Mugged: Singletrack [Rocky Mountain Roastery]

 
What does Mugged mean? 

Subject: Rocky Mountain Roastery

Mugged: Singletrack

Rating: 3+ [see key] 

Whether it's all of the Coors Light ads that aired during my childhood or just my love for mountains, I always wanted to live somewhere like Colorado. Sure, I did live in beautiful Bozeman, Montana for almost a year, but my short stint there only made said desire more prominent. I believe it's the laid back atmosphere, the crisp air and the mountains that hold their sway over me.

Thus, when I receive a product from a place in the western mountains, my oregon trail desires rear up and I picture myself sitting on a rustic porch made of fresh timber, breathing in the mountain air and enjoying the nice weather. This is especially true of good coffee, as there's nothing like a delicious cup of coffee amidst mountainous views.

But in receiving a pound of coffee from Rocky Mountain Roastery to objectively review, I wasn't sure what to expect as I had not really heard too much of them. Located in beautiful Fraser/Winter Park, Colorado, Rocky Mountain Roastery seems to have a wide variety of coffees on their website, ranging from light to really dark. I got to sample their Singletrack Blend, a "full bodied" coffee (I found the coffee fairly dark in roast), via drip (filter), french press and siphon infusions and here is what I got.

The drip produced deep notes of peanut, molasses, bitter herbs, tobacco and a little vanilla within a medium body.

My cup of the french press held similar notes of peanut, pepper, molasses, tobacco and vanilla in a similar body.

The siphon held much stronger notes of tobacco, peanut and pepper but had a super sweet honey flavor as well as hints of vanilla and orange amidst a light/medium body.

Overall, I found the coffee had a little too much bitter flavors (tobacco & pepper) but there were some nice sweet flavors as well as a tinge of nuttiness. I might really like this coffee it were roasted a little lighter.

Thus, while I can't say I would pick this particular coffee over others for a nice, relaxing mountain retreat, I wouldn't turn it down either. Give Rocky Mountain Roastery's Singeltrack a try if you're looking for a sweet dark coffee.


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

CC: SteamDot

What does CC mean?

Subject: SteamDot

Location: Anchorage, AK

Free WiFi ? : yes

Rating: 4+ [see key]

While ambiance is not everything, it's always welcome, especially when not expected.

One of my earlier stops in Alaska was a place in the southern portion of Anchorage called SteamDot. A coffee roaster that popped up in some of my initial searches, SteamDot appeared to be a good stop. My arrival at their sharply decorated store, a cafe full of large windows, bright colors and snazzy furniture, seemed to re-convey confidence that this coffeehouse was no dud (albeit purely based on the notion that if you have a stellar design, you must have amazing coffee to pay for it).

Moving onto the coffee, I ordered an espresso of their Single Origin Brazil and a pourover of the Nicaragua. Watching the process of concocting my drinks, they really seemed to know their away around their classy-looking pourovers and the espresso machine, another sign that usually the coffee has promise.

But in tasting my drinks, I found both coffees to be a little too dark to be truly pleasant. The espresso, pulled short with a blond crema, tasted of vanilla, ginger and a little nut, yet all amidst a noticeable bitterness like overly steeped black tea as well as a noticeable burnt flavor. The pourover of the Nicaraguan held notes of a darker coffee, with tobacco and bitter cocoa being prominent over the other flavors of cherry, walnut, sugar and grass. The tea is free leaf.

Thus, it seems that either SteamDot believes in a darker roast spectrum or I hit their shop on an off day. Yet despite my darker-then-expected drinks, don't write off SteamDot; the cafe is gorgeous and it has the tools to be a superb place. Give it a try if you're in town.

Mugged: El Salvador [Target]

' 

What does Mugged mean? 

Subject: Target

Mugged: El Salvador Buena Vista

Rating: 4+ [see key] 

The concept of well-roasted coffee obtained through socially responsible methods is something that is not new to the coffee world. Yet this concept was all but unreachable to retail giants until recently, when Target became one of the first to take the dive into the small niche market of quality, direct trade coffee. Archer Farms, Target’s food brand, recently began offering Direct Trade coffee of varying roast levels. Shortly after they began offering said coffees, they sent me out two varieties to try and here’s what I thought of the first.

Contrary to my fears, Target’s El Salvador did not arrive stale but actually pretty close to the date of roasting. Getting straight to the punch line, I brewed up the coffee in the usual three methods of french press, drip and siphon.

The drip delivered notes of wheat grass, maple bacon, elderflower, a little ginger and oats within a subtle, medium body.

The french press held similar flavors, with the wheat grass and elderflower dominating the ginger and oats. And while there was also a smacking of maple syrup, bacon did not show up here in this medium bodied pressed brew.

The siphon brought back the maple bacon, along with elderflower, wheat grass and oats in a medium body.

I was about to proclaim this a fairly superb coffee when an opportunity arose for me to obtain a bag of this coffee from my local Target. Alas, it was too good to be true, as I was let down with the coffees freshness in this purchased bag. Sure some of the flavors glided through, but the bean age really obscured a lot of the good flavors.

Thus, it seems the problems of mass production still keep quality, fresh coffee from stores like Target. BUT, if you are a person that only buys their coffee at massive stores, definitely try out Archer Farm’s Direct Trade coffee (whole bean only). Amidst the lesser options on the adjoining racks, at least there’s a good chance you’ll get some good coffee.

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

Happy National Coffee Day!

CC: Three Fish

'

What does CC mean?

Subject: Three Fish

Location: Ocean City, NJ

Free WiFi ? :yes

Rating: 4+ [see key]

As the summer came to a close last week, I finally got around to posting about another summertime coffee venue in lovely Ocean City. Though it will probably be too late for this season, it will hopefully give folks something to look forward to for next summer. 

Three Fish is a coffee stand on the Ocean City Boardwalk on the 1300 block. Taking up the footprint of about 3 photo booths, the place has a beautiful simplicity to it in both name and menu. In chatting with the owner and barista, he mentioned he was just getting started and that he had hopes of improvements.

The coffee is the Avanti Blend from Vista Clara Coffee Roasters and the espresso blend is from Red House Coffee Roasters. The espresso, served in a small paper cup, held notes of bittersweet cocoa, lemon, ginger, salt, sesame seeds, a little spinach and rock candy amidst a brown crema and a short/medium pull. The coffee, though a tad dark, held bitter tobacco, apricot, bran, cinnamon, slight sassafras and a medium body. I did not note any teas.

While I did find the espresso pleasant, I felt the drip was not all that great (the coffee was masked by darker oils) but easily fixable with a quick switch of the beans. Maybe next year will prove better; only time will tell. Stop by Three Fish if they are still open or put them on your agenda for your next NJ beach vacation.