In Brief: Chemical and rancid fat flavours rendered this Poor to Average as espresso. This coffee made a Good cappuccino, with milk covering some of the more vile notes.
Commentary: None.
Packaging:
Airtight: Yes.
Valve: Yes.
Resealable: Yes.
Roast Date: No.
In Detail:
Objective Ratings:
Acidity: Medium-Low.
Body/Mouthfeel: Medium-Low.
Aftertaste (Length): Medium.
Bitterness: Medium-High.
Sweetness: Low.
Crema: Medium.
Flavours:
Strong Flavours (Espresso): Chlorine, metallic, animal/rancid fat.
Subtle Flavours (Espresso):
Strong Flavours (Cappuccino): Buttery, creamy, smooth.
Subtle Flavours (Cappuccino): Metallic.
Subjective Scores:
Espresso – Taste: Poor to Average.
Espresso – Aftertaste: Poor to Average.
Cappuccino: Good.
Roaster’s Response:
Further Information:
First time readers of the Compass Coffee Review are encouraged to browse through the FAQ for information on how the system works and how reviews should be interpreted.
Review Article: March 2009.
Reviewers: Luca Costanzo, Nim Namasi, David Makin.
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Thanks for the response Luca.
Agree about being able to drink a coffee with milk that I couldn’t as straight espresso, but I admit to being surprised at the positive impact the milk had here…
Maybe it explains how so much crappy coffee can be served in Australia! ;-)
Hi Neil,
Thanks for your question, which I’m sure is not only genuine, but also insightful.
Firstly, let me admit that I jumped the gun on posting this review before I had filled out all of the fields from the review forms. The information that I added didn’t change anything, but it does give a bit more of a full picture.
The short answer to your question is that the milk really did do that good a job of suppressing those flavours! Part of it is also that this coffee was a little washed out in milk and, so, all of the flavour that it contributed to the cappuccino was reduced – both good and bad.
Personally, I often find that crema in cappuccinos made from espresso that isn’t that great is a bit of a give-away and that would have been the place in the cappuccino at which the metallic taste was the most prominent.
Speaking from experience rather than experiment, I can say that I have enjoyed a lot of milk drinks from coffee that I don’t particularly enjoy as espresso. Conversely, I have had great espresso that was pretty unexciting in milk – usually because it is washed out. For this reason, we have started to see baristas in competitions use two coffees – one for milk and one for espresso.
Making a blend that is a great all-rounder for both is pretty difficult and roasters that can do it deserve to be celebrated. I would like this web page to do just that. An interesting problem is how to deal with reviews like this, where the reviewers feel that the coffee should be recommended for cappuccino, but not for espresso (and vice-versa). I’d be interested to see what people thought about that particular point. (And, indeed, any other point on how coffees are reviewed on this site.)
Cheers,
Luca
Hi guys,
Thanks for the reviews – the good, the bad and now the ugly! ;-)
I’m just curious how a drink described as having “Chlorine, metallic, animal/rancid fat” as an espresso can magically become a “good” cappuccino? ;-)
Genuine question, as I know how milk can suppress some flavours, but I don’t understand how it can so improve such a negative-sounding drink to that level.