Fazenda Rainha (Monmouth Coffee Company) – Americano

Fazenda Rainha is a Brazilian yellow bourbon, described by Monmouth as “Sweet chocolate with full body and cherry acidity”. In addition to being sold as a single origin bean, Monmouth are also presently using it as the base for their house Espresso Blend.

After yesterday’s disappointment with the Fazenda Rainha brewed with a cafetiere, it was a relief to try it as an Americano; all of the “yeuch” tones from the cafitiere disappeared, to be replaced by a pleasantly rich and clean flavour. Whilst it didn’t have a particular “wow factor”, this was a very nice easy-drinking cup.

Details:
Bean: Fazenda Rainha, Monmouth Coffee Company
Grind: Course-ground with conical burr grinder
Brew Method: Espresso machine
Brew Detail: Double shot (circa 14g) in 250ml water with a slug of milk
Overall: 3.5 out of 5

Peet’s House Blend (Peet’s) – Latte

I was extremely fortunate, and grateful, that my friend Steve Errey (who was my best man) arranged for a bag of Peet’s House Blend to be shipped over from the US as a christmas present.

Opening the bag revealed darkly roasted beans glistening with oils, and the most gorgeous coffee odour with undertones of chocolate.

I’ve already tried this bean out in a cafetiere and as an Americano, but was inspired today to try it as a latte.

I should point out here that I’m not generally a big fan of lattes. Since discovering the joys of “proper” coffees earlier this year, I have primarily stuck with Americanos, not least because I find lattes too milky. I’ve seen derogatory references to ‘milkshakes’ here and there, and have agreed with the sentiment. I’m also not particularly keen on the syrups that seem to be a vital part of the latte experience – never ordered one myself, but tried the odd one here and there and simply don’t get the point.

After today however, my views have changed a little …

This was my first chance to try out some of the gizmos from christmas – particularly a new stainless stell milk jug and a milk thermometer. I’ve occasionally tried to use the espresso machine to froth or texture milk, but have been frustrated in not having an appropriate size jug (my Dualit machine has has a short steam wand and needs a small jug) or knowing when the milk is at the right temperature. Having tried them out, I can honestly say that (a) they’ve made it easier to get a result and (b) I’ve got a long way to go before I can say I know what I’m doing!

That said, the result of a double-shot espresso in textured milk was divine. Enough bite from the coffee to give it some edge, a wonderful creamy undertone from the milk, and a very slight hint of chocolate.

I’m assuming that the main reason for the transformation from “milkshake” to honest drink is primarily having a decent double-shot of espresso in a standard (ish) cup, but have to say that the Peets House Blend seems ideally suited to the task.

Only problem now? I’ve checked on how much it costs to buy – and ship – the beans to the UK. Wow … that’s not something that I’ll be doing too regularly!

Details:
Bean: Peet’s House Blend
Grind: Fine – ground with conical burr grinder
Brew Method: Espresso machine
Brew Detail: Double shot of espresso (circa 14g) in 250ml of textured milk

Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Monmouth Espresso (Monmouth Coffee Company) – Americano

Went to the Muse gig at the O2 Arena – absolutely fantastic.

No-One’s Going To Take Me Alive, The Time Has Come To Make Things Right / You And I Must Fight For Our Rights, You And I Must Fight To Survive …

Marna and I decided to stay in town overnight rather than fight (and probably lose) to get home – particularly since the last train straight home is at the ludicrously early time of 22:05, when the gig hadn’t even finished. This morning therefore we strolled over to London Bridge and – with some time to kill – wandered around Borough Market for an hour or two.

I’ve never been to the market before and knew very little about it. Suffice to say that there were some great stalls selling a fabulous range of … well, stuff.

Of interest for this blog, though, is Monmouths. Monmouth have three shops in London, one of them just outside Borough Market. I suspected that there was something special when I saw the queue – literally out of the shop, round the corner and down the street, probably 30 or more people standing in line for a coffee. More imporantly though, they also sell a range of freshly roasted coffees …

I decided to play it safe and ask for some advice, rather than end up with a random bag, and ended up with 500g (just over a pound for anyone who thinks imperial) of their house Espresso Blend, ground for an espresso machine (hope to get a grinder for Christmas). The smell of the beans was fantastic, although Marna did start to complain when our train broke down and we were stuck in a confined space with the odour for 3 hours …

We had friends over this evening, so I have only just had time to make myself a drink. Decided to stick to Americano since it’s what I know and like. And the result? Wow. Just … wow … Great, smooth finish with plenty of bite and a slighty nutty tone – possibly almonds? Any which way, definitely the best drink I’ve made at home to date.

And the good news … so long as I’m working in the same office (likely to be at least another 3 months) I’m catching the train home from London Bridge – so should be plenty of opportunity to stay stocked up with beans.

Details:
Bean: Monmouth Espresso
Grind: Fine-ground in-store
Brew Method: Espresso machine
Brew Detail: Double shot of espresso (circa 14g) 250ml water with “a slug” of milk

Overall: 4 out of 5