Review #47: Swing's Coffee Roasters

Name of Roaster: Swing's Coffee Roasters Location of Roaster (City, State, Country): Alexandria, VA

Name of Roast: M.E.S. Co. Type of Roast (Light, Medium, Dark): Light-Medium

Origin of Beans: Guatemala, Brazil, & Ethiopia Price: $12 (12 oz.) Brewing Method (Drip, Chemex, AeroPress, etc.): Chemex Time Between Purchase and Brewing (Ballpark is fine): 3 days Aroma: Opening the bag, we noted chocolate cake, kindling, slight char, rich dark chocolate ganache, and dark red berry jam. The grind brightened the scents, with mixed blackberry, raspberry, and cherry, along with cocoa powder showing alongside the aforementioned chocolate cake. On the pour, we noted char along with slight notes of dark brown sugar and white cane sugar.

Flavor Profile: The coffee was medium-bodied, with a high entry that falls quickly to the center of the tongue before making its way slowly to the back of the tongue. The first note is a dominating, thick, rich flavor of dark chocolate that envelops the palate. A slight hint of berry appears but fades away quickly. Aromatics of dark chocolate pervade, with a slightly bitter finish that draws one back to the cup. Overall Impression (What did you think of it? Anything else we should know?): This coffee is a people-pleaser - both in price point and taste - that we would recommend to those looking to dip their toe into the waters of specialty coffee, but still want a traditional, conventional, "bold" style cup without more adventurous flavors. The coffee elevates beyond a supermarket-ready roast, but it is not a coffee best enjoyed on its own - rather, we recommend it either mixed with milk or paired with a sweet from the bakery.

Additional notes: This roast is Swing's "namesake" roast, named for Michael Edward Swing (hence the "M.E.S." in the roast title). The coffee is celebrating its centennial, with the blend being patented in 1918. For "bloom" fans, this coffee had a large, billowing bloom. Also, while the bag reads "light medium" for the roast, we definitely had a few dark beans in the mix that likely were the reason for the char and kindling we noted on the nose. Final Score (1-10, with 10 being the best cup of coffee in your life): 7.1. Where to Buy: Swing's Coffee Roasters Looking to do a review of your own? Hop over to the Community and get to it!