Super satisfying sound when you crack one of these open.

These aren't bad but don't blow me away. Normally I'd like nitro cold brew the best out of the 4 drinks in the Lavazza sampler, but I actually liked this one the least (there were two sweetened lattes and the straight cold brew). I get a lot chocolate with a little bitterness mid-palate that overwhelms any fruitiness. Not quite the creamy/smooth I like with nitro.

Cupping Method:Can from 4 pack sampler, purchased from Eataly

Dunks has decent cold brew but its the rare case for me where the iced coffee is better.

A kind of uninteresting but easy to drink cold brew from Blue Bottle. Been on a run of canned cold brews recently and while Id be perfectly happy to drink this Id probably pick the other ones.

Cupping Method:8oz can I bought at Blue Bottle, Copley Sq

Not bad in my opinion. Though not super exciting, it always makes a nice crema. Drinkable, smooth, medium roast feel with good balance. Maybe a slightly metallic aftertaste.

Sampled multiple times as espresso and lungo using Delonghi Latissima 660.

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with this coffee. I think it extracts nicely and makes good cappuccinos and lattes. Always does well with crema. As a doppio drinker, I cant get away from just that slight hint of ashtray that overshadows the chocolate notes. I know this is one of the house blends at Blue Bottle and I always like my cortado there.

Cupping Method:Tasted at 94 celsius extraction, 1oz pull, La Spaziale A53 Lucca.

I dont have anything bad to say about this coffee, but it is fairly safe and comes at a price point where Id expect a bit more. As with a few other recent blends, Ethiopian and LatAm blend nicely. It has some nice hints of chocolate and a good acidic balance. Slightly more bitter lingering aftertaste than I like in my higher light roasts. In the espresso grind it makes a good drink, and for me it is markedly better than Peets dark roasts.

Angels Cup blind tasting. Aroma out of the bag and grind is amazing. Deep cocoa, warm spices, rich nuttiness. A lot of good characteristics in the cup. Black tea, cherry. But has a pretty strong bitter/woody note in the middle that persists in the aftertaste. Up to that moment youre blown away. Wife agreed.

Angel's Cup Blind Tasting. Was a little bit surprised to see this was from the same roaster we loved last week. Oh well. Just didn't quite come together here. Sort flat on acidity and not quite the structure. Wife felt the same way. Look for that Thai Doi Chang over this one if you want to try a great Thai coffee.

Modest hint of overroast or bitterness mid palate and aftertaste. Caramel and dark chocolate. Strong raspberry fruitiness. Not the best Howell roast IMHO.

Cupping Method:Pour over at George Howell Market location.

Solid cup of joe. Had it more times than I could count while consulting in an office.

Gorgeous crema, super fruity, a little bit too much acidity for me overwhelms some of the good characteristics. This looks like a Central American blend and they can definitely be acidic. Tons of flavor, so might have been a good Americano.

Cupping Method:Doppio, K Brew downtown

Has a nice black tea, Darjeeling character. Slight undertone of bitter wood. I was drinking Amaro last night and not totally dissimilar so not necessarily bad if you don't mind that. Other than that nice and balanced. Came in the Onyx Advent calendar which is a great way to try a lot of coffee from this great roaster but sometimes I feel like you're getting the tail end of a lot. Would have loved to have a few more beans to try this as an espresso since I got more of a medium roast here than a light/pourover one.

Blind tasting from Angel's cup. Super Smooth. A little short acidity/fruit for me but the low-acid folks might love this one. Interesting umami mid-palate, not so much as to be overwhelming bad adds a bit of character.

Hints of kiwi, caramel. Overall pretty different than of what Ive been drinking but very pleasant.

Wife thought alkaline (I think she meant low acidity).

Cupping Method:Hario v60 ceramic pourover, 207 degrees F

Totally fine, very dark.

Cupping Method:K-Cup

Not super impressed. Grapefruit zest. A bit bitter. Not enough sweetness or bright fruitiness. Slightly funky and winey and would be interesting with more sweetness/acidity. My least favorite coffee out of the holiday Advents.

Cupping Method:Roaster's Pack Advent. 18:1, 93C, Hario v60.

