November 2014

Marks and Spencer Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Coffee

Marks and Spencer Ethiopian Yirgacheffe CoffeeThe first Marks and Spencer coffee we've had in a while - they've changed all their packaging now so its all less glitzy and more down to earth - brown bags are the fashion these days. This has all sorts of bold claims on the packet - floral, apricot, Jasmine... it would be easier to list what isn't in there. Still - poncy descriptive aside - this is a great, quirky coffee. Firstly it looks so inviting - it's one of those that as you stir it up in your pot it forms a lovely creamy head which looks so appetising. And it lasts even as you pour it into the cup - it almost delivers a cappuccino from a caffetiere. Taste-wise, well, it really is fruity - normal for an east African coffee it's got that zesty citrus taste that cuts through that sleepy Monday morning and gets you where you want to be. It seems to be lightly roasted - the colour in the cup would encourage anyone to drink it - unlike some, that although taste good, do look as unappetising as a vat of old sump oil. The only downside is you can't really knock this one up too strong - if you over do it the zesty lemons turn to lead balloons and it's like sucking on a handful of pocket change. Overall, a great and one to serve to the uninitiated who will be impressed that you know what your doing with your plunger. 9/10

7.375
Average: 7.4 (8 votes)
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Honest Coffees Up And At 'Em

Honest Coffees Up And At 'EmThis is probably the first coffee we have ever had that claims to taste of peanuts. So from the outset let's clear this up - it doesn't. And a good thing too as there's nothing more likely to ruin a good cup of coffee that a sprinkling of KP's finest all over it. What next - Chicory??  Hazelnuts? 'nuff said. The first cup we have from this was a real washout - weak as hell even when made at our normal strength of 5 desert spoons for two cups. But on closer inspection when we ground the beans for the second cup we realised why - these beans are as hard as the Kray Twins and practically took the blades off our puny little grinder. We had to put them through again before they submitted and we finally got to taste what this coffee's really like. We couldn't really pick up any berry fruits in there as they claim - it's pretty much a standard coffee without any whistles and bells. Nice enough - but neither super strong nor super fruity it kind of falls into no-mans land. 7/10

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Honest Coffees Firefly

Honest Coffees FireflyOnce we read the side of the packet of this one we were sucked straight in. Not since that rather ill judged biriyani for elevensees we had last summer have we suffered from a "cardamom finish". Unfortunately though, the cardamoms never materialised - which to be honest is a good thing - as they have no place whatsoever in a cup of coffee. We didn't pick up on te honey or blackcurrant either, Basically, the whole blurb on the side was clearly written by someone who'd just taken some cold remedies the night after a big curry and was still suffering from the after effects. Similes aside - this coffee didn't really do much for us. It tastes fine but it could be just about anything - it was shallow in flavour and just didn't deliver. maybe we didn't make it strong enough? 6/10

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Pact Finca La Joyeria Coffee Beans

Pact Finca La Joyeria Coffee BeansAnother great metaphor from Pact - poached pear they claim in this one. The taste buds of those Pact kids must be so finely tuned that not only can they detect pears in this - but how they have been cooked!  Suffice to say - we couldn't taste them, being just your average coffee plebs. But plebs we may be, we know a good drop when we get it and this is our second packet of Pact to deliver. It's great - it's a heavy, full flavoured coffee, with a nice pale foaming head on it, more akin to a real ale than a coffee. It's smooth as hell and slid down in seconds, despite us spooning it up big time - there was nothing we could do wrong with this one. We don't know how you could get any of this without going on their mail order scheme... but we suggest you try. 8/10

7.33333
Average: 7.3 (3 votes)
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Pact Finca La Joyeria Coffee Beans

Pact Finca La Joyeria Coffee BeansAnother great metaphor from Pact - poached pear they claim in this one. The taste buds of those Pact kids must be so finely tuned that not only can they detect pears in this - but how they have been cooked!  Suffice to say - we couldn't taste them, being just your average coffee plebs. But plebs we may be, we know a good drop when we get it and this is our second packet of Pact to deliver. It's great - it's a heavy, full flavoured coffee, with a nice pale foaming head on it, more akin to a real ale than a coffee. It's smooth as hell and slid down in seconds, despite us spooning it up big time - there was nothing we could do wrong with this one. We don't know how you could get any of this without going on their mail order scheme... but we suggest you try. 8/10

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