Our expert Barista friend, Daniel Clarke, has reviewed another one of our coffee bags and included our favourite food pairing notes. Put the kettle on, make yourself a coffee (with one of our coffee bags of course!) and enjoy the read…
INTRODUCTION TO THE SUMATRA COFFEE BAG
Welcome back bean lovers. Take a load off as I bring you another gourmet coffee bag review. This time we shall explore the Dark Roast Sumatra from New Kings Coffee. In this review I shall talk about Sumatra and the coffee bag, the tasting, the environmental considerations, and the final verdict.
To start things off, let’s talk about the coffee bag. Similar to the tea bag, the coffee bag contains instant and/or ground coffee. It offers an easy, no mess, portable solution to your coffee needs. The gourmet bags from New Kings Coffee are just that plus it is Fair Trade and Organic which is better for the farmers and for us.
Now onto the wonderful beans. This roast has found its way from the Asia Pacific, more sand the Island of Sumatra. Located on the Western region of Indonesia and neighbouring Malaysia, coffee inherit heavy body, low acidity, and earthy flavours. These can be accompanied by spices, herbal layers, and woody undertones.
THE TASTING
Before we delve into the depths of our cup, we must first make our brew. As per the guidelines, add just off the boil water to your coffee bag in your cup, give a generous stir, and brew for 3-5 minutes. Once it is brewed to taste, squeeze and remove the bag and then you are done! You can add milk, sugar etc. afterwards. For optimum extraction, an 8oz(227ml~) allows for its full character to shine. You can add more water if need be.
Once you have your completed brew, it is time to slurp away. A coffee tasting can be split up into four elements: Aroma, Acidity, Body, and Flavour. The dark roast Sumatra possesses a deep and earthy aroma that is further embraced by a full, heavy body. The acidity is relatively low with a smooth feel on the tongue. This is all wrapped up nicely with rich cocoa and faint herbal tones. These qualities will be more subtle the bigger the cup, so keep that in mind.
With any coffee tasting, food is a lovely pairing. Being a dark roast with deep flavours, dark chocolate is natural fit. The richness and high cocoa content adds to the the smooth mouth feel and gives it more body. The cup transforms into a decadent pudding with every sip and bite.
GREEN THOUGHTS
Before getting to the final verdict, it would be a great opportunity to talk about the marvelous example New Kings Coffee is setting. For starters, the entire unit the coffee comes in is either recyclable or biodegradable. This includes the bags with are made from a sustainable corn starch BioWeb. You can even mail you foil sachets back to New Kings Coffee and with the help of TerraCycle they will to recycle the materials.
Aside from the green initiative, the Bristol based company also support Fair Tradeand the Grounds for Health charity. With every unit bought, not only does it support the small farms that the coffee comes from but, donations to the training of care and help towards cervical cancer patients in developing countries. A wonderful example in nurturing the Human spirit and look after the Earth as a whole!
VERDICT
Overall, the Sumatra Dark Roast by New Kings Coffee is a full bodied and earthy cup. As a dark roast, it possesses a rich mouth feel and lovely hints of cocoa. For those who do not like citrusy, fruity coffee then this roast might be for you. It is an upgrade from your run of the mill jar of instant and for those who don’t own a French Press or a Pour-Over.
For the final verdict, I would like to rate this coffee bag 8 out of 10 beans. It is a deep dive into Indonesia and the country of Sumatra. The method is very easy to brewand leaves little to no mess. It doesn’t have the raw essence of a French Press or the elegance of a Pour-Over but, it is a more convenient and pick up and go solution.
Thank you for reading this brew and review. For more coffee bag reviews you can find them here. Until next time, keep your cups warm and your hearts warmer!
Shop Our Coffee:
1: https://newkingscoffee.myshopify.com/products/fairtrade-organic-dark-roast
2: https://newkingscoffee.myshopify.com/products/fairtrade-organic-medium-roast
3: https://newkingscoffee.myshopify.com/products/fairtrade-organic-light-roast
4: https://newkingscoffee.myshopify.com/products/fairtrade-organic-decaf-roast