New job, and I had a cup of Nespresso Melozio in the office this week, one of the first Vertuo pods I've had in quite a while.

Melozio looks good on paper a medium roast with a smooth crema and easy drinkability but the flavor doesn't live up to the promise.

The extraction comes together as expected, with that espresso style crema and a light mouthfeel. The first sip is fine, but the flavor is drab. There's a slightly rubbery and woody chocolate note at the core, touched by a bit of nuttiness that falls somewhere between raw walnut and peanut. A faint sweetness runs through it, but it never develops into something rich or interesting. The body is thin, and a dry, cereal-like Weetabix tone lingers in the background. Some people like that?

As the cup cools, a hint of smokiness trails through, but there's no brightness to balance it. No fruit, no acidity, nothing to lift the flavor. The result is a cup that feels flat.

For an office setting, Melozio does its job for most. It's coffee. It's quick, consistent, and completely inoffensive. Though TBH I couldn't finish the 230 ml cup here. It'll be a fun few weeks to get through assessments on some others.

Folgers Decaf…an OG. Free 4 cup at hotel and had a cider doughnut. So here we go.

When hot, the first sip is thin and empty, offering little flavor before a bitter, rubbery taste settles in through the middle of the cup. There is a faint citrus note that appears for a moment, but it quickly fades.

As the coffee cools, a soft sweetness comes through that hints at chicory and cranberry juice, though the rubbery aftertaste never fully leaves. The cider doughnut actually helped a lot the sweetness cut the bitterness and made the cup more palatable, almost enjoyable for a few sips.

On its own, Folgers Decaf is serviceable in a pinch but lacks character, aroma, and depth. Paired with something sweet, it becomes tolerable, but still a reminder that even decaf coffee deserves more care than this.

Cupping Method:At Riverview Hotel in Yarmouth, MA. Used cup filter back with 4 cups water in standard old school coffee maker.

Flat, uninteresting blend with low flavor depth. Chocolate, faint toffee, and caramel. Lightly muddy at front of the palate. No really brightness or acidity. Fairly smooth?

I don't get this one.

Cupping Method:At Republique in Los Angeles cold brew and drip

Special blend for Handlebar Coffee in Nantucket. Not great for a medium roast. Tasted kind of burned even when cool and pretty bitter. Burned note washes out the chocolate. A bit of dried and non dried sweet plum.

Cupping Method:Drip from Handlebar Cafe in Nantucket

If this is light roast I'm scared to find out what the dark roast is like. I guess this is like Starbucks where I should expect everything to be darker because it's one of the old-school 2nd wave shops. Even as a dark roast this would be bitter qnd rubbery when hot. It redeems itself a little once cool. It's chocolate with a plummy, and the rubbery note recedes. It's 3.5 as a dark roast and a 2 as a light. I'll be generous and give it a 3.

Cupping Method:K-cup in the evening at a Hilton Garden Inn in Brookline, MA

A bust.

Cocoa, baking spices, caramel, low acidity, poached pear. Unpleasant grapefruit rind note. Good mouthfeel, but not tasty. Poured it out. ☹️

Cupping Method:Standard treatment, 18:1, 92C on v60. From Revolver Advent Calendar.

This is a review for a decaf espresso from a semiautomatic machine at a Marriott M lounge. I happen to work all day out of this lounge so I got to try three different coffees from SBC. This espresso starts and ends well in my opinion, but tastes like an ashtray in the middle. For a dark roast, it does have some good acidity and complexity. It's just too heavy on the smoke mid-palate.

New City markets that it serves coffee enough and has enough locations that I can be review it as a chain. it needs to recognize that its coffee program is an important part of the experience and expectations it's set for customers. A few years ago had a very good shot of Barrington here. This week time the staffer had no idea what they were doing and pulled a very mediocre shot of Lavazza Qualita Rossa, pre-ground and not that fresh.

The Hudson location has a gorgeous machine. I don't think they realize how much they are missing out by not caring about their coffee program.

Cupping Method:Picture is of good shot of 2023 Barrington espresso.

Moccona has a pleasant first impression, with a plummy sweetness that hints at more complexity than typical instant or hotel coffee.

