The crew at Social Coffee and Tea Company sent over an assortment pack of coffees for review on Coffee Obsessed. These beautiful red bags contain everything from tasty fruity blends to rich, dark french roasts ready to take on the tongue. Located in Ontario, the Social Coffee and Tea Company takes an immense amount of pride in their roasts, so let’s take a closer look at what they sent over.

Western Decadence: Signature House Blend

Subtly fruited with lemon and grapefruit, plus chocolate, sweet berries plus a buttery, creamy, smooth mouth experience. Treat yourself to this well-balanced, full-bodied cuppa bliss – via Columbia, Kenya, Sumatra.

• Roast Level: Medium Dark
• Region: Kenya, Colombia, Sumatra
• Varietal: SL28/34, Typica, Caturra, Catimor, Java
• Profile: grapefruit, lemon, chocolate, berry, buttery, creamy, smooth, balanced, full-bodied
• $11.00 per 12oz bag

El Salvador: Finca Alaska

Sweet berries, fruity, chocolate,silky smooth, lingering aftertaste.

Placed 2nd at the SCAA Roaster’s Choice competition against over hundreds of coffees submitted by top roasters around the world.

This is the same coffee lot and roast profile that we used in the competition

http://www.scaaexposition.org/?p=awards

• Roast Level: Medium Light
• Farm: Finca Alaska
• Producer: Juan José Ernesto Menéndez
• Altitude: 1620m
• Varietal: Bourbon
• Process Method: washed
• Profile: sweet berries, fruity, molasses, silky smooth
• $16.00 per 12oz bag

Imperialiste Noir: Organic French Roast

This organic French roast, our darkest, storms the Bastille with a dark-chocolaty, nutty, dried-fruity intensity of flavour. Sumatran and Peruvian beans make it as charming and rich as royalty.

• Roast Level: Dark
• Region: Peru, Sumatra
• Varietal: Typica, Catimor, Java
• Profile: dark chocolate, nutty, smoky, intense
• $12.00 per 12oz bag

Ethiopia Sidamo Natural

Citrusy, fruity, floral, sweet, delightful with a lingering berry aftertaste. We cupped our way through many lots to find this finest of coffees – truly a 90+. Natural dry-processed.

• Roast Level: Medium Light
• Profile: sweet, berry, chocolate, fruity, citrusy, floral
• Region: Sidama, Ethiopia
• Altitude: 1500m-2000m
• Varietal: Ethiopia Heirloom
• Process Method: Natural
• Profile: sweet, berry, chocolate, fruity, citrusy, floral
• $16.00 per 12oz bag

More About Social Coffee and Tea Company

Social Coffee & Tea Co. is dedicated to bringing the highest quality fresh-roasted coffees grown anywhere to you, the toiling workers of the world. We do this by harnessing the existing capitalist system in service to our customers’ needs.

Our name is how to think of our coffee

We believe coffee should be a social experience, top to bottom. It should be delivered via socially conscious supply chains and brewed by impassioned devotees dedicated to providing delicious coffees for all, regardless of class, birthright or party affiliation. We roast and develop our own specialty blends using the finest coffee beans available.

Our endless struggle for you

Meticulously tasting (called ‘cupping’), selecting and roasting each lot ourselves, we cup our own roasts yet again after production to assure the quality continues through to your final sip. This enables us to deliver delicious, distinctive coffees for all our brothers and sisters, and a guarantee of industrially correct compensation for our comrades who grow these products in faraway lands.

More about Social Coffee and Tea Company

Social Contact Info:

Website: SocialCoffeeCompany.com (can buy directly off their site)
Twitter: @socialcoffeeco
Tel: 1-866-515-5033 Fax: 1-416-848-0719
Email: info@socialcoffeecompany.com

When it comes to fantastic coffee, Rocketfuel Coffee out of Toronto, Canada does not mess around. With some of the rarest blends you can find anywhere in the world, they are on the hunt for top shelf beans to satisfy our greatest coffee obsessions. Up for review on Coffee Obsessed…El Socorro Y Anexos.

What Is El Socorro Y Anexos?

El Socorro y Anexos has been awarded the prestigious Presidential Award Cup of Excellence. Decidedly fruity and refined with delicate tropical fruit background notes. Complex, layered and smooth finish. Sophistciated coffee with considerable nuance.

Grower: Juan Diego de la Cerda
Name: Guatemala El Socorro y Anexos – CoE #4
Process: Patio sun drying
Varietal: Maracaturra, a hybrid of Caturra

Bag cover art is done by the owner, Lisa Rotenberg.

