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84

Passion Cafe

Royal Vanilla

Roaster Location: Los Angeles, California
Coffee Origin: Not disclosed.
Roast Level: Medium-Dark
Agtron: 41/55
Review Date: September 2006
Aroma: 7
Body: 7
Flavor: 6
Aftertaste: 7

Blind Assessment

(Whole-bean coffee flavored with natural anise and vanilla extracts on an alcohol base) Intense anise character dominates in the aroma. When I cupped this coffee blind before it was identified for me, I read the anise as a combination of licorice and caraway seed and the vanilla as chocolate. In the cup the anise continues to dominate sharply, overpowering the softer vanilla-cum-chocolate notes. The vanilla/chocolate finally prevails over the sharp anise in the pleasant long finish.

Notes

Whole-bean coffee flavored with natural anise and vanilla extracts on an alcohol base. This coffee is one of a line of coffees flavored with alcohol-based extracts sold under the brand-name Passion Caf?. Conventional whole-bean flavored coffees use propylene glycol as a medium for flavoring; the alcohol used here is more volatile but also exerts far less distorting influence on flavor. Visit www.passioncafecoffee.com for more information.

Who Should Drink It

Perhaps in a vague reference to the French practice of drinking anise-flavored spirits garnished with a single dark-roasted coffee bean, this blend gives us a whole lot of anise with only a whiff of coffee. But the entire sensory package is rather interesting despite the heavy hand with the anise.

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This review originally appeared in the September, 2006 tasting report: Experimenting with Tradition: Naturally Flavored Coffees

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About the Author: Ron Walters

Ron Walters, co-founder of Coffee Review, manages business operations, including CoffeeReview.com, marketing, and social media. He conceived of and helped pioneer the development of 100-point reviews in the specialty coffee industry. For the past twenty years, he has been engaged in strategy, marketing, and management of specialty food and beverage businesses.

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