Review #94: Chattering Squirrel Coffee Café

Name of Roaster: Chattering Squirrel Coffee Café

Location of Roaster (City, State, Country): Siren, Wisconsin

Name of Roast: Kenya AA Type of Roast (Light, Medium, Dark): Dark

Origin of Beans: Kenya Price: $7.50 (10 oz.) Brewing Method (Drip, Chemex, AeroPress, etc.): Chemex Time Between Purchase and Brewing (Ballpark is fine): Fifteen Days Aroma: Opening the bag, we noted cinnamon, nutmeg, warm chocolate cake, and a slight teriyaki. This teriyaki scent, which is not especially pleasant, deepens on the grind, with baking spices showing underneath, and a slight dark chocolate. On the pour, dark brown sugar, caramelizing raw cane sugar, and wet stone show.

Flavor Profile: The coffee has a mid-palate entry, hitting high on the roof and the front half of the tongue. The flavor is primarily of the roast note, with sharp dark chocolate following, then a more creamy, mid-grade ganache. The sides of the tongue pick up orange and cedar, while the finish has black peppercorn, pecan, and dry chocolate cake.

Overall Impression (What did you think of it? Anything else we should know?): This coffee reminded us distinctly of standard diner café coffee that we'd pair with a hearty breakfast. The quality of the cup elevated our rating slightly, but the scent of the beans was rather off-putting, and the cup itself is rather standard. We recommend pairing this one with milk to maximize your enjoyment, unless you are a fan of café coffee. That stated, we had a much better cup of coffee when we visited the Chattering Squirrel, and we thoroughly enjoyed the vibe of the café. We recommend stopping in if you're in the area.

Final Score (1-10, with 10 being the best cup of coffee in your life): 6.5. Where to Buy: Chattering Squirrel Coffee Café Looking to do a review of your own? Hop over to the Community and get to it!