Strait Coffee Roasters Reviews
San Jose, California
4.81(14)
All Reviews(14)
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Theo Chan, Managing Editor1851 roasts rated, avg score of 4.31
5.00 - Average
4.50 - Aroma
5.00 - Value
5.00 - Finish
5.00 - Flavor
5.00 - Acidity
5.00 - Balance
It took me a bit to dial in this dry/naturally processed Ethiopian. We loved this. Indeed, strawberry, Earl Grey, and perhaps a little holiday spice was spot on. This one was strong, smooth, and sweet.
I think is not for everyone but if you get it right it's heaven. I made this roast 4x and 2 times it was one of the best coffees I've ever had, and 2 times it was not bad but pretty funky with some savory overtones.
Ethiopians can be so delicate and floral, so you really have to take the edge of this natural one.Cupping Method:Best Chemex pourover was about 207 degrees, and a slow pour. I think 3 weeks helped with degassing/settling the beans.
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Theo Chan, Managing Editor
1851 roasts rated, avg score of 4.31
5.00 - Average
4.50 - Aroma
5.00 - Value
4.50 - Finish
5.00 - Flavor
4.50 - Acidity
5.00 - Balance
This coffee is fantastic and quite different from other natural Pink Bourbons I've tried, which usually lean more towards floral and funky notes. This one is more balanced, highlighting other flavors beautifully.
It's got a notable tropical vibe along with the promised cherry and dark chocolate. The cherry flavor isn't the typical oaky kind but more like a fresh Rainier cherry. I also pick up a hint of pineapple. There's a slight natural funk that blends with a touch of floral notes mid-palate. It gives it a slightly wine-like character.
It's naturally sweet with hints of honey and brown sugar. The mouthfeel is exceptionally smooth, almost like glycerine, making it a pleasure to drink.
Outstanding!Cupping Method:I did Chemex and Hario v60 at 18:1 and a couple different temps. The fireworks result was at 195F.
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Expert Picks Series376 roasts rated, avg score of 4.96
5.00 - Average
This coffee roast won a Gold Medal in the Golden Bean awards. Because this is a prestigious, expert-judged competition, we count Gold and Silver as a five-star review to help people find the best coffee. -
Theo Chan, Managing Editor
1851 roasts rated, avg score of 4.31
5.00 - Average
4.50 - Aroma
4.50 - Finish
5.00 - Flavor
5.00 - Acidity
4.50 - Balance
Strait is such a cool roaster. It's the opposite of some of the specialty I've been drinking, this is big, bold, funky unique, flavor, but roasted perfectly to keep it within balance.
Pourover: Austin from Strait does pretty good tasting notes, and I definitely picked up the black plum, orange, and vanilla here. The black plum is that just ripe one that still has the acidic bite you can only get from the perfect plum. It's got some chocolate notes, a bit of funkiness, and some red wine.
Espresso: ESPRESSO! This is remarkable as a light roast espresso. The Spanish have a drink called Tinto de Verano. That's what I get here. Tinto de verano is a light, refreshing Spanish drink made by mixing red wine with lemon soda or gaseosa, typically served over ice. It has a crisp blackberry/black plum/lemony acidity, a bit of sweet orange, and that sort of sangria/summer red wine taste note/texture.
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Theo Chan, Managing Editor
1851 roasts rated, avg score of 4.31
5.00 - Average
4.50 - Aroma
4.50 - Finish
5.00 - Flavor
5.00 - Acidity
5.00 - Balance
This is a pretty awesome cup of coffee!
There's a lot going on here. Strait's roaster notes are pretty spot on usually, so for a sort of fancy coffee from them, I was surprised to see fairly straightforward roaster notes (red wine, strawberry, cocoa). And those are somewhat unusual to see in a gesha.
This roast is a pretty unique combo of the clean notes and structure and a gesha, and the a winey/fruit/funky hit at the front of the palate. As always, Strait's notes are on. I would have said strawberry wine, but who drinks that anyway? There's some cocoa in the transition to a very clean, slightly floral gesha finish. It's a coffee with a lot of natural sweetness.
