The Drink: Raging Mule from Black Ass Coffee
Type: Dark Espresso Blend Ground
Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Coffee Cups
Warning: Raging Mule from Black Ass Coffee isn’t for everybody. It’s dark espresso blend that’s knock your socks off strong. It’s the kind of coffee that my dad, the man who says the darker the better, would like.
Just smelling the grounds out of the bag, I knew that this was going to be a strong one. It turned out to be strong enough to wake me up tonight and then some.
The aroma from the coffee was powerful, but exceptionally smooth. It was nutty, smoky, yet somewhat sweet at the same time. There was also a hint of BBQ. Just a tiny hint of BBQ chicken or ribs, fresh off a smoky BBQ grill.
With a few exceptions, I’ve come to expect a burnt taste with dark roasts. That wasn’t at all the case with Raging Mule. It was super dark tasting, but not at all burnt.
Raging Mule is a blend of beans from Africa, Brazil and Asia. I could taste the African beans, especially with a small hint of red wine. The Brazilian beans stood out with a spicy, bold flavor. I know the Asian beans were there, just nothing standing out in that department.
The after taste was slightly bitter, just enough to get my tongue to react.
I’ve shied away from dark roasts in the past, but this is the second in a row that I really enjoyed. This one earns a well above average rating 3.75 out of five. I made this in my french press, but since it’s an espresso blend, I can’t wait to try it in the espresso machine.
If you want to try the Raging Mule for yourself, check out Black Ass Coffee’s G.I. Java Care Package. For just a few bucks more, when you order a bag for yourself, you can also have a bag shipped to American soldiers that are serving overseas.
The Drink: French Roast from Newhall Coffee Roasting Company
Type: Whole Bean
Body/Roast: Full Body Dark Roast
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 coffee cups
I’ll admit that my first choice usually isn’t a dark roast like the French Roast from Newhall Coffee Roasting Company. I tend to to stick with the medium and lighter roasts because they have more of the flavor that I like. However, I may have found a dark roast that might covert me into a fan.
There’s no hiding that this a dark roast with the aroma. It has the distinctive dark roast smell, slightly smoky with a spicy mix and nutty hints. It was strong enough to wake me up on a lazy Monday afternoon that was dragging, but not overwhelming either.
The initial taste was a little too dark for my preferences. It was too bold and tasted almost like charcoal or burnt food.
However, as it cooled down just a little bit, it transformed into something that I really liked. The burnt taste faded and was joined by a combination of cinnamon, oranges, pineapple and brown sugar. It was still definitely a dark roast, but I like the mix of dark roast and flavor.
The after taste really held on to my tongue. It was a strong dark roast and pleasant taste.
My sample was whole bean, but if you want something else, they offer seven different choices with everything from fine espresso to coarse french press grinds. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen that many choices. I’d stick with the whole bean to ensure the best flavor, but it’s nice to have a choice.
Besides some the dark roast aspects of it, my only complaint is that the packaging says it’s a blend of South American beans. I’d love to know more on which specific countries or region. That’s not just a complaint about Newhall, that’s more like a complaint to every coffee company that does that.
I’ll admit that I wasn’t really looking forward to trying this coffee, but I was more than pleasantly surprised. It earned a 3.5 out of 5 rating, one of the highest ratings that I’ve given for a dark roast.
Newhall sent me three bags to review, in the near future I’ll be checking out their California Blend and their Patriot Blend.
I was under the impression that Newhall Coffee Roasting Company was a major corporate/faceless national brand. But it turns out that they’re more along the lines of the neighborhood micro roaster with a national reach. They roast in small batches to make sure the the freshest coffee makes it to the coffee cup. I could definitely taste that difference compared to some other brands.
As a bonus, the beans are sourced responsibly.
Buy a pound of the Newhall Coffee French Roast for $11.50.