There is a pleasant soft hazelnut and almond paste flavour to this, but that's counterbalanced by a fairly aggressive bitterness and high caffeine level. This works best with milk, or as the basis for a cappuccino or other coffee flavoured milky drink. It's a French Roast, which means the bean is roasted almost until it is burnt, and what is noticeable is the flavour of the roasting rather than the flavour or character of the bean, so it is always the less characterful beans that are roasted to such darkness. Not necessarily the poorest quality or cheapest, but certainly not a bean that would gain a premium price for its flavour, character, or individuality, such as Jamaican Blue Mountain. Italian Roast will go a little closer to the burn, and is about the darkest roast one can get. French and Italian roasts are used for espresso, as the brewing process is so quick and rough, there is no time for character to come through, so medium roasts or character beans would be wasted, indeed, would taste of little as espresso requires the strong roast flavours of a dark burn to taste of anything at all. I expect this is called a "blend" because it probably includes beans that are not fully roasted to dark, but may be medium roasted to give the coffee a little bit of sweetness to make it more accessible to a wider audience.
It's a cheap coffee, and a basic coffee, but the sweet nutty quality makes it interesting enough to explore further. On further exploration I discover that it's palatable when drunk with milk and with two and a half scoops rather than three, but also quite unremarkable. Nice label, shame about the coffee.
Score: 3
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Coffee roasts |
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Lidl Tea & Coffee |
Each to their own John. A lot of people would be quite satisfied with this coffee - which is why it is made and sold. But for those who are looking for a little bit more in their coffee, this one doesn't do the job. The beans are not premium. The premium beans command a higher price because of their quality, and are sold to the consumer who wants a little more from their coffee than a sort of basic coffee flavour. The consumer who wants a bit more character, flavour, individuality. But, sometimes, all we want is a basic coffee drink. No airs or frills. Just basic coffee. And that's what this is. Cheap beans bought up from various areas based purely on price, and then deep roasted so the beans all taste the same (lighter roasts reveal more of the character of the original bean).
ReplyDeleteSo what we have here, is you saying: "I don't understand coffee - I just drink what I like." And that's fine. But to disagree with my review. Well, what parts exactly do you disagree with John? That this is a blend? That the beans are dark roasted? that this is a cheap coffee? None of that is "fake news" John, all of that is true.
Say, you like it. For sure. There's nothing wrong in liking a basic cheap coffee. But don't be conned into thinking what you are drinking is quality.