Starbucks Reserve® – Aged Sumatra Lot No. 593

Posted on November 13th, 2011


Starbucks Reserve seems to be the high end premium tier coffee now being offered. I ordered some of the Aged Sumatra just because we love the regular Sumatra so much. Appearance is similiar to the regular, very dark and shiny beans with a powerful, pleasant aroma. Upon first sip there is definitely some regular Sumatra taste, but without as much intensity. Not quiet as robust and spicy. Perhaps like an aged wine, it is just more mellow than it’s original form. Still it is very good strong coffee on a crisp Fall Sunday morning to get you ready for some NFL football. Very good, but I would rather stick to the original Sumatra blend. I rate this a 3.5 out of 5.

starbucks_reserve_aged_sumatra_whole_bean_coffee_0

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Starbucks – Komodo Dragon Blend

Posted on October 3rd, 2011


So far I have yet to find coffee beans as high quality as Starbucks. With that being said, the Starbucks Komodo Dragon Blend is one of my new favorites. Not quite as intense as a Sumatra, the Komodo blend is slightly less bold but still on the herbal and spicy side. Drinking this coffee during the Monday morning commute somehow makes the drive less stressful. With it’s earthy and bold taste, it’s sure to put a smile on your face as you trek on into the office and try not to have a “case of the Mondays.” This is recommended for the coffee drinker that craves that extra kick in their coffee, even more than an Italian Roast. Rated a 4 out of 5, the Komodo Dragon Blend is a top notch brew not to be missed. Happy Monday!

starbucks_komodo_dragon_blend_whole_bean_coffee_0

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Mr. Coffee single serve Keurig coffee maker

Posted on September 29th, 2011

So I must admit that I was really against all the Keurig coffee maker hype when these single serve machines first came out. I thought, “oh look, another way for Americans to be more lazy and do something quicker and more convenient.” I mean is that what it’s all about? Pressing a button and presto, your fresh hot cup of coffee is ready for drinking. What a life!! I will admit, cleaning our coffee maker can be quite a chore sometimes because it has the built in grinder, but I still think it’s worth the extra effort. But after using my brother’s Keurig coffee maker on summer vacation, I decided it couldn’t hurt to get one of our own to use, because yeah they are pretty cool after all right? So after looking at all the smaller models, I decided to give the Mr. Coffee version a try. I just thought the build quality was superior than that of the Keurig, which seemed like it had cheaper plastic. So after using our new Mr. Coffee Keurig machine for a few months now, I am pleased with it so far and use it pretty often. As for cleaning up, there isn’t much, just toss out the used k-cup and empty out the dripped water holder once and awhile and your good to go. Not bad. However I still prefer the freshly ground coffee to these k-cups, although we did find some really good ones. Stay tuned for official k-cup coffee reviews.

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Trader Joe’s Italian Roast

Posted on September 17th, 2011


It’s been awhile since an official review and after buying and tasting a few bad coffees, we finally found a winner. Trader Joe’s Italian Roast is a full bodied, dark and sophisticated coffee with an exceptional taste. As expected from all Trader Joe’s coffee, the beans are high quality, packed in well designed canister container, and freshly sealed to perfection. These particular beans are fairly dark with a semi gloss finish. Upon first taste, you are taken to your favorite café on the streets of Verona, as you indulge in this satisfying and robust coffee. I give it a rating of 4 out of 5 coffee beans. TJ’s Italian Roast finishes smooth with a slightly smokey flavor and is the perfect coffee for those that need some complexity and flavor in their cup of java.

trader-joes-italian-roast

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Café Ferrara Espresso – Ground

Posted on March 12th, 2011


The first entry of 2011 happens to have Italian heritage. Product of Italy, made famous in New York City’s Little Italy at Ferrara’s famous café, this Italian espresso is very unique and fulfilling. Opening the package I was a little surprised to find the color of the ground coffee was pretty light brown with hints of darker brown and not too finely ground, almost like normal drip coffee. So rather than preparing this in our espresso machine I thought I would first try it as drip coffee in our regular coffee maker. Ferrara’s Café Espresso has a very robust flavor, with a slightly bitter finish, probably more suited for espresso machines. Still very good, the taste somewhat reminds me of Café Bustelo, but with more punch and pizazz. Think of it as Bustelo with an Italian accent, more bold and feisty. Still I think the overall quality of this brew is slightly above average, but nothing to get too electrified about. Starbucks espresso blend buries this any day of the week (sorry Mr. Ferrara). I rate it a 3 out of 5, decent but not quite worthy of the upper tier echelon.

cafe-ferrara-espresso-coffee

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New espresso maker: DeLonghi EC5

