Taylors After Dark

Variables:

Little bit too much whitener

Sweeteners

Same cup as has been used for different Coffee

I had great expectations for this Coffee. It's proper, brand, Coffee after all. I may have experienced a glimpse of trepidation when I realised it was a 5 on a 1-6 darkness scale, but my hopes were still high. A personal preference for medium roast can't count that strongly, right?

Before even tasting the first sip, my partner told me it was very nice Coffee. He drinks his hotter than I do, you see. He called it "smooth". I took that first sip and he was definitely right. After all the other Coffees I've been reviewing, this was a very pleasant surprise.

Now, I'm not great with adjectives, and I don't do well with the "hint of oak" style of reviewing. But this Coffee is lovely. I'm sticking with the "smooth" descriptor and although I can taste that it is, in fact, a dark roast, I love it.

Something to be said for brand Coffee.

At its price (£3 on sale) it's not the cheapest thing out there, but it's not super expensive either. I couldn't afford to switch to this exclusively, given how much I drink, but it's nice for an occasional treat. This goes on my list of Nice but Affordable Coffees.

Dunkin' Donuts Iced Coffee

If you spend any amount of time around me, discussing coffee, then you'll quickly note a certain disdain for big names.  My dislike of corporate America doesn't stop at coffee, but one would worry that it may taint my view of a beverage.  Dunkin' has proven that worry to be unfounded.

While I love their coffee hot and black, they are one of the few coffees that I will drink iced.  To a large iced I add skim milk and a couple of packets of sweetener, it's it's lovely.  I will drink black coffee cold or at room temperature, but it's much better with something to cut it a bit.

It's very smooth, with just a bit of a kick of caffeine, probably a bit less than my usual gas station variety, but it makes up for the lack of energy boost through sheer flavor.  This stuff is good.  Really good.  If you're new to coffee and want something that's not scary, try this.  They'll add other flavors to it for you too if you're scared.  I've been pulling a lot of late shifts at work, followed by having to be up very early in the morning lately, and this is what's keeping me alive--an iced coffee whenever I can get one on the way n the morning.  The milder kick keeps me alert, but not so awake that I can't sleep a bit later in the day if I get the opportunity.  ...Then again, I'm a hardcore caffeine addict, so results may vary.

Bottom Line:

(a little more caffeine and it'd be perfect)

Realbeans Coconut Water

Well, there should be an image here, but my tablet is not cooperating this morning. Sue me.

What to say about this bottle of awesome? Man, more like what not to say! This stuff is wonderful in a bottle. It has a light coffee flavor, so for people that say real coffee is too bitter, this should be perfect for you. It is made with actual coconut water, which surprisingly does not overpower the drink. And the label claims "Refreah", and that it does. Not only do you get the extra energy from the caffeine, the coconut water helps refuel your body. Research shows that coconut water has an electrolyte balance that matches the human body almost 90%.

Congratulations, you probably just learned something new.

You're welcome.

The coffee does make you feel more enrgized and definitely refueled. This drink didn't make me jittery, but did make me feel a lot better.

I found this little gem at my local 7-11, though I couldn't find it any any of their other locations. The price of $2.50ish a bottle definitely moves this up towards the top of my list, if not at the top. There are other varieties of this drink, but that is a review for another day.

Good sipping, ladies and gents!

Final Sip:

4/5

(Image on desktop, not tablet. Again, sue me.)

Alcafe Rich Roast

Variables:

Coffee creamer

Sweeteners

As always, several cups without cleaning it in between

Yes, yes, more instant. I found a new, cheaper instant so I've gone through a whole jar and figured it was time to give my opinion.

I decided to drink this Coffee while doing some work on my Real Job™ as well as watching RuPaul's Drag Race so it's been a bit of multitasking going on here today. A good Coffee breaks through that and I can taste it properly regardless. This one does not. I went through two cups without getting a real impression of it at all.

When I first switched to Aldi's instant I thought, "geesh, is this why the others make fun of me for drinking instant?" It was not good. I mean, it wasn't bad (in my own opinion, take or leave) but it was nowhere near real Coffee. And things started to make sense.

It is however cheap. And I don't have much money. This is about a third of the price of the Nescafé I used to drink, and after having had a whole jar of it we arrive back to the second paragraph. I dont even notice it anymore. So it's worth it for the caffeine kick, for the general Coffee ...thing.

Sorry, exciting part in the Drag Race.

In conclusion though, this is a good Coffee on a budget. It's not horrible, just standard instant, and it's cheap. I'm going to continue drinking this.

