Today's coffee comes from that staple of Texas roadside attractions, Buc-ee's. Sorry, folks, but you're going to have to come to Texas to get it, 'cause it isn't available online.
The coffee is labeled "House Blend" and comes in what looks like a version 1.0 K-Cup, but it works in a v2.0 Keurig machine.
The taste is mellow and smooth - no bitter notes to ruin your morning, but nothing worth writing a symphony about, either. Just good, solid, unobtrusive coffee.
Returned earlier today from a 4-day, 1500+ mile round trip from Dallas to Des Moines, Iowa and back. Hit the sofa upon return and slept like the dead.
On the way back, stopped at a Buc-ee's (a Texas roadside institution) and picked up a 12-pack of Buc-ee's brand K-Cup coffee, medium roast. Will report on it later this week, if not tomorrow.
Today is the start of the 4-day round-trip from Texas to Iowa to see the NTT Data IndyCar 300 race on Saturday. I'm up early, so I needed a good breakfast cup of coffee. Went with the Indian Monsoon Malabar light roast from the recent experiment (gotta get rid of those things *somehow*!). Good taste and good caffeine rush to get me going on packing.
Light Roast Experiment Summary
So, what have we learned about light roast coffees? We've learned that there are indeed some that can work as morning coffees, while others work better as an afternoon cup. All four tested have a good, strong caffeine kick.
I hope this has been of some education and entertainment. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to send them to me. Thank you for following my experiment!
Congo Kivu caffeine rush is fast and relatively strong. I'd rank it as second, right behind the Organic Ethiopian Sidamo coffee.
Light Roast Coffee Experiment #4 - today's batch is Congo Kivu. FRC describes it as "bright and flavorful with sweet and spiced hints of chocolate and tart green apple." I can taste the chocolate and the spice, but not the green apple. It's got a medium body to it, just enough for a breakfast cup. Pretty decent coffee.
https://www.freshroastedcoffee.com/collections/coffee-pods/products/congo-kivu-coffee-pods
One thing Organic Ethiopian Sidamo Coffee does have in its favor is a big caffeine rush. It's moved into the first position in this experiment, knocking Brazil Fazenda Santa Luzia into second.
Light Roast Coffee Experiment #3 - Organic Ethiopian Sidamo Coffee. Was not impressed by my first cup of this, so I had to go back and try a second cup. FRC's advertising says it has blueberry notes, but I can't taste any. It does taste creamy, though, but the earthy taste advertised borders on dirt. Not highly recommended on taste alone.
https://www.freshroastedcoffee.com/collections/coffee-pods/products/ethiopian-sidamo-fto-coffee-pods
Decent caffeine rush from the Indian Monsoon Malabar. Nowhere near as strong as the Brazil Fazenda Santa Luzia, though. That holds the top spot for the experiment.
Light Roast Coffee Experiment #2: Indian Monsoon Malabar coffee. Today's cup has a stronger body than Sunday's Brazil Fazenda Santa Luzia, making it a good breakfast coffee. Deep chocolate flavors come through. plus the taste of something baked (but not burnt). Overall, a good, solid coffee.
https://www.freshroastedcoffee.com/collections/coffee-pods/products/monsoon-malabar-coffee-pods
Had another cup of Brazil Fazenda Santa Luzia. Opinion hasn't changed. The caffeine rush is good for the morning, but the body and flavor is better suited for an afternoon cup when things are hotter. Either way you go, I can highly recommend this coffee. Thumbs up!
Getting a good caffeine rush from the Brazil Fazenda Santa Luzia light roast coffee. Good bang for the buck.
Light Roast Experiment #1: Brazil Fazenda Santa Luzia. The advertising hype comes through: hints of milk chocolate and sweet orange can be tasted. It mixes well with the creamer that I use. Probably better as an afternoon coffee. Still, very pleasant.
(Full disclosure: I test all of my coffees with one scoop of Coffee-Mate and three packets of Equal. Don't knock it 'til you try it. And yes, testing will be done without Coffee Tamer.)
Quinine before coffee this morning.. Drinking tea & tonic water to deal with left hand cramps/spasms per my doctor.
Once I'm done, I'm going to start in on one of the Light Roast coffees that I ordered (and which arrived yesterday). I'll give a review of all four eventually - not all today, mind you (can't stand that much caffeine).
Two cups of Sacred Grounds Nikiti Blend this morning. Just to jump start the immune system against this damned virus.
Fighting to overcome what feels like a sinus infection. Drinking Red Snail Black Tea from Teavivre. One of my favorites - smooth, no bitterness, just a good, luscious tea. Hoping it'll bust open my sinuses.
Just now ordered four single boxes of light roast varietals from Fresh Roasted Coffee to test out which gives the best caffeine for the buck. They include Organic Ethiopian Sidamo (Fair Trade), Indian Monsoon Malabar, Congo Kivu, and Brazil Fazenda Santa Luzia (Direct Trade). I should receive them early next week, if not this week. Again, all are light roasts, and should contain oodles of caffeine. I'll let you know which gives the best taste for the buzz.
Coffee (plus my shoebox full of prescription pills) seems to have calmed down my throat a bit. Huzzah. Let's see if I can function now.
Sacred Grounds Nikiti Blend in the cup today, tempered by Coffee Tamer in a nod to whatever illness is eating my head. Hoping the coffee will help my throat.
Chugging the Sacred Grounds Nikiti Blend from the coffee mug this morning. In need of rapid caffeine--my oxycodone is trying to drag me back into bed.
Author of "Grabbag," the Duke Nukem Theme, and much more. On disability retirement, but still writing music. https://dleejackson.lbjackson.com/commissions/