<\/p>\n
To say that I love coffee is <\/p>\n There are two things that can <\/p>\n So to avoid songbird blood on your <\/p>\n <\/a>But just because a coffee is <\/p>\n This blind tasting provided a <\/p>\n And now, the results …<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Full Circle French Roast<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n Jim’s Organic Coffee French Roast<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n One taster particularly liked <\/p>\n Newman’s Own Organics French <\/p>\n Sun Coffee Roasters Organic <\/p>\n Equal Exchange<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n The bottom line<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a>After the tasting the above <\/p>\n And it wasn’t because Barth and <\/p>\n The point worth remembering here is that coffee is perishable; <\/p>\n Short of that, reach for Equal <\/p>\n But really, no matter what your <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n *This Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n Banana briefs are growing on us<\/a><\/p>\n Ask Umbra on down comforters, soapy gray water, and canned tomatoes<\/a><\/p>\n
\na big, fat lie. I need coffee in a chemically dependent way. Its effect upon
\nme is essentially the reverse of those faces-of-meth photos<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nreally screw up a good coffee buzz (OK, three if you count skim milk). First
\nis the fact that conventionally grown coffee is an environmental bummer. To
\nquote Umbra Fisk<\/a>,
\n“Conventional coffee production involves chemicals, deforestation, and
\nmistreated workers and dead birds.”<\/p>\n
\nhands first thing in the morning, buy coffee with organic, fair trade, and shade-grown certifications<\/a>.
\n(Super-extra bonus points for triple-cert!) You’ll pay a premium for this
\ncoffee, but it’s worth it.<\/p>\n
\nprincipled doesn’t mean it tastes heavenly. The second thing that can ruin a
\ngood cup of coffee? Bad taste. I don’t know about you, but bad coffee makes me
\nfeel like this<\/a>. In order to
\nspare you such an experience (AHHAIAHH! So many coffees! Why is there no good
\ncoffee? I want good coffee!), I assembled a panel of four other coffee lovers
\nand headed to my neighborhood roaster, Barrington Coffee<\/a>. There, founders Barth
\nAnderson and Gregg Charbonneau hosted—but, in the interests of strict
\nneutrality, did not participate in—my tasting in their chic “cupping room.” <\/p>\n
\n“sensorial analysis” of five organic French roasts. Under Gregg and Barth’s
\ncareful tutelage, we evaluated the dry grounds for appearance and aroma. Then,
\nafter hot water was poured over each, we waited two minutes and then noted an
\naromatic impression at “crust break”—you break up surface grounds with spoon
\nand sniff “dangerously close.” Next, Gregg skimmed the floating grounds, and we
\ntasted by aspirating a spoonful over the palate: a procedure that allows
\ngrownups to make the very fun, loud slurping sound we’re always telling our
\nkids to stop making. Lastly, we let the coffee cool down and tasted it again.
\n(More slurping.)<\/p>\n
Price: $7.49 per pound
Eco cred: USDA Organic and Fair Trade certified. A portion of every
\nsale is donated to Coffee Kids<\/a>.
Feedback: Despite the slogan for Price Chopper’s in-store brand of
\nFrench roast—“Deep, Dark, A Perfect Ending”— this joe was described as “mellow” by one taster and “thin”
\nby a few. One said it was like “truck stop coffee that’s been sitting for an
\nhour.” (Had this taster, who was stylishly dressed and sporting pearl earrings,
\never been to a truck stop? We’ll never know.) One comment could be have been
\nconstrued as both praise or criticism: “It’s like Starbucks.” Kindest comment:
\n“I could almost drink this without
\ncream.”<\/p>\n
Price: $11.95 per pound, purchased in bulk
Eco cred: Certified Organic by Quality Assurance International<\/a>.
Feedback: The Web marketing copy describes this coffee as “Big,
\nfull flavor with slightly carbonized taste.” OK, I know “carbonized” means
\nscorched, but the Internet also defines it as a “Swedish avant garde death
\nmetal band.” I like “Swedish death metal band taste” much better!<\/p>\n
\nthe chocolaty smell of this coffee, which he also described as “winy.”
