When Nick from GetCoffee.com tweeted about wanting bloggers to review REV Roaster Coffee I jumped up and down and waved a big sign. I was perfect for the job; I talk, write and tweet about it and drink it by the quart. I love me some coffee.
A pound of Brazil Cerrado coffee arrived a few days later in a big truck. I wrestled the box from the driver’s hand (and broke a nail in the process, but such is the sacrifice for beans), tore open the package and inhaled deeply.
Rich and smoky, it smelled like a warm tropical night in a remote village along the Amazon River. I’ve never been to a remote village along the Amazon River, but this is what I imagine it would smell like if you could pack it into a bag and send it to America to be consumed by the cup.
After I finished getting nostril germs all over the coffee I waited impatiently for morning to arrive so I could make some brew.
At 6:18am the next morning I spooned the usual amount of grounds into the filter, pressed Start on my 4-cup Mr. Coffee and watched in fascination as dark water trickled into the carafe. As the liquid filled up the glass I was slightly interested in the fact that the coffee looked darker than my usual stuff (no light was getting through the carafe, it was dark as my bathroom at midnight), but forgot about that as soon as I poured steaming yum into my cup.
It was strong; trucker coffee. My discerning palate noticed something else though, a bittersweet flavor that dallied on my tongue after the first sip, the last chug and all the gulps in between. In fact, the bittersweet was so powerful that I felt dehydrated and over-caffeinated after consuming my usual 16 oz of coffee. WHAT?!?
The next morning I tried again using slightly less grounds. The result was similar; yummy but too strong of a punch; it was like going zero-to-sixty with no room to ramp up and enjoy the gentle awakenings of caffeine’s friendly knocking.
A few days later it hit me. I was treating this coffee like my regular run-of-the-mill grocery store brew. This was high-quality coffee and needed to be sipped, savored and experienced.
Mr. Coffee was up to the challenge. I measured half the amount of grounds that usually gets tossed in the filter, fed some fresh cold water into the machine and turned it on. This time the coffee was a milder color; it wasn’t Texan oil anymore. I could still smell the smoky aroma but it wasn’t overpowering. I inhaled deeply and let the coffee nectar pause in my mouth before resuming its downward trajectory.
Nuanced and delicate, I had finally brewed a fabulous cup of REV coffee.
When you get your REV Coffee in the mail, spend some time appreciating the smell of expertly roasted coffee beans. Then, treat these beans like a $70 bottle of wine or $5 chocolate bar. Savor the flavor and marvel at the artistry of this a damn good cup of joe.
