Mugged: Kenya Lenana AA [Barnie's Coffee Kitchen]

Subject:Barnie's Coffee Kitchen
Coffee Mugged: Kenya Lenana AA
Rating [see key]: 4+

Orlando, Florida used to be a place fairly devoid of great coffee, whether you sought a coffeehouse or even just a roaster located in the area. Fortunately that all seems to be changing, with a growing presence of coffee establishments who seem to be taking more and more care of their coffee quality.

One long-standing coffee entity that's held a spot in Orlando since 1980 is a place now called Barnie's Coffee Kitchen. Going through some evolution along the way, Barnie's is a place where you can grab a cup of coffee and a quality meal. Not having been there myself, I was fortunate to have them send me out their Kenya Lenana AA to try out in my home laboratory, specifically through pourover, french press and siphon.

The pourover doled out notes of malt, pretzel, pear, pepper, romaine hearts and walnut amidst a medium/heavy body.

The french press proved a bit lighter and sweeter, with notes of chocolate, lemon grass, malt, pretzel, walnut and a little nutmeg.

The siphon tasted of pretzel, almond cookie, chili, seaweed, tootsie pop and slight corn accents, proving hearty and heavy.

All in all, the coffee proved pleasant as a heavier and full-bodied African coffee. I do wish the juicy qualities had been a tad more prominent and that there had been a little less malt, but the sweetness proved to be this coffees saving grace. Seek out this Kenyan if you're looking for a sweet and deep coffee with juicy accents.


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

Mugged: Washed Yirgacheffe [Bird Rock]

Subject: Bird Rock Coffee Roasters
Coffee Mugged: Washed Yirgacheffe
Rating [see key]: 6+

Of all the coffee roasters in the nation, few exist in a climate as pleasant as Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. Gorgeous San Diego is one of the few places in the nation that I made it to long ago, prior to Bird Rock's inception in fact, and for years I've watched and yearned for the beautiful weather and delicious coffee of SoCal.

Recently I was blessed with getting Bird Rock's coffee sent east to my coffee station. The beans were their Washed Yirgacheffee, sourced from the Kochere region of Ethiopia (currently a highly-praised geography). I sampled the beans via pourover, french press and siphon.

The pourover trumpeted out emphatic notes of chocolate, sweet honeydew, Twix, fresh corn, a bit of wheat cracker and tickle of lettuce within a light/medium body.

The french press sang a similar tune, with flavors of rich chocolate chip cookie, caramel, corn on the cob, wheat and a bit of blackberry all in a smooth, luscious infusion.

The siphon finished out strong, showing up with chocolate, caramel, blueberry, lemon cake and touch of fig in a voluptuous body.

This was a tremendous coffee with really rich sweet notes and a pleasant brightneess all held up solidly throughout. And to top it off, this is a coffee that one could sip while watching a Padre's game, as Bird Rock is one of the few quality operations to actually have a presence in a MLB stadium. All in all, whether you're in lovely San Diego or to the far east, give Bird Rock a go.


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

Thrillist Coffee Roaster Ranking

Check out this Thrillist Coffee Roaster ranking of 11 top US roasters as voted upon by "super-serious coffee nerds." It looks like it was a pretty solid consensus and I was happy to be a part of the nerds contributing.
 

Mugged: Unsweetened Tea [Herbal Mist]

Subject: Herbal Mist Teas
Tea Mugged: Unsweetened Tea
Rating [see key]: 4+

Unsweetened iced tea often suffers a poor reputation. For many, the idea draws an image of bland black tea usually needing the sweetening of a lemon or sugar packet; something folks get at a diner when they don't want a soda and they seek something a little more sassy than water. And sadly that same dull iced tea is probably the exact same concoction one would get at the diner down the street.

Such is the wide road of coffee and tea, slandered with poor representation by the many facets of the food industry. Despite the work that many coffeehouses and tea shops employ in helping folks understand how a quality, whole leaf tea fresh brewed and then iced makes for such a better tea than other more common options, it seems the world has a long way to go in practice and philosophy.

Thus, one can only imagine the popular opinion of prepackaged unsweetened ice tea. Most of the time, it's impossible to find outside of specialty shops or large markets, as I've been too many a gas station where I was unwilling to try the coffee and an exhaustive search of their fridges yielded no unsweetened options. Alas, for the few prepackaged unsweetened iced teas that exist, they don't seem to attract a whole lot of buzz.

This all brings us to Herbal Mist's Unsweetened Iced Tea, made with yerba mate. Recently they sent me out a few bottles to try out and having had varying experiences with yerba mate, I was curious how it would all play out as a prepackaged brewed tea. After chilling, I consumed the bottles over the course of two weeks (there were only three bottles, so it was spaced appx one every four days). The flavor was nothing cosmically different from your standard bottled iced tea; notes of cola, green spinach, some light apple with a smooth profile. The tea proved none too bitter (as strong bitterness can be a problem with yerba mate) and while it was not as vibrant and multifaceted as a freshly brewed iced tea, it was still a pleasant and flavorful iced tea.

Therefore, if you seek an unsweetened iced tea on-the-go and you're fortunate enough to have options, grab an Herbal Mist Unsweetened Tea.  

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

CC: Jersey Java

Subject: Jersey Java and Tea
Location: Haddonfield, NJ
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]


Haddonfield contains tons of rich history, ranging from it's gorgeous colonial architecture to the discovery of the first almost complete dinosaur in 1858. And with the manner in which New Jersey constantly seems to wreck and redevelop, the town has fortunately maintained a picturesque stratigraphy of the past few centuries.

In regards to coffee history, for as long as I can remember, the town has always had a local coffee spot on Haddon Avenue, just outside the main street. In elder days it was called 3 Bean, but for the past five years it has been known as Jersey Java and Tea. The building itself is a gorgeous single-level establishment with a fantastic patio, huge bay windows and a cute fireplace, but Jersey Java has also made excellent use of the space, equipping it with a fancy array of furniture and color.

The coffee comes from Square One Coffee out of Lancaster, a roaster becoming more common in the regional coffeehouses. In my most recent trip, I ordered an espresso (I believe it was a custom blend) and a drip of Burundi Teka. The espresso, pulled short with a light brown crema, distributed notes of ginger, beef bullion, birch beer, a little sage and some pipe tobacco, proving to be hearty, bright and a touch sour; overall not a bad pull. The drip blasted out blueberry, caramel, slight minestrone and nutmeg amidst a medium body, proving to be a lusciously rich and juicy coffee. 

Jersey Java has certainly been a coffeehouse growing in forward progression, having developed greatly in quality through the past five years. As one of the only good coffee spots of the southern portion of NJ, definitely make a stop in when you're in the area.