Review #109: Essence Coffee Roasters

Name of Roaster: Essence Coffee Roasters

Location of Roaster (City, State, Country): Iroquois, South Dakota

Name of Roast: Colombia Fronteras de Tarqui Type of Roast (Light, Medium, Dark): Medium Origin of Beans: Fronteras de Tarqui, Colombia

Price: $15.75 (12 oz.) Brewing Method (Drip, Chemex, AeroPress, etc.): Chemex Time Between Purchase and Brewing (Ballpark is fine): Fifty Days Aroma: Tearing open the bag, the coffee exuded scents of rich chocolate cake, cocoa powder, cocoa krispies, ganache, and a slight mixed berry compote. Grain and popped popcorn over shorter chocolate and a touch of nutmeg appeared after the grind. The pour showed wet stone, raw cane sugar, warm caramel, and chocolate cake batter.

Flavor Profile: The coffee arrived with a high entry on the palate, clinging to the roof of the mouth while concomitantly preferring the tip and back of the tongue to the center. Viscous and rich, it displays honey, molasses, toffee, and caramel at the outset over chocolate undertones. Additional sips bring out further flavors, including lime, pear, kiwi, and melon. The top of the tongue finds melon and peach, while the sides pick up rounded orange. The finish is clean, bright, and slightly acidic.

Overall Impression (What did you think of it? Anything else we should know?): We found this to be a very interesting cup, as it starts with a heavy flourish and evolves, getting lighter and lighter, until the finish. It makes for sip that starts a little weighty, but ends on the right level. We paired this cup with charcuterie, and it made for a fine breakfast. The coffee also holds up well with milk. As we noted in our last review of Essence, this is a roaster that provides a quality of cup rivaling and besting roasters charging a few more dollars per bag, so we recommend keeping them in mind when searching for a new bag or roaster.

Final Score (1-10, with 10 being the best cup of coffee in your life): 7.8 Where to Buy: Essence Coffee Roasters Looking to do a review of your own? Hop over to the Community and get to it!