Mugged: El Salvador Orange Bourbon [Klatch]

Subject: Klatch Coffee
Mugged: El Salvador Orange Bourbon
Rating [see key]: 5+


Continuing from my prior post of Klatch's Kenya Kagumoini are my thoughts on the second coffee sent out, their El Salvador Orange Bourbon. The name constitutes the coffee's original origin off Madagascar (present-day Reunion, onced named Bourbon) and also for this coffee cherry's orange color (you can read more up on Bourbon's here). Designated as a single origin espresso, I was curious to see if the tasting notes on the bag rang true for my infusions that consisted of a pourover, french press and siphon.

The pourover produced a cup with surprisingly little fruit but instead a cup brimming with honey, wheat, granulated sugar, caramel and nougat, all within a smooth and sweet body with practically no bite. Bright but in a surprisingly dessert-ish way.

The french press delivered much more of a complex cup, full of notes of sassafras, wheat, nougat, orange and the tiniest touch of cayenne pepper and sage on the end. A deeper coffee with pleasant range of flavors.

The siphon continued with a complexity and body similar to the french press. The cup sang of Corn Pops, birch beer, raisins, walnuts and caramel, standing as the brightest of the three infusions.

While I was a big fan of the coffee, I really was surprised I didn't uncover nearly as much juice as Klatch and others had spoken of. Nonetheless, if you're looking for a great bourbon coffee, hopefully Klatch will bring back the Orange Bourbon next season.


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

Mugged: Guatemala Antigua [Daily Grind]

Subject: Daily Grind
Mugged: Guatemalan Antigua
Rating [see key]: 3+


Having been through Albany a few times, I still have had practically zero instances where I was in town with free time for more than an hour. As such, it's hard at times to make effort to seek out the local coffee venues.

One such venue I've not yet reviewed here is Daily Grind, with locations in Troy and downtown Albany. Fortunately, as they're a roaster of their own coffee, they were kind enough to contact me and send out their Guatemalan Antigua for a review. I sampled it via pourover, french press and siphon.

The french press demonstrated notes of honey, caramel, almond milk, a little clove, some pear and a smidgen of cayenne pepper. A hearty yet sweet coffee with a bit of spice.

The pourover was a little less sweet, with notes of honey, bran, pine wood, cloves and sassafras within a medium body. A more acerbic brew but still sweet and hearty.

The siphon was a mixture of the two prior infusions, with notes of vanilla, bran, almond milk, cloves, a bit of pepper and some cayenne in a deeper body, proving sweet and spicy overall.

While I though the coffee to possess some great sweet qualities, I felt it had a bit too much of a pepper and spice quality to its profile (maybe better if roasted less?). All in all, if you're looking for a spicy yet sweet South American from Albany, give Daily Grind's Guatemalan Antigua a go.


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

Mugged: Kenya Kagumoini [Klatch]

Subject: Klatch Coffee
Mugged: Kenya Kagumoini Mugaga Cooperative
Rating [see key]: 5+


As an ardent fan of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, I found it most excellent (years ago) to find out that San Dimas, CA was home to a highly reputed coffeehouse and roaster named Klatch Coffee. Over the years, while I could never seem to secure an actual visit to the city, I have had interactions with their coffee in other spots (such as Las Vegas, Seattle's 2012 Coffee Fest and at home), all of them quite scrumptious.

Of course, until I can get to the home of the Wyld Stallyns, I shall continue to check out Klatch's coffee from time to time from far away. Most recently, they were generous enough to send out two coffees for review, the first being their Kenya Kagumoini. A coffee coming from the Mugaga Cooperative, grown around 5,249 ft up, I tend to be a lover of East Africa coffees and took this coffee to town via my pourover, french press and siphon.

The pourover produced a cup brimming with rich cocoa, blackberry, wheat, some grapefruit and a little vanilla wafer. A vibrant and bright coffee with a beautiful complexity.

The french press took the brightness up a notch, with heavy smatterings of pineapple balanced with caramel cookie, nutmeg and chocolate milk, overall making it deeper and brighter.

The siphon was more akin to the drip, with notes of cocoa, blackberry, peach, vanilla wafer, Sprite and a little molasses. While the end note was a bit deeper, twas overall a bright and sweet coffee.

Needless to say, this Kenyan coffee was most triumphant in all it touched and would be a great coffee for any breakfast or late night study session at the Circle K. Give Klatch's Kenya Kagumoini a try if you seek a bright, sweet and fruity coffee.

note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback. note also that I do not apologize for the gratuitous Bill and Ted references, though I am sure such references cause Klatch occasionally to regret their location.

