How’s it going? Hope the coffee is flowing! Today I am going to be talking about another coffee from Barracks Baristas, a roaster I met at the Pennsylvania Chocolate and Coffee Festival (read my event review here). This week’s review will be for the second of the coffees that I won at the festival. In my French press I have Barracks Baristas’ American Valor coffee.
As you may recall from my review of their Hero’s Brew (read my review here), Barracks Baristas is owned and operated by two really great guys who are also active duty military members. Their Hero’s Brew was a great take on a Colombian roast, so will American Valor, their Ethiopian roast, live up to these lofty standards? Let’s find out!
Barracks Baristas American Valor review:
The first thing that stood out to me with American Valor was the distinct creamy nose. There were slight buttery notes with just a hint of molasses. The coffee had a light body with minimal weight. The front brought forward those buttery notes from the nose, but without the molasses-like sweetness. I enjoyed this, as these types of notes are not something I often get. The creamy front gives way to a roasty middle with hints of darker and slightly burnt sweet notes, almost like a caramelized brown sugar. The finish was relatively bitter, as the burnt notes from the middle came forward, before giving way to buttery notes similar to those in the front.
Overall I thought this was an interesting cup of coffee. The creamy buttery nose and front were a nice change up from the other coffees I have sampled and helped it stand out. The flavor profile was not overly strong though, especially for a medium roast. The finish was also a little too bitter, with an almost ashy like burntness which did not compliment the flavor profile. All this considered it was still a decent cup of coffee, but I much prefer the Hero’s Brew. While this was still a good cup, I think casual coffee drinkers would have a hard time enjoying it and it might be better served to those more adventurous coffee drinkers out there.
You can buy Barracks Baristas American Valor on their website along with their other coffee offerings. Jerry and Darrin, the owners, are really great guys and they make some excellent coffees. Supporting Barracks Baristas is helping give back to two heroes who truly appreciate their customers.
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