Bluebird Extra Chirps Blend "Taste Drive"

My latest new coffee to experience was Bluebird Extra Chirps Blend from Iowa City, Iowa.  "A cup so good, you'll sing," says the bag.  If this isn't enough, the bag also boasts "100% Co-op grown beans roasted to dark delicious perfection".

Bluebird Extra Chirps Blend

Upon opening the bag, I could see that one of the claims on the bags was true: this is a dark roast.  Not smokey dark, but roasted to full city roast.

Bluebird Extra Chirps Blend Beans

This coffee has a nice creamy consistency without adding anything to it.  The flavor is sweet, slightly smokey.  These are quality beans with a good roast to bring out the flavor.  I wish I knew the origin of these beans, but the package did not reveal the source, and an internet search came up empty.  All I know is that these are "Premium Arabica" beans.

I picked this up a local Hy-Vee grocery store within a few miles of Iowa City.  I am not sure how widely this brand of coffee is distributed, but it is worth picking some up if you see it.


Copyright © 2018 Dr. Penny Pincher. All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

Peet's Major Dickason Deep Roast "Taste Drive"

Peet's Major Dickason "Taste Drive"

Peet's Major Dickason "Deep Roast" Coffee

I picked up a bag of Peet's Major Dickason's Blend for Thanksgiving.  This is not a dark roast- this is a "deep roast".  I am not sure what deep roast means, but I assume this is a very dark roast like a french roast.  I was worried that the roast would be too dark and smokey, but this is great tasting coffee with lots of complex flavors.

This blend has coffee beans from several points of origin including Pacific and Latin American beans.  The flavor is smooth and sweet, not bitter at all.

I think this is an ideal holiday coffee, something special to serve at Thanksgiving or Christmas gatherings.


If "deep roast" is not your thing, here are some other great whole bean coffees to try.

Copyright © 2015 Dr. Penny Pincher. All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

Peet's Ethiopia Yirgacheffe "Taste Drive"

Peet's Ethiopia Yirgacheffe

Peet's Ethiopia Yirgacheffe

If you're a regular reader, you know I have been on a Peet's kick for a few weeks.  I have recently reviewed Peet's Costa Rica Tarrazu and Peet's Guatemala San Sebastian coffee beans.

Up next is Peet's Ethiopia Yirgacheffe.  This is perhaps the smoothest and creamiest coffee I have ever had.

Coffee originated in Ethiopia.  This selection comes from the Yirgacheffe region of Ethiopia and is a dark roast.  This coffee has great floral and citrus notes.  If you want to taste coffee from the premiere growing region in Ethiopia, give this one a try!




Check out the Coffee Maker Journal Store for more great whole coffee bean selections.

Copyright © 2015 Dr. Penny Pincher. All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

Peet's Costa Rica Tarrazu "Taste Drive"

Peet's Costa Rica Tarrazu

Peet's Costa Rica Tarrazu

I like this even better than Peet's Guatemala San Sebastian!

Peet's Costa Rica Tarrazu is smooth, sweet, and chocolaty.  The description says "lemon-pristine", but I did not taste lemon or strong fruity flavors.  It is bright and spicy with a bit of cinnamon flavor.

This is a great dark roast single origin coffee with lots of flavor and a pleasant smoky aftertaste.  This coffee is grown on the Poas volcano at high altitude in Costa Rica.  If you want to escape to Central America for a few minutes, this coffee will transport you there.



Check out the Coffee Maker Journal Store for more great whole coffee bean selections.

Copyright © 2015 Dr. Penny Pincher. All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

Peet's Guatemala San Sebastian: "Taste Drive"

Peet's Guatemala San Sebastian: "Taste Drive"

Peet's Coffee Guatemalan San Sebastian

Guatemalan coffee is known for having a lot of flavor, and Peet's Guatemala San Sebastian is a good one.  This estate-grown single origin coffee is raised in volcanic soil at 5,000 foot altitude in the Antigua Valley of Guatemala.  This variety has a unique chocolate flavor along with nutty flavor and high acidity.

Peet's Coffee Guatemala San Sebastian- closeup of coffee beans

This specific variety of Arabica coffee is an heirloom variety known as "Bourbon".  This coffee has a complex flavor that will make you anticipate your next cup.  This is a dark roast to brings out the smokey and sweet flavors of this great coffee bean.

