Kaldi's Coffee Roasting
Espresso 700 Competition Blend
| Roaster Location: | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Coffee Origin: | Sumatra; Brazil; El Salvador |
| Roast Level: | Medium-Dark |
| Agtron: | 44/56 |
| Review Date: | May 2009 |
| Aroma: | 8 |
| Body: | 9 |
| Flavor: | 8 |
| Aftertaste: | 8 |
| With Milk: | 9 |
Blind Assessment
The heavily syrupy body of this espresso particularly impressed both Ken (90) and co-taster Byron Holcomb (93) who for his part associated it with the fruity heaviness of mango nectar. The tropical fruit theme also surfaced in Ken's description of flavor and finish, where he found "bananaish fruit" along with cedar and anise. Byron also admired the "subtle, nutty, light nose" that turned to honey and whiskey in his characterization of flavor. In milk a distinct chocolate was complicated by fruit and floral notes for Ken, berry and agave for Byron.
Notes
This version of Espresso 700 was refined for use in this year's United States Barista Competition by Kaldi's staff. In fact, this blend helped barista Mike Marquard achieve sixth place in the national competition. Founded in 1994, Kaldi's Coffee is a quality-oriented small-batch roaster with several cafes throughout Missouri. Visit
Who Should Drink It
Lovers of heavy, lush but clean-toned espressos.
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This review originally appeared in the May, 2009 tasting report: Espresso: Tasting Super-Heroes
