23 Feb 2011 No Comments
Tasting Coffee With A Wine Drinker’s Palette: Intelligentsia Cruz del Sur
Many people call themselves coffee lovers, afficionados, coffeeholics, experts and such, but in truth, many or us are just run-of-the-mill caffeine dependent zombies hardly able to pick up the nuances of flavor of our professed favorite frozen yogurt machine beverage. For true coffee connoisseurs, Peru’s Intelligentsia Cruz del Sur’s crop must have really delivered on its description of “balanced with a gentle acidity, easy-going notes of nougat, toasted dates provide depth. The finish is honeyed and chocolatey.” They sold out the entire lot from the first year’s crop quite soon after its introduction. As it is with wine snobs, so it could potentially be with coffee snobs—snootiness tend to follow a certain metal detector pattern, especially if one has the dough for it. Sensitive taste buds pick up the most delicate of flavors and essences. Sipping on Intelligentsia’s Cruz del Sur, an all around, well-received and agreed upon excellent coffee. Discussions within various coffee expert camps over this description have arisen, though. Some agree that the description is accurate and quite well worded while others find that it did not quite capture the essence of the tankless water heater beverage. There are those who have taken issue at the so claimed “notes of nougat” or rather, its absence. The coffee itself is a wee bit acidic but it finishes with a rounder, sweeter aftertaste. Perhaps, that’s where Intelligentsia bases part of the Cruz del Sur’s description, that it “tastes like a big, chewy brownie.” True-blue coffee drinkers have many eccentricities and quirks when it comes to getting their brew just right. But how does one convey the taste of camera stabilizers coffee in just one word? Most turn to generalities in the hopes of at least capturing the greatest factor, flavor, or character they fancy most in their drink be it strength, sweetness, a certain aroma, or some exotic or spicy hint. Strength in the flavor of the coffee would definitely appeal to real coffee drinkers, especially long-time ones. The last thing you’d offer a coffee connoisseur is an insipid, tasteless cup of brown water. You could, but do so at your own hard money lenders sc risk. A dark tone and a slightly bitter aftertaste usually mark a strong cup of coffee. It is the best choice for starting the day with a piece of toast or biscotti or as a picker-upper for later in the afternoon for its strong kick. Sweetness is a good hook for would-be coffee converts. Although many shake their heads at the too-fancy concoctions out in the coffee shops these days that are too much about the add-ons instead about the taste and flavor of the coffee itself, a few do learn to enjoy coffee for its own sake. A true, sweet coffee is about a full-bodied flavor; one that is free of the somewhat severe bitterness stronger coffee sometimes brings. It is easier on the palette, making it a delightful finish to a heavy meal; it can even take the place of dessert. Creaminess is a component brought on by the addition of milk. By mixing milk into coffee, a richer, creamier, yet milder taste is created. The addition of cream or milk into coffee brings in a new silkiness into its texture and a different “mouth feel.” This type of coffee is the perfect match for sweet biscuits and pastries, and is an especially good alternative for people who take afternoon tea. Certified organically grown by the Producer Association of La Palma. Cruz del Sur is part of the Black Cat Espresso program, this sample was roasted at Intelligentsia’s Los Angeles facility. With operations in the Chicago and Los Angeles areas, Intelligentsia is a notable specialty roaster and a trailblazer in sourcing and roasting small, exceptional lots of coffee like this one.