Oh da crem! Review of Colombian and Frenchy from Odacrem Coffee

Oh da crem. Odacrem, reverse for Mercado – the name of the family behind this roaster based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico that shipped two bags of coffee – Colombia and Frenchy – to the Daily Shot Of Coffee kitchen for review.

Besides the name and how much fun it was to say, what stood out was that their head roaster – Juan Mercado grew up on a coffee farm in El Salvador. I can’t think of many roasters that have that kind of background influencing their roasting. At five years old, Juan was helping out on the family farm picking coffee cherries. As he grew up, he planted coffee trees, nurturing them from seed. When he was older, he worked with plantations, buyers and traders, learning the affects of how the soil, climate and location have on the final product. I can’t say for sure that I taste the difference, but I’d like to think it has at least some influence on the coffee I tried.

The Drink: Colombian from Odacrem Coffee
Type: Whole Bean Single Origin

We invite you to discover this single origin colombian coffee. Roasted to its peak of flavor, with its sweet aroma and thick body and heavy nutty sweetness makes this colombian supremo one of the best coffees you can drink.

Origin: Cordillera Oriental (West Mountain range) and Ciudad Bonita (Nickname for Bucaramanga)
Roast: Medium
Species: Arabica Coffee

Of the two, this is the one I was most excited about. French roasts are a little to dark for my spoiled palate, so I was looking forward to brewing up a batch of the Colombian in my French Press.

It started with an aroma that was rich, spicy and had a distinct nuttiness. It was exactly what I’ve grown to expect from a good Colombian coffee – we’re not talking the mass produced kind of Colombian found in grocery stores.

Their Colombian had a light body, with a smooth but intense flavor. It was strong, with whispers of a dark roast and an intense nutty flavor. I’m sure it was a medium roast, but it brought out flavors that I think a lot of coffee drinkers could appreciate. There were hints of a spices, smoke and earthy/herbal aroma that came out as the coffee cooled down.

It wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, it was good but not great and earned an above average 3.25 on the Daily Shot Of Coffee scale. I think it would make a good every day kind of coffee in a home or office where there is a variety of coffee drinking fans.

The Drink: Frenchy
Type: Whole Bean Blend

Proven to be the favorite for adventurous people that are not intimidated by the intense body of the caramelized sugars and the smoky accents present on this High Altitude Arabica blend that can stand the high temps without catching fire!

Origin: Blend Central and South America
Roast: Full city, French
Species: Arabica

I doubted that I was going to like Frenchy. When I think French Roast coffees, I think coffees that are over roasted because the beans didn’t have any flavors or the flavors they had weren’t ones that you want to taste. This coffee wasn’t like that.

I couldn’t miss the smoky dark roast aroma, but it wasn’t overwhelming and it didn’t smell like a forest fire. There were traces of dark, dark chocolate that mixed with a cream scent.

The sip starts out smooth, but increasing waves of bitterness take over. It’s dad’s kind of coffee, that coffee will put hair on your chest. Then smooths out again as it cools down.

It took over my taste buds with a strong coffee flavor – hints of wood, charcoal flavor (I’m imagining a cedar plank on the grill kind of flavor) and that dark, dark chocolate flavor that rounds everything out.

It’s not my usual cup of coffee, but I liked this one. It’s a strong dark roast, without being over the top where it sends me in search of the nearest fire department. It earned a 3.5 on the Daily Shot Of Coffee scale.

Both coffees are $13.50 for twelve ounces with free shipping (That’s a great deal.). For a limited time, they are offering a free sample so that you can try before you buy their coffee. Check out their website for details.

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