What I'm Drinking (Paradise Roasters - Expresso Nuevo)

This is the first (in hopefully a series) of posts on the coffees I'm working my way through. I'm the kind of guy that seldom orders the same thing twice, so I should have new ones  every couple of weeks. This post is discussing Paradise Roaster's Expresso Nuevo blend.

First off, sorry for the picture quality. That problem should be resolved by the end of this month.

  I'm a fan of the bag this coffee comes in. I know that's kinda silly, but it looks sharp with its gold clip and everything. The back of the bag says that they source from "Hawaii and the world's other premier coffee growing regions." Well this one comes from the other regions, specifically it's a blend from Brazil, Colombia and Sumatra. It's the first dark roast I've had and it certainly doesn't disappoint.

Drip Coffee

The beans were prepared using a blade grinder and brewed using a standard drip coffee maker (think one in the $12-$15 range). This is not my usual method of preparation, but it's the tools I had at hand. It was a surprisingly good cup of coffee. It wasn't the best I've had of course but it was certainly more than I expected.

Aeropress (Coffee)

The beans were prepared using a burr grinder and brewed via Aeropress. This was a very good cup of coffee. I could taste a lot more of the nuances in the cup this time. It does taste a lot different than the lighter roasts, but it's good.

Aeropress (Mocha)

The beans were prepared using a burr grinder and brewed via Aeropress (with 1% milk/Ghirardelli White Chocolate Powder). Here's the real reason I tried this blend. I really like a mocha in the morning before work and from Paradise Roaster's website: "Espresso Nuevo is excellent in milk drinks as it has the power to punch through milk rather nicely." I agree with this statement. A lot of the lighter roast coffees are good in a mocha, but a lot of the coffee flavor gets lost in the chocolate and milk flavor. The flavor of this blend does not get lost. In fact, the beans seem to have a bit of sweetness to them, causing me to add less sugar in subsequent preparations.

Conclusion

I would definitely reccomend this blend if you're looking to get into dark roast coffee or you're looking for a coffee that plays well with milk.