Posted on December 30th, 2010

We were at Macy’s yesterday and they had their annual after Christmas Sale, which usually you can find some really good deals, and I sprung for our first ever espresso maker. After reading mostly positive reviews about it on Amazon, I decided to give it a try. I’m pretty satisfied so far with the DeLonghi EC5 Steam-Driven Espresso and Cappuccino Maker. After getting home from a long day at the King of Prussia mall, I could use a shot or two of espresso so I decided to open it up and see what it is all about. Instructions were not that clear, but with a little help from my girlfriend, we figured it out. We used Starbucks pre-ground Christmas blend coffee with it, which I think was a good choice. Contrary to my belief, the coffee is supposed to be medium ground, not finely ground (like most pre-ground espresso coffee comes). So after getting everything set and pressing the on switch, the freshly steamed espresso came ready in our mugs. One thing about this machine is that the coffee does not come out very hot. You really have to drink it within a few minutes to really enjoy it. Also, not much foam at the top, but really, for $40 it makes a decent shot of espresso. Next up, trying the milk frother. Stay thirsty my friends.

DeLonghi EC5 Espresso & Cuppucino Maker

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Jura Impressa F9 Limited Edition: Dream Machine

Posted on November 17th, 2010

Remember as a child saying to your parents, “When I’m rich one day, I’m gonna have a car like that,” as you pointed to a rare sighting of a Lamborghini Diablo or Porsche 911 Turbo? Then when you finally grew up, you realized it’s nearly impossible to have such an automobile, and that material things such as exotic European sports cars are something that you can only dream of, unless of course if you win the lottery. Well the same goes for this coffee maker. What a beautiful machine, the Jura Impress F9 Limited Edition, fully outfitted with 24 karat gold plated panels. This really is the ultimate machine for brewing your favorite coffees, espressos, and lattes. Here is an excerpt from the product description on Coffee Outpost, where I originally heard about the F9:

“In celebration of Capresso’s 10th anniversary, Wolfgang Joenssen, one of Europe’s best known industrial designers, who has also created the IMPRESSA F9, has taken this stunning looking product and created a commemorative Limited Edition. Special materials like the 24 karat gold plated panels, the high polished ebony satin finish, and titanium coated goldtone accents dramatically improve the aesthetics and create a special relationship between the user, the occasion and the product while maintaining the functions of the original machine.”

Wow, can you imagine how nice this thing would look in your kitchen? Or is 4 grand a little too much dough just for a machine that makes coffee. Nah, come on, it’s worth every penny. She will be mine. Some day my friends, some day.

impressa-f9-limited-edition

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Starbucks Coffee – Caffé Verona

Posted on November 15th, 2010


One of the Bucks’ best brews for sure, Caffé Verona does not disappoint to say the least. It’s a full bodied roast with a unique taste and a tad of sweetness, maybe some cocoa in there? According to Starbucks, this is their numero uno seller of all coffees. Stronger than the house blend, this bad boy is just what you need Monday morning to get you excited about starting the work week. I would recommend this coffee to virtually anyone as I think all coffee drinkers can appreciate the superior quality. I rate this a 4 out of 5.

starbucks-caffe-verona

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Eight O’Clock Coffee – A New look

Posted on November 4th, 2010

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. In my opinion, this saying is very appropriate for the new package design of Eight O’clock Coffee. I’ve always admired Eight O’clock’s design since the first time I saw it on the shelf in the super market. The simple, elegant, and clean look was what first convinced me to purchase it. That and also of course the low price for a quality whole bean coffee product. But really, this new design just doesn’t make the cut. They ditched just about everything that makes me identify with their brand to create a “new look.” But why change the look I ask? Is their marketing/creative department that bored? Many people have already voiced their displeasure with such a marketing ploy and who knows if they’ll actually stick with the look. So what’s your opinion on the new look?

eight-oclock-coffee

Posted in Coffee Packaging Design | 7 Comments

Dunkin’ Donuts – Original Blend

Posted on October 29th, 2010


This is by far the most popular coffee all across America, thanks to a coffee/donuts chain available just about every where you go. First off, I must say that I love Dunkin’ Donuts logo and packaging design. With that said, I think their coffee is just OK. I think that most people that get their coffee ask for cream and sugar and the people working at Dunkin’ Donuts put soo much in! This might have something to do with why most people love their coffee so much. My fresh ground cup was made here at the office on our high end Jura espresso/coffee maker. Upon first taste, it hardly tastes like anything. Not much flavor at all. After a few sips it’s decent enough, but rather weak for me as I prefer darker roasts. But really, why do so many people rave about it? I just don’t get it. Maybe they never had better coffees, who knows. I rate this a 2 out of 5. Just doesn’t live up to the hype.

dunkin-donuts-original-whole-bean

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