Red Bird Espresso

I was looking back through my tasting notes today trying to see if there were some coffees I haven't had in a while which I should be ready to order as soon as my grinder arrives. One real stand out was Red Bird Espresso. Now, I know Roaste doesn't sell Red Bird Espresso, but they really should! Red Bird is a delicious, consistent and well crafted blend that is perfect for the chocolaty shot lover. Plus, five pounds is only $51.90 shipped and during the colder months hocolaty treats are included in the order!
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Looking back over a year in my notes, I have tended to dose Red Bird consistently around eighteen to nineteen grams looking for a shot that runs between 27-35 seconds around 200F degrees on the Silvia and more recently at 198F or 199F on the Brewtus. Brewed with my parameters, I was getting a nutty (peanut and hazelnut), sweet shot with strong earthy chocolate notes followed up by some slightly burnt caramel and a hint of acid. I've read some people likening the flavor a properly extracted shot of Red Bird to a Snickers bar and I can see where they are coming from.

Personally, I don't think Red Bird does as well with milk drinks. I tend to prefer a slightly more acidic shot for milk drinks because I find the acidity helps the coffee better stand up to the creaminess of the milk. To counter this, if I still want to use Red Bird in a milk drink, I tend to grind slightly more coarse to increase the acidity of the shot. This helps with the overall balance of the milk drink, but I still prefer not to use Red Bird in anything with more milk than a cappuccino, more often I go with a cortado or macchiato.

I have also used Red Bird with my Aeropress and it puts out a fine cup of coffee, but I haven't done it often enough to give a good review.

As a disclaimer, I have no affiliation with Red Bird Coffee, I'm just a happy customer.

http://redbirdcoffee.com/redbirdespresso.html