Review #30: Lightning Coffee Roasters

Name of Roaster: Lightning Coffee Roasters Location of Roaster (City, State, Country): Lynn, MA

Name of Roast: Beachcomber's Blend Type of Roast (Light, Medium, Dark): Light-Medium Origin of Beans: Ethiopia, Honduras (FTO), and Guatemala (Organic) Price: $12 (12 oz) Brewing Method (Drip, Chemex, AeroPress, etc.): Chemex Time Between Purchase and Brewing (Ballpark is fine): Twenty Days

Aroma: Opening the bag, we noted bright baking spice, with an undercurrent of rich ganache and chocolate cake batter. On the grind, the cake batter took center stage, with the brightness of spice following, along with a soft red berry, possibly cherry. On the pour, we caught a top note of rich brown sugar with caramelized sugar undertones.

Flavor Profile: Our initial sip of this medium-bodied coffee showed a bright entry of toasted walnut and hazelnut, accompanied by a rich, warm earthiness that slowly made its way to the back of the mouth across the center of tongue. Red berry and brown sugar were found beneath the toasted nut, providing a rich, balanced mouthfeel. A slight acidity was found on the finish. Sweetened aromatics persist, including slightly floral notes and honey.

Overall Impression (What did you think of it? Anything else we should know?): This blend surprised us as being extremely pleasant to drink as a standalone "standard" cup, but equally up to the task of pairing with myriad breakfast items. While we wish we knew the percentage split of the three bean origins, we are thankful to the roaster for discovering these proportions, as this is a true "everyday" cup that we would recommend to anybody seeking a bold cup of coffee that plays down the middle, but with slight surprises for the more adventurous.

Note: This is our second review of Lightning. The roaster was kind enough to provide us with two of their favorite roasts for us to review, and we sincerely appreciate the opportunity to highlight this great new roaster. Our review was not influenced by our receipt of the coffee. We recommend checking them out online or the next time you find yourself in or around Lynn, MA.

Final Score (1-10, with 10 being the best cup of coffee in your life): 7.6 Where to Buy: Lightning Coffee Roasters Looking to do a review of your own? Hop over to the Community and get to it!