Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company: “Single Most Green Roaster In The World”

“Single most green roaster in the world,” at least that’s how Roast Magazine describes Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company, a Maryland based coffee company that sent me two coffees to review this week.

I can’t argue too much with the claim. Their sleek, steel cans are 100% recyclable and reusable. These cans don’t look anything like the the cheap, stale and bitter ground coffee sold in bulk at the grocery store.

The green goodness doesn’t stop with their cans. Their fair trade and organic coffees are roasted in a Sirocco roaster, a hybrid roaster that uses 78% less energy and has 80% less emissions than traditional roasters.

Plus, this coffee company supports the clean up of local waterways, by donating 2% of their coffee sales to organizations that work to protect and preserve the Chesapeake Bay.

Of course that doesn’t mean a lot if the coffee isn’t up to par, so I think we should take a look at their beans that they roast. What do you think?

The Drink: Lighthouse
Type: Whole Bean Light Roast

Background

A vibrant blend of USDA certified organic coffees from Central and South America, accented by the distinct nuances of East African beans. This premium coffee is lightly roasted to spotlight the bright aroma and light body which finishes with floral notes and hints of slightly sweet citrus.

My Review

You know me, I would love to know more about the origins of the beans. Central and South America is pretty broad, however you also know that I’m pretty wild and crazy and would of course give the coffee a shot anyways.

I’m glad I did, from the very first sniff I knew that this Lighthouse was my kind of coffee. The first words to come to me were enticing, mouth watering aroma. Mint, cinnamon and a light honey scent made up the majority of the aroma. A fresh herbal scent rounded it out.

The first sip was smooth, with a sharp flavor. I knew right away that dark roast coffee drinkers wouldn’t like this one, but it was a coffee that I would love.

The coffee was acidic, the kind of acidic that goes along with a full flavored coffee. There were layers of flavors. The first was a black pepper, cinnamon mix, followed by a lemon tartness, then a hint of dark, red wine and finally a nutty flavor underneath it all, with hints of a slightly darker roast. Yum!

A 13 ounce can of Lighthouse is $12.99 on the Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company website. The price is a bargain for the amount of flavors they pack into the can.

Final Score

Lighthouse from Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company earned an excellent four out of five rating on the Daily Shot Of Coffee scale. If you like lighter roasts, you’re going to want to check out this one.

The Drink: Cattails from Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company
Type: Whole Bean Dark Roast

Background

A complex blend of coffee that delivers an espresso with exceptional body accented by creamy-caramel notes. Cattail™ also makes a great drip coffee. Producing an aromatic cup that is bright and dynamic, enhanced with strong smoky notes. *70% Organic coffees sourced from Central America, Africa and Indonesia. 30% South American

My Review

Cattails greeted me with a smoky aroma, luckily just smoky and not burnt. Underneath the smoke, I picked up on a sweetness like powdered sugar and a mix of chocolate and nuts.

The sip started smooth, but followed quickly by a mild bitterness.

At first, I didn’t like Cattails. It had a dark, smoky taste that mixed with a nutty flavor that was a little too much for me. I don’t like to use the word bold when describing coffee, because it really is a poor description, but this coffee was bold. However, it mellowed it out as cooled down and a slightly different coffee came out. This one had flavors of cream and milk chocolate that saved it for me.

A 13 ounce can of Cattails is $12.99 on their website.

Final Score

Cattails from Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company earned an above average 3.5 on the Daily Shot Of Coffee scale. It wasn’t exactly my cup of coffee, but I know a few dark roast drinkers that would love it.

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