Random thoughts and bits of life of a coffee loving artist

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Coffee Review: Kaui Coffee - Koloa Estate Dark Roast


This Coffee Review has been brought to you by a fellow coffee fan who was so kind enough to give me this and 2 other bags of coffee for me to try out but put in the request that I start on this one first. So first let me say thank you very much for the coffee donation and for also including the receipt for them. Now that being said, let's get this started shall we?



When I saw that the bright blue 10oz (283g) bag of Kaui Coffee, my mind went to my review from May when I took a look at Hawaiian Isles Kona Chocolate Macadamia Nut coffee and I found myself wondering if it was from the same company or at least had a similar flavor. Right off the bat I was happy to discover that the packaging was resealable then instantly my bubble of happiness was burst when I found that the bag was difficult to open and had to use a pair of scissors on it to get into. Not exactly a good start but at least the bag is able to be sealed and I don't have to stuff it into a bag to keep it fresh. Taking a deep breath in enjoying the aroma of the ground coffee, I could pick up subtle chocolate tones. Chocolate? Interesting. I had to take another look at the bag and notice the caption of "bold, rich flavor with subtle cocoa notes". Huh, and to think I didn't even notice that when I was opening the bag up.

Brewing up a pot and pouring myself a cup, I was greeted by the dark rich color of the coffee with a matching bold aroma which was pleasantly not overwhelming like how some dark roasts can be. Though the scent had those hints of chocolate, I really didn't taste it but did notice that it had a very low bitter after taste which is a plus to those who enjoy a dark roast coffee but hate having it too bitter. Another thing that I've noticed is that it didn't have really any fruity tones to the taste (which is a common complaint I've had from some of my readers) and is rather smooth. I did notice however that after setting my cup down to go get something else done, once it was relatively cold I did pick up on the faint chocolate tones in the flavor. Not too sure how many out there drink cold coffee but it was certainly an interesting discovery.

So for those who were wondering, Kauai Coffee is not the same company as the Kona Coffee Company. They just happen to be both in Hawaii. Looking at their website, I was able to find where they had their various coffees listed for sale but found it rather odd that the Kola Estate Dark Roast was no where to be found. It's something that I've found relatively common lately when it comes to checking out the different company websites but it is still a bit frustrating due to the fact that wouldn't it make sense to provide the opportunity to order ANY of the coffees from their website instead of having to hunt for a particular type in a grocery store with a high chance that it may not be there? Maybe there's a reason behind it but it's something that has always bothered me. Taking a look at the receipt that came with the bag, I was astonished to discover that for this 10oz bag of coffee, my fan spent $9.54. For a 10oz bag? Really? This just threw me for a loop since usually a typical 12oz bag I find runs between $6 to $9. Perhaps it's because it's a specialty coffee. Maybe it's because it's from Hawaii and had to be shipped to the mainland by ship or plane. Who knows. What I can say is that it is a quality ground coffee which has good flavor and aroma but personally wouldn't mind paying that price if it was a 12oz bag instead of a 10oz bag. So to the dark roast drinkers, if you're looking for a treat for yourself, this may be something you might want to consider picking up if you don't mind the nearly $1 an oz price tag.

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