Mugged: Chesapeake Bay Coffee Roasting Company

Subject: Chesapeake Bay Coffee Roasting Company
Mugged: Lighthouse, Honduras and Eco-Reef
Rating [see key]: Lighthouse 4+, Honduras 3+, Eco-Reef 2+


A few years back, I heard about some coffee roasters turning from the widely-used paper/plastic bag to the age-old packaging of a coffee can. The reasoning was that the can was more sustainable and if outfitted with a CO2 valve, it kept the coffee just a fresh. Oddly, the trend never seemed to catch on (possibly because of the association coffee cans hold in the American psyche) and cans all but disappeared from microroasters.

But a few roasting operations went with the can and seem to be doing well with it. One such operation is Chesapeake Bay Coffee Roasting Company, a roaster based out of Maryland who recently sent three of their coffees to be reviewed. Their Honduras SO, Lighthouse and Eco-Reef I sampled via pourover, french press and siphon.

Starting off with the lightest roast, I took the Lighthouse for a spin. The pourover produced notes of milk chocolate, cream, slight ginger, apple skin and a little salty beef broth; a sweet chocolate cream with a touch of savory. The french press doled out chocolate milk, Life cereal, apple skin, anise and some malt with a medium body, proving sweet but a bit of rind. The siphon delivered notes of chocolate milk, pungent Life cereal, malty, oregano and apple skin; a medium-bodied brew with a nice cocoa and wheat quality. All in all, a coffee full of delicious notes of chocolate and sweet cereal with a few dark (occasionally akaline) undertones that were subtle enough to not offset the positives.

The Honduras, proving a touch darker, went next. Via pourover, the coffee emerged with a noticeable smokiness along with fig, slight vanilla and paper, eliciting a sweet, carbony brew. The french press proved less smoky, with notes of corn chip, vanilla, toffee and a little grape jelly, with but only a touch of smoke on the back end. The siphon was an average of the two prior, with notes of vanilla, tobacco, paper, toffee and a little corn, establishing this Honduran as pleasantly sweet coffee with a little too much smokiness.

The darkest of the three, the Eco-Reef finished off. The pourover trumpeted out pipe tobacco, apple, peanut, prune and a little cracker; a sweet and strongly smoky coffee with a medium body. The french press delivered a similar cup, with pipe smoke, apple, peanuts, cracker, oregano and touch of milk chocolate. The siphon proved the most intense in flavor, with strong notes of tobacco, caramel, cracker, cream and clove.  

While I enjoyed the Lighthouse a good bit, I liked the Honduras or Eco-Reef less, mostly due to their darker/smoky aspects (though if you're a fan of darker coffee, these might be the cans for you). Thus, depending on what you're looking for in a coffee, try out the Chesapeake Bay Coffee Roasting Company.


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

Mugged: Jamaica Blue Mt [C&C Specialty]

Subject: C&C Specialty Coffee
Mugged: Jamaica Blue Mountain
Rating: 3+ [see key]


While there are a lot of coffees that seem to come and go in the coffee market, Jamaica Blue Mountain is one of the constants. As I've said through the years, there's nothing intrinsically amazing about the region per say; I've had great coffee from Jamaica and I've had horrible. What separates the two are a lot of factors and sometimes it's risky to spend the money as a consumer to try and make the guess.

But if you're like me, taking an occasional gamble on a new coffee company elicits a slight thrill. The newest coffee purveyor of JBM to meet my acquaintance was from C&C Specialty Coffee. Intrigued as usual, I gave their coffee a whirl via drip, french press and siphon.

The drip produced notes of nuts, peanut chaff, caramel, croissant, fig and prune with a slight flavor of paper and aspartame. A medium bodied brew with a fair profile.

The french press demonstrated a similar nutty prominence (this time a little like pumpkin seeds) in a medium body with paper on the back end, but it also popped with some further flavor of corn chip, Life cereal and cola. 

The siphon followed suit with the nuttiness along with deep flavors of cola, wheat, a little nutmeg and a bit of paper on the back. An amply sweet and agreeable brew.

I found this Jamaica Blue Mountain a decent deep-flavored coffee with a lot of positive flavors perfect for a morning brew. The only detraction was the slight papery off-taste on the very back end of all the brews (possibly a stale batch, which happens to the best of roasters). Thus, if you're looking for a decent Jamaica Blue Mountain, give C&C Specialty Coffee a go.


