I've been drinking this coffee pretty much non-stop for the last four weeks. I figure it's finally time for a review....
This coffee makes my mouth happy. Do you know what I mean? It's that feeling when you have a sip of good wine that's simultaneously not too sweet and not too dry, or when you take a bite of momma's lasagna for the first time in six months, or even when you take that initial lick of the first ice cream cone of the summer. It's that feeling when you taste something so good and so flavorful, that swallowing seems like a chore; you want to hold on to that taste for as long as you can. Your mouth is full of flavor and good feelings. Your mouth is happy.
As a coffee snob, I feel I should give you some background on my relationship with coffee. After all, for those that love coffee, taking someone's word for "good coffee" could be a risky gamble. For the sake of full disclosure, I must sadly tell you this: there are frappuccino skeletons in my closet. I drank sugary, chocolatey, watered-down coffee for about ten years before eventually making the switch to black coffee. During my early twenties, in an effort to impress a guy that I was dating, I started drinking my coffee like he did his, black. At first I was really put off by the bitter/chalky taste of coffee. I didn't see why anyone would torture their taste buds like this. But then, I stopped drinking drive-thru coffee (you know, coffee from fast food and fast coffee chains) and started drinking "real" coffee. Coffee that took time. Coffee that wasn't instant. Coffee that didn't come from a capsule. Real, honest to coffee god, coffee.
It was then that I actually started to taste what coffee was and what it could be. I was mindfully sipping coffee from different roasters, paying attention to what flavors were in each sip, and what flavors lingered after the coffee had been consumed. Suddenly, drinking coffee became fun and the thought of sipping on one of those iced sugar concoctions that I used to drink seemed completely repulsive to me.
Over the last couple of years I've become fascinated with local roasters and frequently travelled near or far for a good cup. But then something happened. I'm not sure what. Maybe it was the stress at work, but I settled drinking sub-par coffee again (I'm looking at you coffee capsules). My love affair with coffee came to a screeching halt and coffee became nothing more than just a liquid caffeine fix. I stopped paying attention and I stopped having fun.
Until that fateful day that I found Raleigh Coffee Company being served at grounds in Cary. Having never heard of this roaster before I was excited to give them a try. I've had coffee from all but one roaster in the area, and thought this coffee would be similar. To my surprise, this coffee was different. Very different. It was on an entirely different level of flavors and deliciousness. I was blown away on my first sip. And just like that, my love affair with coffee was rekindled.
It's been weeks now and I've tried a couple of different roasts. I think it goes without saying (although I'll say it anyway) that my mouth has been happy every time. And unlike a good glass of wine, momma's lasagna, or the first ice cream cone of the summer, I can have this coffee anytime, any day, and find happiness.
TL;DR: drink this coffee if you love and respect your taste buds. read more
