Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Coffee Review #1: Blogger's Pajama Passion


"Blog the night away with this exotic flavored coffee featuring vanilla, kahlua, and caramel." This is the description of Boca Java's Blogger's Pajama Passion coffee. As I'm looking at the package- which is quite stunning, btw- what I notice most is the stork on the back of the package. He is holding up a sign which says when this package of coffee was roasted. Today is April 18, and this coffee was roasted on April 12th. Can it get any fresher than that??!! I open up the package, and it's instant aroma. Intense coffee with a lingering sweetness. I can clearly identify the caramel and the kahlua both. I confess to being a little apprehensive. My experience with flavored coffees is that they are more hype than anything. Most often the aroma does not make it to the cup. Or it provides a cloying artificial sweetness to the coffee. However, I am hopeful, and I brew my pot.

My perfect coffee is 1/2 cup of grounds to 10 cups of coffee. Our coffee maker has a water filter in it- and it does brew a mean cuppa. As my maker starts churning, the kitchen starts to smell glorious. You know that smell when you are walking in the mall, and you catch a whiff of Gloria Jeans or Caribou Coffee, or Starbucks? That smell was in my kitchen. But would it taste like it smells? I pour the coffee into my cup and give it a minute to cool down a bit. I drink my coffee black, so it requires a little rest to come down in temperature. I raise my mug and immediately I am rewarded with the scent of vanilla. I tip it back a bit, and my mouth meets the coffee.

I am rewarded with a great mouthful of coffee. I can taste the coffee itself, which is very smooth and perfectly roasted- not too harsh, and also not too mild- a great coffee itself. In fact, it's hardly even bitter. Very mellow, but quite flavorful. Then I swallow and I am left with the combination of kahlua and caramel together. A very nice flavor to be left with. I am hooked, I go in for another sip and again, I am rewarded for my efforts.

At first taste, I am in love with this coffee. I like to think that I know my coffee pretty well, and this coffee in one word is incredible. I am really looking forward to trying the other flavors, and will try another one tomorrow. So until then, happy coffee drinking!

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1 comment:

janelle said...

Smiles.

I kid you not, I was just reading in Food & Wine (Okay, it may have been Seattle magazine. I have been paging through my pile of mags this week, so forgive the confusion) and coffee tasting? It is IN. It is all the rage. How was the terroir? The lingering notes?

I get apprehensive with coffee too, the flavored kinds can be overdone. I am a bit of a snob, but nowhere near the fashionable tasters out there. If I see this coffee, that you recommend, I will pick up a bag and give it a try!!!!