 

 

Seattle's Best Level 4

Late again, but the last few weeks have been crazy busy for me.  I'm actually glad I haven't had a chance to sit down and write this until now, otherwise you'd be waiting until next week to hear about this coffee.

I had to run my stepmom to the hospital for physical therapy today, and was rewarded with coffee.  I will always see coffee as a reward. It's a better treat than chocolate for me most days.  I know hospitals have changed from when I was a kid, because this one had a little coffee bar with bagels, delicious looking muffins, and coffee.  While she opted for an iced, I like my coffee black (as you should all know by now), so I got a large cup and wandered over to the self serve side.

There were quite a few options, but seeing as how I'm a seasoned veteran when it comes to coffee, I went for the strongest they had to offer.  The strongest was this, Seattle's Best, Level 4.  I never knew coffee could level up!  All kidding aside, it was a very strong coffee.  After waiting a bit for it to cool down, I could tell this from the first sip.  While it tasted faintly of the paper cup it was served in, but was also rich, dark, and not nearly as bitter as I'm used to.  Still, it was the kind of strong that I like.  I'm usually half, mostly, or completely asleep by this time of day, but right now I have a case of the wonderfuls.  I can't remember the last time that caffeine actually gave me that feeling of having had caffeine, so I'm a little over the top in my happiness right now.

If you're looking for a good amount of caffeine in something that still goes down smooth, even black, this is a good route to take.  This brought me back to my early days of caffeine.  While not perfect, for a commercial produced coffee, this is absolutely fantastic and it comes with a high recommendation from yours truly.  My only complaint, is that apparently, it could have been a little bit stronger.  A bit of an online search tells me there's a level five...I have a feeling a trip to the grocery store may be in order.

Bottom Line:

Moksha Caffé

Last week my friend and I went out for a Coffee. Our usual hangout was full up, so she suggested we go to a Coffee shop she really likes, where I'd only been once before and I hadn't had Coffee then (the horror) (run on sentences, yay!). Said Coffee shop / café was Moksha in Brighton (UK).

It's a really pleasant, spacious yet little place. The staff were amazing, we had a bit of a banter before ordering and they were helpful as anything.

So, on to the Coffee.

I had, chronologically:

* A soy mocha milkshake (cold)

* A cappuccino (hot)

* A soy mocha (hot)

Yes, I like my mochas. I was looking at some of the others, but things that say "single" and "double" on the menu kind of frighten me, since I associate those words with vodka shots and while I like being high on Coffee, it just seemed a bit, well, frightening. Maybe when I'm braver.

The mocha milkshake was heavenly. I love cold/blended/iced/milkshaked mochas in general, and this did not disappoint. I got a large one, and large it was! My friend was talking to me, and I'm sure for some of it I looked glazed over because the mocha was so good. (Friend. Mocha. Hmm. Friend won out this time, but it was a close one.)

One may question the decision to have an icy cold drink in January in the northern hemisphere, but the heating was on inside and I was quite comfortable.

This is the first time I've had a cappuccino in a café so I wasn't sure whether one was meant to add sugar or not. I elected not to and the Coffee was fine without it. More bitter than I'm used to, but very nice nonetheless. Given that I don't have much experience with cappuccinos I can't give this a thorough review, but I liked it! So there.

Hot mocha. Now, here's where my expertise comes in. This is my standard Coffee when I go to a Coffee shop or café so I have some basis of comparison. I'm of the firm opinion that independent cafés make the best Coffee, and this stands. Moksha's mocha is lovely. The right taste, the right sweetness, the right amount of chocolate. I have not a single complaint.

In closing, it was a really lovely day and I have suggested to my friend that we make this our new haunt. I would absolutely recommend it.

http://www.mokshacaffe.com/

Coffee Perks--River City Blend

Let me start off by saying that I do not buy this, nor would I choose to do so if the decision was up to me.  This is the coffee that flows freely from the pot into my cup at work, and you should never, ever turn down free coffee even if it's horrible.

And this is.

I won't say it's the absolute worst coffee I've ever had, you have to go to Starbucks for that, but it rates pretty low down there on the charts of flavor.  This is what those in the medical field would call nurses brew.  It's strong, bitter, black, and has hints of more strong black bitterness.

That said, over time I've acquired a taste for it.  When it's fresh brewed, it's very nearly palatable too.  These days I don't bat and eye or begrudge the coffee gods for the vile brew, but look at it for what it is: yet another way to deliver caffeine into my bloodstream so I can finish another day of work.  I hate to put my foot down and give this a low rating since it is the brew that I drink most often (again, free coffee!), but if it wasn't free, I can see no reason why a sane person would be willing to drink it.

Bottom Line:

(it is still caffeinated after all, give it some credit)