Review #52: Red Rooster Coffee Co.

Name of Roaster: Red Rooster Coffee Co. Location of Roaster (City, State, Country): Floyd, VA

Name of Roast: Red Truck Rural Bakery "Bulldog" Edition Type of Roast (Light, Medium, Dark): Medium Origin of Beans: Peru, Rwanda, & Honduras Price: $15 (12 oz) Brewing Method (Drip, Chemex, AeroPress, etc.): Chemex Time Between Purchase and Brewing (Ballpark is fine): Twenty-six days Aroma: Thick chocolate cake, a touch of red berry jam, rich chocolate ganache, a slight hint of allspice, and the roast note greeted us upon opening the bag. The grind brightened the berry scent while adding to the baking spice; warm cinnamon appeared, conveying a jovial feeling. On the pour, we noted warm brown sugar slurry, a touch of vanilla, and toffee.

Flavor Profile: The coffee had a mid-palate entry and light-to-medium weight, and it took a two-pronged approach, with flavor sitting on the front third of the tongue while concomitantly making its way along the roof of the mouth to the back of the tongue. Rich, spicy aromatics reminiscent of a "bold" style of coffee showed at the outset. Warm dark chocolate started the sip, with sharp dark chocolate showing on the edges of the tongue. Bright fruit followed, including pear, peach, cherry, orange marmalade, and red apple. The finish has a somewhat bitter note, but it does not diminish the profile of the cup.

Overall Impression (What did you think of it? Anything else we should know?): We found this to be a pleasurable cup that elevates the everyday experience of folks who prefer a conventional "bold"-style coffee to pair with their breakfast item. The blend of origins provides more depth of flavor than a typical similar-styled roast, and we applaud Red Rooster Coffee Co. for crafting such a quaffable cup. We believe that this coffee is best suited for a savory as opposed to a sweet, as sugar drastically alters the profile of the sip, but it's perfectly fine on its own as a daily sipper, as well.

Additionally, we'd like to note that this roast was created by Red Rooster Coffee Co., a top notch Virginia roaster that we have previously reviewed, and is only available at Red Truck Rural Bakery, which has location sin Marshall, VA, and Warrenton, VA. For those not familiar with them, Red Truck Rural Bakery has been featured in many magazines and has received Oprah and President Obama's seal of approval. Per Red Truck's website, the roast was "created in honor of [Red Truck Rural Bakery's owner's] former editor at The Washington Post, Ben Bradlee, and is named after the early morning edition of the paper. Additionally, every time [Red Truck orders] a new batch of this blend, [Red Truck makes] a contribution to the Committee to Protect Journalists; more info on this important organization is here: https://cpj.org." Final Score (1-10, with 10 being the best cup of coffee in your life): 7.4 Where to Buy: Red Truck Rural Bakery (Marshall, VA, or Warrenton, VA) Looking to do a review of your own? Hop over to the Community and get to it!