If you have not tried Guatemalan coffee, try some Guatemala San Sebastian to experience the complex flavors that make Guatemalan coffee great.

Check out the Coffee Maker Journal Store for more great whole coffee bean selections.

Copyright © 2015 Dr. Penny Pincher. All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

Starbucks Red Eye: "Taste Drive"

Starbucks Red Eye: "Taste Drive"

Starbucks Red Eye, Venti

In my new book about making great coffee, I stated that I can make great coffee at home for 60 cents, and even for a million dollars it would be hard to find a better cup of coffee anywhere.  A bold statement, I know.

I decided to put this to the test.  Unfortunately, my budget was not up to spending a full million dollars, but I bought an expensive coffee at Starbucks to take on a "taste drive".

At the Starbucks in my local Barnes and Noble, I asked if I could get a pour-over with 1/2 house blend and 1/2 dark roast.  The answer was that they did not have pour-over equipment at that location.  One of the baristas in back offered that they could make me a Red Eye.

What is a Red Eye?

This sounded interesting.  I don't think Red Eye is even on the official Starbucks menu.  A Red Eye is a cup of coffee with a shot of espresso added.  The barista thought this would give me the blend of dark and medium roast flavors I was seeking.  I ordered up a venti (20 ounce) Red Eye made with house blend and a shot of espresso that cost $3.14.

My first impression was that it was served too hot.  I couldn't taste much and had to let it cool down a bit.  I often find that coffee at coffee shops is served too hot.  I think this is done on purpose so customer's won't complain about getting cold coffee.

After cooling, I found that the Red Eye had pretty good flavor.  The shot of espresso added some of the dark, smokey flavor that I wanted.  Without looking at any nutritional information, I can tell you that a Red Eye has A LOT of caffeine!  I was wide awake all day.

My conclusion is that a Red Eye at Starbucks is a good way to wake up and is a good-tasting cup of coffee.  I still like my great coffee at home better, though.  The price of $3.14 is OK for an occasional treat, but I wouldn't want to do that every day.  I will count this experiment as the cost of doing business.

Copyright © 2015 Dr. Penny Pincher. All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

Huckleberry Roasters Blue Orchid Blend- A Great Light Roast

Huckleberry Roasters Reivew

A small package arrived at my house a few days before Father's Day.  My wife scooped it up and it disappeared.  I suspected that this could be a Father's Day present, but I couldn't be certain.  The package was the size and shape of a small book, and my wife gets a book once or twice per month.

Huckleberry Roasters
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

It turned out that this package was my Father's Day gift.  I should have guessed it was coffee since this is an obvious gift choice for me.  I usually get 16 oz packages of coffee, and since the box was smaller than this, I just assumed it was something else.

What I got was 10 oz of Huckleberry Roasters Blue Orchid Blend.  This is a light roast, and I have been drinking mostly medium or dark roast lately.  I peeked at the invoice- the cost was $15 for 10 oz of coffee, which works out to $24 per pound.  So this would be the most expensive coffee I have ever tried.

At $15 for 10oz, Huckleberry Roasters Coffee Costs About $24 Per Pound
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

According to the description of the blend, they change the formula based on a rotating blend of Latin American beans that are available.  This makes sense to me, so they can keep the quality up as different types and qualities of coffee beans are available on the market.  The visible appearance of the beans made it clear that this was a light roast, and they were not oily.  I was ready to give the Blue Orchid Blend a try.

Huckleberry Roasters Blue Orchid Blend
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

This light roast packs a lot of flavor.  Some light roasts have a bit of a sour flavor, and this one has some citrus notes, but overall has a great coffee flavor.  This roast has some complexity, you can tell that it is not a single origin blend.  It has some of the chocolate and nutty flavors of a darker roast.  I would certainly try Huckleberry Roasters Blue Orchid Blend again, or perhaps a medium or dark roast from Huckleberry Roasters.

Huckleberry Roasters Blue Orchid Blend (Light Roast), with flash
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Huckleberry Roasters Blue Orchid Blend (Light Roast), no flash
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

This coffee costs more than twice as much as Starbucks whole beans or other whole bean coffee that you can buy for about $10 to $12 per pound.  Is it twice as good?  I'll leave this as an exercise for the reader...

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal