Review #66: Redband Coffee Company

Name of Roaster: Redband Coffee Company Location of Roaster (City, State, Country): Davenport, IA

Name of Roast: Costa Rica La Montana Type of Roast (Light, Medium, Dark): Medium Origin of Beans: Costa Rica Price: $22 (16 oz.) Brewing Method (Drip, Chemex, AeroPress, etc.): Chemex Time Between Purchase and Brewing (Ballpark is fine): Thirteen Days Aroma: Opening the bag, we noted chocolate brownie batter, crisped baked brownie edges, rich chocolate ganache, and a slight kindling on the back end. After the grind, the scents brightened: the aforementioned notes continued, but with strawberry compote mixed in along with a slight savory seasoning on the finish. After brewing, the pour showed caramel, toffee, raw cane sugar, and thick dark brown sugar.

Flavor Profile: The coffee had a medium body and mid-palate entry. Toffee strikes you at the start, with aromatics reminiscent of a Snickers bar (peanut, caramel, nougat, chocolate), followed by dark chocolate that pushes its way back across the tongue. Aromatics of medium-dark chocolate linger after a relatively dry finish. Throughout the sip, the coffee remains light, as the medium body belies the heaviness one would expect from the chocolate and toffee. As the coffee cools, a touch of lavender appears that is largely buried beneath the chocolate.

Overall Impression (What did you think of it? Anything else we should know?): This is a well-made, pleasurable cup. It paired well with milk, pastry, cheese and charcuterie, and even a chocolate/cranberry trail mix (hey, we were hungry). Essentially, you can share this with anyone and they will find it amenable. Based on the price, we would say this is a decent value buy, and so we'd recommend it to those passing through the Quad Cities. We would, however, prefer to be able to obtain a little more information on the coffee from the bag and website. As noted above, the geographic location is vague. Our guess is that this coffee originated closer to San Jose than Monteverde, however. Final Score (1-10, with 10 being the best cup of coffee in your life): 7.7. Where to Buy: Redband Coffee Company Looking to do a review of your own? Hop over to the Community and get to it!