The Drink: Social Coffee Imperialist Noir
Type: Organic French Roast
Overall Rating: Four Out Of Five Coffee Mugs
Today I had the opportunity to sample the final offering from Social Coffee, the Imperialist Noir. They describe this brew as an organic french roast: “This organic french roast, our darkest, storms the Bastille with a dark-chocolaty, nutty, dried-fruity intensity of flavour. Sumatran and Peruvian beans make it as charming and rich as royalty.” It certainly sounded like an exciting blend of flavors. I really enjoy bold, dark roasts, so I knew that this brew will be right up my alley.
As soon as I opened the bag I took a deep breath of the full coffee bean flavors. It smelled exactly like opening up a bag of fresh walnuts. I could detect a faint hint of dark chocolate, but the earthy, nutty flavor was very dominant.
I threw the beans in the grinder to get them ready for the french press, and the earthy, nutty aroma became even stronger. Once the beans were ground, I lost all of the dark chocolate flavors, but I could detect a faint whiff of a dried fruity flavor.
Once I threw the grounds in the french press, added some piping hot water, and let it steep, the aroma became intoxicating. I poured myself a steaming cup and really enjoyed my first sip. The flavor was very bold and the full, nutty flavor was very evident. I could not taste any of the dark chocolate flavor, but the fresh nutty flavor was very enjoyable.
As I was drinking this coffee I thought about the origins of these beans The mix of Peruvian and Sumatran beans is an excellent combination. I spent a few weeks in the Ancash Region in the Peruvian Andes a couple years ago and I was able to sample some of the EXCELLENT local coffees. Sipping on this brew really brought me back to that experience. I was instantly transported through time and place to a little hut in the village of Llipa where I first sampled fresh, organic, shade-grown, local Peruvian coffee. It is a very homely, friendly aroma that leaves you wanting more. The mix of the people and the coffee was amazing. I digress, but suffice it to say that this coffee is most excellent and certainly worth your money.
This coffee brew is more than I expected. I hit on all of the fine points of the intended flavors and it even gave me a bit of nostalgia. Social Coffee pried itself on their passion for coffee and I certainly felt a little piece of that passion while drinking this brew.
Highly recommended and I give it a 4 out of 5 stars for the excellent flavor and the “out of body” experience!
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