seeking Coffee or The Shot).
Yet once again, I am tided over until I can make such a trip with some whole bean coffee from afar; this time, 12 ounces from Santa Cruz's Verve Coffee Roasters.
Verve's Panama Elida Estate happened to be the third coffee from my partially debited GoCoffeeGo order and was definitely a coffee I was looking forward to. Not only has Verve won quite a few hearts with their stellar roasting and exceptional cafe operations, but the description of this particular Panamanian coffee truly had my mouth watering.
I received the coffee roasted-to-order from Verve in a simple brown bag (one of very few quality roasters that strays from the CO2 valve) about four days after ordering. I mugged the coffee in the usual three methods of french press, drip and siphon.
The french press initially exploded with a fusion of raspberry and date, followed by a little lemon grass and following in the caboose was a tinge of smokiness. I was tremendously pleased with not only the flavor but the smooth body of the coffee.
The drip also produced a strong, sweetly sour berry flavor with the subtle taste of date, but the cup had much more of a smoky flavor. Overall, there was a nice sweet and sourness to the whole cup and still a nice smoothness.
The siphon stood out with a still beautifully berry-licious cup of coffee, though there was much less of the strong sweet and sourness and more of a light, tea-ish body. This cup was also much earthier than the other two.
As I neared the end of this coffee, I really wished I had more of it to go around. If you're looking for an amazing, flavorful Panama, definitely try out this particular crop from Verve while you can.