However, as the sip progresses, the initial appeal fades, and astringency and bitterness take center stage. The finish leans rubbery and lingers a bit too long, leaving an aftertaste that doesn't invite another cup.

It likely includes a dose of robusta, which may contribute to this harsher profile. While it's a step up from certain bland brews, Moccona's somewhat distracting finish and lack of depth make generic hotel coffee feel more satisfying by comparison.

I think instant has moved beyond this, but there will be some that find this reminiscent of the Nescafe/Folgers/DE classics.

Plummy and sweet, but a bit astringent/bitter/rubbery towards the end of the palate and on the aftertaste. Probably has some robusta? It's may be a bit more interesting than bad hotel coffee but I'd probably rather have the generic hotel coffee.

Cupping Method:My dad actually just came back from Hong Kong and brought these back from the hotel he was staying at.

The collaboration between these two brands, which I genuinely admire, turned out to be underwhelming. The final product was overly sweet, lacking a distinct or robust coffee flavor. In fact, it bore little resemblance to a traditional affogato. A bit hard to believe that anybody that's had an affagato was involved making this product. Hello Jimmy?

On a positive note, the ice cream was creamy and possessed a delightful texture, which was one of the few highlights.

Cupping Method:At Van Leeuw's in Chestnut Hill, MA

Nescafe Taster's Choice is a well-known name in instant coffee, often chosen for its convenience and quick preparation. It uses a freeze-drying process, a key part of why it stands out in the instant coffee market. Unlike other methods, freeze-drying involves removing moisture from brewed coffee at low temperatures, preserving much of the coffee's natural flavors and aromas.

One of the major benefits of Nescafe Taster's Choice is how easily it dissolves in water. There's no graininess or textural issues, making it a hassle-free option whether at home, at work, or on the go. You add hot water, stir, and your coffee is ready.

When freshly made with hot water, many find it almost unbearably bitter. This initial bitterness can be a turnoff for those who prefer a smoother, milder cup of coffee. Additionally, there is a slight chemical or rubbery mouthfeel, though it's not as pronounced as in some other instant coffees.

Interestingly, if you let the coffee cool down a bit, you'll notice a significant change. The bitterness fades, and the coffee develops a sweet, fruity flavor reminiscent of plums or prunes, with a nice touch of acidity. This makes it much more enjoyable as it cools, and it definitely beneits from ice or with a splash of milk to balance out the flavors. I think there's a bit of a saltiness/savory character.

That said, while Nescafe Taster's Choice is convenient and has its unique taste profile, it might not satisfy everyone, especially those used to specialty coffee. Specialty coffee is all about high-quality beans, careful roasting, and precise brewing methods that produce complex and rich flavors. These are aspects that instant coffee, despite its advances, often can't fully replicate.

I could see Nescafe Taster's Choice offers a quick, easy coffee solution with interesting flavor dynamics. It's fine for those who need a fast caffeine fix and don't really care about amazing flavor, or are just going to cover it up with milk and sugar. However, if you're a specialty coffee enthusiast looking for depth and complexity in every cup, there's no way this old classic will meet your expectations. Nescafe Taster's Choice has its place, but coffee, including convenience formats has come a long way.

Cupping Method:Mixed with hot water from standard jar that was opened fairly recently.

Non-descript coffee that's a disappointment for such a nice hotel, but probably on par with other crappy Marriott coffee. It's not so bad that it's not drinkable. Slightly nutty (faint cashew) without any richness or brightness. Slight grapefruit linger. Thin mouthfeel. Not horrible, just nothing to write home about.

There's a Starbucks in the lobby, so you can just go for that if desperate. It's not easy to get a good cup of coffee on the Vegas strip.

Cupping Method:I ordered room service (12 oz). The room service menu says it's Vdara House Blend. I assume it's Sysco or some food service conglomerate.

The decaf Nespresso Pro capsule was bust for me after the really good Forte capsule I had from the same machine. I don't think it was underextracted, but I might have gotten a batch that's stale.

The flavor was just a bit weak, without any standout characteristics and a hollow woodiness. The crema was pathetic. It almost tasted like mediocre filter coffee.

Cupping Method:At Vdara Spa in Las Vegas. I used the same machine for a forte capsule that was much better just an hour before.