\nUnfortunately, no one liked the taste. “It’s sweet but not a good sweet”
\nscowled one lady, while another noted its “synthetic flavor.” If you like your
\nFrench roasts real smoky, this coffee might be the one for you. One taster,
\nstruggling for words, sipped and mused, “If you take a flip-flop and put it in
\nthe fire … ” The damning comments continued: “Reminds me of robusta!”—straight to a coffee snob’s heart. And, even worse: “Like instant.” <\/strong><\/p>\n
\nRoast<\/a>
<\/strong>Price: $7.99 for 10 oz
Eco cred: This coffee is sourced and roasted by <\/strong>Green Mountain Coffee<\/a>,
\na Vermont roaster with a corporate ethic that includes fighting climate change<\/a>,
\nwhich is good because some coffee growers are going to get hosed by it<\/a>. It
\nis also USDA & QAI Organic and Fair Trade certified; while it’s not
\ncertified bird friendly, it “typically is grown under a shade
\ncanopy,” emailed a spokesperson.
Feedback: It seems wrong to speak critically of the dead<\/a>, especially when the late Mr.
\nNewman has given $250 million to charities worldwide. But technically, only the
\ndead’s coffee got dissed badly. The kindest comment for this java—billed as
\n“a dignified dark roast with a passionate French undercurrent”—came at the
\ncool-down: “It gets worse with time, but this one would be OK by me.” Disparate
\ncomments: “sourish” … “funny tongue-feel”
\n… “dirty.” The most damning comment was from a cranky taster who skipped her
\nmorning coffee in order to participate in the tasting: “I wouldn’t even drink
\nthis after a hangover. It’s bitter and shitty.”<\/p>\n
\nFrench Roast<\/a><\/strong>
Price: $5.99 per 10 oz (on sale! regularly $7.49)
Eco cred: USDA Organic, Fair Trade certified, and Bird Friendly<\/a>,
\nwhich is good considering that the term “sun coffee” means coffee that is the
\nopposite of shade-grown. For those of us in southwestern Massachusetts, this is
\nregional coffee roasted in nearby Connecticut, 55 miles away.
Feedback: “It has chocolate in the nose! I’d drink it!” exclaimed
\none participant, who said this coffee was the “richest.” The cranky taster (see
\n“shitty” comment, above) said, “It’s the only one I’d drink.” Another said,
\n“Nice chocolaty flavor.” But its noirish-ness may have been too much for one
\ndetractor, who said it “desperately needs cream.” <\/strong><\/p>\n
Price: $9.19 per 10 oz
Eco cred: Organic certification by Oregon Tilth<\/a> and
\nFair Trade certified. Not shade grown,
\nbut Web FAQ says the company is “currently exploring the range of
\noptions for shade-grown certification that are now available to us.”
Feedback: This coffee, according to a wine-loving taster, “had more
\nstructure.” Another concurred that it had “some depth.” More than one panelist
\ndescribed it as “rich,” and its smell offended no one. Cranky lady pronounced it “ashy.”
\nStrangest comment of the day: “Skunky smell, but in a really good way!”<\/p>\n
\ncoffees, we tried Barrington Coffee’s in-house
\norganic French roast<\/a>, which had been roasted the prior day. The
\nresults were quite shocking: The panel unanimously found it to be delicious.<\/p>\n
\nGregg were our gracious hosts. (Trust me—this group had Tourette’s-like
\nhonesty.) This fresh stuff was straight-to-your-brainstem yummy: smooth, rich,
\nchocolaty.<\/p>\n
\nfreshly roasted stuff is best. So, if you are able and lucky, find yourself a
\nsmall, local roaster. The coffee will not only be fresher, but your direct
\nrelationship with them will allow to you ask questions to determine whether or
\nnot its production is sustainable. Some smaller roasters such as Barrington may
\nsource their beans from small growers who lack certifications, but whose
\npractices are nonetheless praiseworthy.<\/p>\n
\nExchange, which our panel ranked the highest. (Although, strangely enough, the
\ncomments toward Sun were kinder. So, gas up your morning tank with that one, too.) And despite the
\ngrumpiness of this panel, it should be noted that the ranked coffees were more
\nalike than different—so much so that one taster gave up and essentially
\ndropped out of the tasting, declaring “I can’t make heads or tails of any of
\nthese, and I’m wearing gay* coffee shoes.”<\/p>\n
\ntaste, you’re off to great start by choosing environmentally principled coffee.<\/p>\n
\ncomment was in no way meant to offend the gay community. Trust me; I
\npinkie-swear that this particular Massachusetts panel fully supports gay
\nmarriage. And while we’re at it, we’re all really sorry about Scott Brown. And apropos
\nof nothing but the spirit of fending off potentially pissy comments: This
\ntasting was vegan. We didn’t oppress a cow by taking her cream.<\/p>\n
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