Coffee Review: El Socorro Y Anexos

When you open a bag of El Socorro Y Anexos and take in the experience, you realize right off the bat that you are dealing with something special. These beans put off a clean, rich, fruity aroma that is almost breath taking at first intake. Those same scents continue through the brewing process and filled the room with high end coffee aroma.

The tasting process on this fantastic blend gives you a medium bodied coffee with layered fruit notes throughout the entire process that is a completely smooth cupping experience. What starts off with a tropical fruit taste (just as described on the bag) ends with a natural cherry that carries through the aftertaste process. As I exhale through my nose ready to take in another joyful experience…you can taste and smell those cherry hints. At least…that is where my mind and taste buds took me…

Typically, my preferences lean more towards the richer, nutty, chocolaty mixes, but this fruitier blend has a complex taste to it that is incredibly appealing even for coffee drinkers that lean more towards that side of the coffee world. Of course, a coffee experience like this does not come cheap. At $45 for a 1/2 pound and $80 for a full pound, you are paying to play.

Contact Rocketfuel Coffee

Website: RocketfuelCoffee.com (can purchase blends straight off the site)
Email: Lisa@RocketfuelCoffee.com
Twitter: @RcketfuelCoffee
Facebook: Rocketfuel Coffee

Next in the lineup from the Thailand coffee from Doi Chaang is the Piko’s Peaberry. I have been a long time fan of peaberry coffee’s, I was excited to get this single-estate Thailand based bean in to review on Coffee Obsessed. With rave reviews coming out of the crews at Coffee Review and Daily Shot of Coffee, there was a lot of positive lead up to this tasting experience, so let’s see how things went with the first pour of my Bodum french press.

The Doi Chaang Piko’s Peaberry

From DoiChaangCoffee.com:

A coffee cherry typically produces two flat sided beans, yet when the cherry produces only one oval shaped bean, it is called a peaberry. The peaberry bean is much smaller with a higher concentrated flavour and represents only 5% of our annual crop.

Our single-estate Piko’s Peaberry is unlike anything you have ever tasted with an intense fruity floral aroma and a heavy full-bodied profile. Rare and highly sought after, our Peaberry is slowly and carefully roasted for a vibrant and distinctive taste. Deep-toned with a hint of earthiness, we are confident this will be your ultimate coffee experience.

You can pick up a 1lb bag straight off the Doi Chaang Coffee site for $19.99.

Review: Doi Chaang Piko’s Peaberry Coffee

Like all peaberry blends, the bean has a unique, small look to it as you pour the beans into the grinder. For those of you that aren’t use to peaberry, it looks much smaller as you are dealing with basically half a bean. The Doi Chaan Piko’s Peaberry is a rich, dark brown with a slight shininess to it that you can feel on your hands. The high quality, darker aroma of the beans picks up on the earthy tones and is a pleasure to take in.

Once I had this peaberry from Doi Chaang ready for pour, I sat down with my cup of Piko’s and started the sipping experience. As a lover of the medium, dark blends that are full of flavor against the taste buds, this dark blend from Doi Chaang did not disappoint. Leaning towards the darker end of the scale, the Piko’s Peaberry is still full of flavor. You immediately pick up on the earthy tones of this peaberry, but you are left with a fruitiness on the backend that leaves you with a clean pallet ready for another sip.

While I was enjoying my cup of Piko’s Peaberry, I could imagine myself in the snow capped mountains with a wood fire burning in the background. The earthy tones with woody hints and dark cherry (much like Mike over at Daily Shot of Coffee experienced), this non-bitter, dark blend was a great experience with every sip of the cup.

If you are a coffee lover that is looking to get to the darker side of the spectrum but you still want those vibrant tastes that medium blends are known for, check out the Piko’s Peaberry from Doi Chaang. After indulging in my 1 pound bag from Doi Chaang, I will have to get my hands on some more.

Doi Chaang Contact:

Doi Chaang Website (can purchase straight off the site)
Doi Chaang On Twitter
Contact Doi Chaang Coffee

This is the first in the series of reviews on the Thailand based Doi Chaang coffees. This Single Estate Signature coffee promises a spicy aroma out of northern Thailand. Let’s take a trip and see how this coffee does once it hits your taste buds.

Specs: Doi Chaang Single Estate Signature

From doichaangcoffee.com:

A select combination of our finest beans are roasted in individual batches and then combined to create a full, lively cup. Roasting on different levels produces a complex, yet seamless blend that has a spicy aroma and a full-bodied undertone with distinct floral notes.

$14.99/lb

Review: Doi Chaang Single Estate Signature

Like Mike at Daily Shot of Coffee points out in his review of the Single Estate Signature, the coffee puts out a smokey aroma that reminds me of an old log cabin in the winter with a fire brewing in the corner. This high-quality roast out of Doi Chaang really plays off the “spicy” angle with the fragrance which also carries through the tasting experience.

If you are into dark coffees, you will like this flavor. The Doi Chaang Single Estate Signature was actually darker than I was expecting, so you do not get the vibrant flavors that you normally taste with more medium based blends. Instead, there is a strong, spicy coffee sensation that carries all the way through the after taste.

The Single Estate Signature does not drink heavy or feel like it is coating your mouth like some dark blends as the sipping indulgence is a cleaner experience. I typically lean towards the medium spectrum of coffees for the varying tastes, but every now and then I like to pony up on a darker blend to enjoy a rich coffee experienece.

I really enjoyed this coffee from Doi Chaang, but if you are not into dark coffees…this is probably not the one for you. Although…if you are into the darker coffee experience…give this one a try.

Contact Info for Doi Chaang

Website: DoiChaangCoffee.com (can purchase directly with 15.00 flat rate shipping fee)
Phone: 1-604-689-3312
Email Doi Chaang Coffee

Kawa Java caught my attention from a reader of Coffee Obsessed. This high quality coffee out of Uganda is brought into the US by Annette Nanziri and is actually based several miles from my house. After numerous rave reviews by Coffee Obsessed readers on the intro post, I was anxious to get to pressing myself a fine cup of this Arabica medium dark roast for review. Now that I have gone through the complete bag of this coffee from Kawa Java, let’s take a look at the overall coffee experience.

The Details: Kawa Java Arabica Medium-Dark Roast Coffee

Arabica coffee grows at altitudes between 1,300-2,300 meters above sea level. Bugisu-AA Arabica grows at altitudes of 7,000 feet above sea level. This altitude gives Bugisu- AA a premium grade name. For good growth temperature should range from 15-24 degrees Celsius and requires an average rainfall of 1,200-1,500 mm per year. A growing age of nine months is most desirable. For the land, a flat or gently slopping terrain is suitable. Arabica coffee grows well on deep, well drained, and fertile loamy soils. Soil PH should range from 4.5 to 5.5.

Kawa Java’s Arabica is produced with dry process or a washed process.

Arabica requires fertile soils enriched with recommended fertilizers and manures. It particularly requires high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The fertilizer requirements are dependent on the inherent soil fertility status; soil PH, level of production and cultural practices like mulching, manuring and irrigation. It is recommended that farmers apply fertilizers per tree annually. If the coffee shows deficiency, carry out soil and leaf analysis to determine the nutrient lacking for appropriate correction. The analyses are carried out at Makerere University and Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute.

Coffee Review: Kawa Java Arabica Medium-Dark Roast

First, before we even jump into the brewing process, when you deal with Annette over at Kawa Java, the radiating love of coffee she processes is contagious. One of the things I love the most about this site is interacting with other coffee lovers, and her calm, coffee loving persona makes me want to buy her coffee over and over again. It is that kind of love for this precious bean that makes a great coffee experience.

Now…how does the Kawa Java Arabica Coffee stack up once it is pressed and ready for your sipping indulgence?

This is a great coffee. Even though it is a medium-dark roast, you still get the strong distinct tastes that come with medium blends. I would best describe this roast from Kawa Java as an earthy, holistic coffee. You can pick up on the uniqueness of the Ugandan bean, and the overall experience reminds me of being in a grassy field on a bright sunny morning. It is very clean, balanced acidity and the experience leaves you feeling like you have just formed a relationship with the Earth.

You can really pick up on the strong nutty, high quality tones throughout the experience with a slightly chocolate sensation while sipping. The earthy tones of this Arabica coffee also bring out a little bit of a floral feeling that finishes off the tasting very well.

Overall, I really enjoyed this blend from Kawa Java and it will be one that stays on my regular drinking list. I highly suggest you try this blend as it has a wide appeal for coffee drinkers and is an incredibly enjoyable, smooth experience.

Contact Kawa Java
Website: KawaJava.com
info(at)kawajava.com
404-512-3217

Aduro Bean sent over a bag of their Artisan blend for review on Coffee Obsessed. This medium-dark roast is a fair trade, organic coffee was named after the Artisan Baking Company out of Fort Worth, TX and promises to be a chocolate and nutty blend as the warm liquid soothes your tongue. Let’s take a dive in and see how this coffee from Aduro Bean stacks up.

More About Aduro Bean

Aduro Bean is committed to providing the highest-quality, freshest and fairest products. We continually search for sources that provide access to top-grade, fair trade and organic coffees and teas.

Restaurant and Retail: Yes, we wholesale! Send us a note and we’ll set up a tasting.

Review: Aduro Bean Artisan Blend

The Artisan Blend is part of the house blends that Aduro Bean offers.

From AduroBean.com

Fair Trade/Organic. Named for our friends at Artisan Baking Company in Fort Worth, this blend was created to pair with their wonderful breads and baked goods. A complex blend designed to linger on the tongue. Nuts and chocolate abound. Perfect with desserts. $10.50/lb

A first scent, the Artisan coffee from Aduro Bean puts off a nutty body with a traditional coffee aroma. It really reminds me of that first inhale of higher quality coffee that I got years ago when the obsession started. As with most coffee obsessed individuals, I started off my foray into premium coffees with nuttier medium-dark blends. This Artisan coffee from Aduro Bean brought me right back to that moment.

The tasting experience with the Artisan blend is a nutty one…literally. The roast does lean towards the darker side of the medium roast spectrum and your taste buds can pick up on the nutty taste almost immediately. It is after some careful contemplation that you pick up on the chocolate back end with a slight acidity.

The Artisan blend as a clean feeling in the mouth so you are not going to get that coating feeling that you can see how of the darker blends.

Overall, there isn’t really anything mind blowing about the Artisan blend from Aduro Bean, but it is a high quality, fair trade that is very enjoyable with bread and deserts as detailed in the description. If you are looking for a good tasting, nutty blend to compliment your after dinner events and a great group of people to deal with (I have had a great experience with the crew over at Aduro Bean), give the Artisan Blend a try. At $10.50 a pound, you are not going to break the bank in your pursuit to serve high quality java that isn’t superstore processed.

Aduro Bean Contact Info

Website: AduroBean.com (can buy directly off the web)
Email: rupert@adurobean.com; nancy@adurobean.com
Twitter: Aduro Bean
Facebook: Aduro Bean
Location: Fort Worth, TX

The crew over at Starbucks Coffee sent over their new “lite” versions of the popular, bottled Frappuccino’s…specifically the Vanilla and Mocha Lite. Each of these new drinks from Starbucks have fewer calories and less sugar than their regular Frappuccino counterparts. That would be expected with their Splenda sweetening. So…how do they stack up as these two new Frapps from Starbucks hit the taste buds?

Stats: Starbucks Frappuccino Lite

Let’s see how they stack up.

Starbucks Coffee: Frappuccino Vanilla Light

• 50% Fewer Calories than Regular Vanilla
• 60% Less Sugar than Regular Vanilla
• 100 Calories
• 9.5 FL OZ

Starbucks Coffee: Frappuccino Mocha Lite

• 40% Fewer Calories than Regular Mocha
• 60% Less Sugar than Regular Mocha
• 100 Calories
• 9.5 FL OZ

Coffee Review: Starbucks Frappuccino – The Lighter Side

Whenever I hit up Starbucks for a mixed drink, I typically take the option of getting the no fat, no whip side of things, so this lighter offering on their bottled drinks was of particular interest to me. I don’t normally pick these up from Starbucks, but they are great for the coffee lover on the go. You can also pick them up at local grocery stores and keep them at home…another added bonus. The trick is to see if Starbucks can still hold to the taste of their Frappuccino’s with the decreased weight on your health.

Overall, great experience with the new Starbucks Frapps. The Vanilla leans more towards my taste bud preference as I am a white chocolate mocha guy over a regular mocha, but both drinks were enjoyable. I didn’t notice that much of a difference from the regular versions of each of these coffee drinks, so…when I do partake in a bottled Starbucks beverage, it will be these lighter versions to try to keep a limit on unneeded calories.

As with most mixed drinks out of the Starbucks camp, they are pretty sweet. If you are used to your other mixed drinks and bottled beverages out of Starbucks, this will not be a surprise. I almost consider them a desert at times!

As weird as this may sound, I can really see using these drinks on a picnic chilled over ice to get your coffee obsession on during a bright, warm, sunny day. Whenever I am in my house or working, I like the hot, bliss that comes with traditional coffee and mixed drinks, but there are times when a pre-bottled beverage like this offering from Starbucks really has its place.

I think Starbucks really improved on a successful platform and with the lighter side of things…I’ll be enjoying these drinks a little bit more often than before as we get into the warmer time of the year.

Oh yeah…by the way…my wife loved them.

The crew over at Zoka Coffee Roasters and Tea Company sent over two of their offerings for review on Coffee Obsessed. With an espresso and a Cup of Excellence winner, this is sure to be a warm sipping experience out of the Zoka camp. Let’s take a look at each in a little bit more detail before the grind starts.