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

Mugged: Diner and Peru [Booskerdoo]

Subject: Booskerdoo Coffee
Mugged: Jersey Diner and FTO Peru SO
Rating: 4+ for Diner, 3+ for Peru [see key]


Until this past year, it seemed that NJ would never have a high concentration of decent coffee operations. For as long as I have sipped coffee, shops that were able to dole out fresh, not-disgusting beans were spaced out usually too far to go from one to the other without making it a small road trip.

But in traversing the central Jersey beach area, it seems more and more good coffee options are appearing. One such place is Booskerdoo Coffee of Monmouth Beach. Having never been, I was intrigued to receive two pounds of their coffee one recent day; their Jersey Diner-style Blend and FTO Peru. I sampled each via pourover, french press and siphon.

For the Jersey Diner-style, the drip produced notes of buttered toast, apple, Corn Pops, a little lemongrass and cola, capping off a medium-bodied coffee with sweet, wheaty notes. The french press held a similar body and notes of granny smith apples, toast, sweet corn and a little cola. The siphon had a more wheaty kick, with notes of graham cracker, toast, apple, cola and a little sweet corn within a medium body. 

The Peru drip delivered flavors of french toast, maple, cloves and unsweetened cocoa within a heavier body, that overall, while flavorful, was a little too dark. The french press produced a similar profile, with notes of cloves, unsweetened cocoa, maple syrup and a heavy body that seemed almost espresso-esque. The siphon proved a tad sweeter, with chococlate, maple syrup, cloves and oatmeal within a heavy body.

Overall, both coffees sampled decently. While I thought the Jersey Diner blend was better, as it embodied a flavorful brew that I would covet with a nice breakfast, I found the FTO Peru not bad for a darker coffee but little too bitter for a light roast.

If you're in the area or you're looking to try out one of Jersey's coffee roasters, give Booskerdoo a try. 


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

Mugged: Hope Blend [Bonlife]

Subject: Bonlife Coffee
Mugged: Hope Blend
Rating: 4+ [see key]


Tennessee is a great southern state, home to superb bbq, gorgeous hiking and legal adoption for folks over 18. It's a state I can say I've traversed numerous times and each time, found something new. 

But having been away from the honky-tonk state for some years, I've been unable to sample the developing coffee scene that has been gaining steam in the years past. One such coffee entity to set down roots is Bonlife Coffee, an international company that opened its doors in Tennessee this past summer. They asked if they could send out some coffee for my opinion, and after some quick communication they sent me out a pound of their Hope Blend. I sampled the coffee via pourover, french press and siphon.

The drip produced vanilla followed by sweet cocoa, along with notes of butter, grass, caraway seed and some toasted almond, all within a mild body. A delicious brew with a nutty sweetness. 

The french press proved mellower, with vanilla, cocoa,wheat, caramel and toasted almond amidst a light, buttery body. A sweet and smooth cup.

The siphon came third in order and in favor. The cup held more of a bittersweet cocoa, along with fig, flemish sour ale and strong nut notes, coupled with some wheaty undertones. A little heavier but still a good cup. 

To sum it up, I would definitely order the Hope Blend again, as it proved to have a nice profile of nuts and sweet cocoa with some other varying positive characters. If you happen to be in Cleveland, TN or an internet purchase away, give Bonlife a whirl.    


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

Mugged: Rwanda [One Village]

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Subject: One Village Coffee 

Mugged: Rwanda Gatare Station Bourbon

Rating: 4+ [see key]

Despite living and frequently traveling around the Philadelphia area, I've had surprisingly few dealings with One Village Coffee. Based out of Souderton north of the city, One Village has often served up decent beans in the times I've found them. Hence when an opportunity recently presented itself to sample their wares at home, I jumped at the chance. 

The first of the two coffees sent was their Rwanda Gatare Station Bourbon, a light roasted, wet-processed coffee that I sampled by pourover, siphon and french press infusions. 

The drip produced a brew that poured out a mild strawberry milkshake, Nesquick, some hay, corn chip, black tea and deep cherry on the back end. The resulting coffee was a flavorful yet mellow brew.

The french press demonstrated strawberry, wheat, a bit of cream and a nice tang of lemon. The brightest of the three cups, this infusion also held the least nuance.

The siphon rallied with more of a honey sweetness as well as heavy notes of cream, bran and twigs, along with flecks of sesame seed, well done steak and scotch amidst a medium body. A much more pungent concoction with a few odd notes, but overall still tasty.

To concisely put it, this Rwandan offered a good coffee that held my interest throughout. Give this Rwandan a go if you can get your mitts on it.  


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