Regular readers will have already clocked how I like a few good things in life. This includes a Parkrun on Saturday mornings and the coffee time which follows with my fellow runners. Sometimes I pick their brains about the coffee…..
I can always depend on my friends for being truthful, so if/when we serve crap coffee, they’ll let me know in no uncertain terms. If we have marmalade which isn’t homemade, they will also make it clear where they stand! So I was pretty sure of some honest views from my coffee-drinking-fellow-runners.
The pack was opened and the beans were ground just before setting off for the Parkrun. In fact I couldn’t resist a quick cup, just to give me a little caffeine boost and help me through the howling wind and horizontal rain stinging my face (I can tell you, I needed that, it was hard going). First impressions were good but I was looking forward to what the others thought…..
First off, we as a little group of sweaty runners liked this coffee and here’s the headlines:
- everyone agreed it was pleasing to taste overall
- not harsh or excessively bitter
- nice medium roast
- smooth and reasonably warming
- perfect with homemade bread and marmalade
We weren’t so convinced about the description including the “notes of citrus, red berries and toffee”. We do admit to not having terribly sophisticated tastes. None of us are wine connoisseurs and therefore aren’t sufficiently wired to witter on about the bouquet, or perhaps we should be talking about the aromas instead.
Knowing my friends as I do, they would be pleased to know about the ethical credentials of the coffee. This includes the growers getting a good deal from Union. In fact the packaging talks about “more than just paying a fair price, Union Direct Trade means we work in partnership with farmers to improve both coffee and livelihoods, long term”. This sounds pretty good and to be honest, it might just make the coffee taste even better.
So all in all, a very nice coffee.
Might be blind taste testing some samples of peanut butter next week!