Espresso Paladino from Zoka Coffee

From ZokaCoffee.com:

Smooth, heavy and lush in its sweetness, Espresso Paladino’s thick, flecked nutty crema coats the palate and finishes with a subtle acidity. The aftertaste is reminiscent of baker’s chocolate and walnuts with a lingering caramel finish.

Paladino is acclaimed for its classic espresso flavor profile. It possesses a balance of creamy, honeyed body and fine acidity in the finish. Having proven itself in countless barista competitions, this blend is roasted a bit darker than medium or Full City stage.

ORIGIN: South American, Indonesian, and African

$11.00 per 12 oz

Bolivia Central – Cup of Excellence Winner from Zoka Coffee

Farm: Cafe Central
Region: Yungas of La Paz
Altitude: 5518 feet
Variety: Caturra and Criollo
Notes: Jasmine, Cherry, Cinnamon

From Jeff Babcock, Founder & President

The plane touched down in La Paz, Bolivia just as the sun began to sail up and over the horizon. The first thing I noticed is how clear and bright the sky is – so bright that I immediately reach for my sunglasses. It instantly feels different up here – we landed 13,000 feet above sea level, and I am puffing and panting up here in the thin air.

More About Zoka Coffee

In 1996, University of Washington Alumni Jeff Babcock created Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company. Nestled in the heart of Seattle’s Wallingford District, this vibrant cafe has become a hub of activity and community, open seven days a week. Thanks to the small-batch roasting of Zoka coffees, homemade baked goods and hand-sourced teas, it’s often hard to find a seat. Now with the third Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea House, Kirkland Zoka, customers have recently been given another chance to settle in with a Zoka cappuccino and scone.

The cornerstone concept of the Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company is a focus on our local community. Where other coffeehouses may hurry customers out the door, we at Zoka invite you to stay, and feel honored when you decide to settle in with us for a whole afternoon (that’s why we tempt you with free wireless Internet).

Where we regard our customers with warmth and respect, we consider our coworkers as close as family. Each Zoka staffer brings new creativity, ideas and joy to the table, thereby continuing what has become a grand tradition of diversity and originality at Zoka.

We treasure the bonds we share with customers and fellow baristas, and we hope you’ll join us in growing our family bigger still.

Contact and Purchase Zoka Coffee and Tea

Website: ZokaCoffee.com
Tel 866.ZOKA.NOW
Fax 206.282.4460
Contact Zoka Coffee

About 10 minutes from my house in the northern suburbs of Atlanta, there is a small coffee shop called Element Coffee Company. This warm coffee hot spot is my go to place when I am having an Intelligentsia craving and have none in stock. I really enjoy the light, cozy atmosphere of the shop and the employees and baristas are top notch.

With a Starbucks on every corner in my area (literally), it is hard to find private coffee shops that provide something different and unique. Element takes a lot of pride in the coffee process and you can feel that when you walk in. This isn’t another turn and burn coffee joint. Each of the cups are make with care.

Personally, I always hit up whatever they are brewing that day and my wife picks up a White Chocolate Mocha.

Element Coffee Company

Element Coffee Company is the product of an ongoing quest to provide the public with the best coffee house experience. We have chosen some of the best products available and pride our selves on expert preparation of your coffee, espresso drink, breakfast sandwich, or lunch sandwich.

For more information…visit Element Coffee Co’s website.

In the world of single cup brewers, the Keurig brand from Green Mountain Coffee are some of the best. For the coffee lover on the go, you can have a single cup up and brewed in your cup faster than it takes to find your keys to leave for work. On top of that, it makes my wife happy by providing hot chocolate and tea varieties as well.

Green Mountain Coffee sent over the Special Edition Keurig to Coffee Obsessed to get some reviewing started on their single cup brews and the brewer itself.

Specs: Keurig Special Edition Single-Cup Brewer

From GreenMountainCoffee.com

The Keurig Special Edition B60′s combination of design and features delivers the best value in our home brewer line up. Includes 1 box of free K-Cups.

• New Feature! Quiet Brew Technology™
• Blue backlit LCD display and water reservoir
• Three brew sizes: 5.25-oz, 7.25-oz, and 9.25-oz. (travel mug)
• Digital clock, Programmable on/off timer
• Get a FREE gift and SAVE when you choose our optional Café EXPRESS bundle.
• MSRP: 139.95

Now we are going to put the Keurig through its paces. Stay tuned for our thoughts and review on this unique single-cup brewer.

To learn more about Green Mountain Coffee and the Keurig Single-Cup Brewer…click here.