Straight is a really cool roaster - haven't had a gesha like this one, and this type of bean is pretty hard to shoot the gap balancing bringing the gesha character out, and highlighting the fruit/funk.Cupping Method:v60 pourover, 17:1, 93C worked very well.
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Scott Greenaway175 roasts rated, avg score of 4.27
4.50 - Average
4.50 - Aroma
4.50 - Finish
5.00 - Flavor
5.00 - Acidity
5.00 - Balance
This is a high-quality roast! There is a strong flavor, with notes of apricot, dark chocolate, and dry walnut-- accompanying a nice swell of acidic sweetness.Cupping Method:Vietnamese drip
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Theo Chan, Managing Editor
1851 roasts rated, avg score of 4.31
4.50 - Average
5.00 - Aroma
4.50 - Finish
4.50 - Flavor
4.50 - Acidity
4.00 - Balance
I'd say I struggled with this one a bit as a prosumer barista but there's really a ton of flavor here. I never find Burundian coffee especially easy to work with. It's a cool natural coffee, with a bit of funk and a ton of fruitiness. It's powerfully dark chocolate, citrus zest, and raspberry. I thought it was very good at a lower temperature.Cupping Method:Pourover first at high temp (~207) and then lower including 200 and 195F. Best at 195F.
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Theo Chan, Managing Editor
1851 roasts rated, avg score of 4.31
4.50 - Average
4.00 - Flavor
4.50 - Acidity
4.50 - Balance
I'm not sure there's a five-star coffee in these beans but Strait has done a fine job transforming this into a versatile and tasty omniroast.
As pourover, it is a caramel forward easy drinker with pear and citrus notes. It has a gyclerine mouthfeel. It's not very complex but is a bit more interesting than your usual every day drink or breakfast blend.
As espresso, it shines more. It's a light medium, with the caramel notes, blackberry, spiced pear, and tamarind. It worked well with whole milk.
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Emily Schadler93 roasts rated, avg score of 4.24
4.00 - Average
Funky and fun, with a fruity bloom. I enjoyed it!Cupping Method:Pour over
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This is a pretty awesome cup of coffee! There's a lot going on here. Strait's roaster notes are pretty spot on usually, so for a sort of fancy coffee from them, I was surprised to see fairly straightforward roaster notes (red wine, strawberry, cocoa). And those are somewhat unusual to see in a gesha. This roast is a pretty unique combo of the clean notes and structure and a gesha, and the a winey/fruit/funky hit at the front of the palate. As always, Strait's notes are on. I would have said strawberry wine, but who drinks that anyway? There's some cocoa in the transition to a very clean, slightly floral gesha finish. It's a coffee with a lot of natural sweetness. Straight is a really cool roaster - haven't had a gesha like this one, and this type of bean is pretty hard to shoot the gap balancing bringing the gesha character out, and highlighting the fruit/funk.
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Strait is such a cool roaster. It's the opposite of some of the specialty I've been drinking, this is big, bold, funky unique, flavor, but roasted perfectly to keep it within balance. Pourover: Austin from Strait does pretty good tasting notes, and I definitely picked up the black plum, orange, and vanilla here. The black plum is that just ripe one that still has the acidic bite you can only get from the perfect plum. It's got some chocolate notes, a bit of funkiness, and some red wine. Espresso: ESPRESSO! This is remarkable as a light roast espresso. The Spanish have a drink called Tinto de Verano. That's what I get here. Tinto de verano is a light, refreshing Spanish drink made by mixing red wine with lemon soda or gaseosa, typically served over ice. It has a crisp blackberry/black plum/lemony acidity, a bit of sweet orange, and that sort of sangria/summer red wine taste note/texture.
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This coffee roast won a Gold Medal in the Golden Bean awards. Because this is a prestigious, expert-judged competition, we count Gold and Silver as a five-star review to help people find the best coffee.