Starbucks Coffee

Is it just me or does this week's pick seem weaker then the last two weeks? Other then that I taste some citrusy notes.

I had a cup of (red) Africa yesterday, and have had it before.  It's not one that I would choose.  

When I first bought a pound last summer, I liked it at first and then less and less. My impressions yesterday were:  medium body (fuller, to me than the previous  two) and a 'tangy' taste.....which I don't especially like..... a little spicey.  More complex flavors, but again, didn't especially like that.  More aromatic , earthy.  Not such a clean finish.  

Not one of my faves, but better than some.

I don't like the (RED) as much as the last two coffees (Yukon and Italian) but it is still pretty good. To me, it had a very upfront flavor of mixed citrus, and at the end, there was a very subtle, lingering spicy note. The flavor seemed to remain for a while after you swallow it.

(RED) is OK to me, but I'd have other African coffees (Kenya or Sidamo) any day over (RED).

This was the coffee I had been looking forward to trying most of the 8.  I seem to gravitate towards the African blends.  I paired this one with the lemon loaf for the pastry day and that really allowed the citrus notes in this coffee to shine.  It has a lighter mouth feel than the previous 2, and compared to Italian roast it's far less bold.  A good blend and I'm enjoying it, but I admit I'm a little disappointed from what I had hoped.  To me I noticed the citrus at the very beginning and again as an aftertaste with some spice.

Fairly light, for a bold, with some lingering strength and a bitter aftertaste that half & half all but eliminates.

Yay! I had a tall (Red) East African Blend yesterday at store #411 as I passed through Salem, Oregon on a roadtrip. Got my sticker.

I paired with the curry chicken cous cous salad. Not the best pairing for the coffee maybe but I was hungry.

I definitely could taste a lot of the brown sugar notes that this coffee is famous for and I love its bold flavor. The best part of it is while I was there having my salad, I could overhear two customers having a conversation that went, "I don't like Pike's". LOL.

Thank you for offering this coffee! A nice change of pace, though it wouldn't be my coffee for a daily all the time coffee but still very wonderful.

Yours truly,

Melody

(red) was least favorite [and least bold] of the bolds thus far

The RED has a tangy flavor that I'm not all that fond of.

I got it yesterday and noticed the citrus flavor which makes it somewhat different from the rest, add to that a little bit of spice and the exotic flavors from East Africa, it totally was a unique blend.  It doesn't have that full-bodied flavor that I'm looking for, but it's just alright.

This is a pretty approachable blend- some fruit, but not a single note that dominates. Too bad for the ( )RED tie-in, there couldn't be a strong red-fruit flavor.

Aroma- sweet

Acidity- medium to high

Body- light

Flavor- sweet, mild citrus fruits

Nice to see that I had the same pairing with the cranberry orange scone  as sbx_bean. To me this coffee tasted as good as the previous two ones. I liked the citrus and herbal flavors.

It is lighter of course than Italian, but this has floral notes and tastes a bit sweet to me. Too sweet, actually. Its really rather odd... kind of like a cup of daisies and lemons.

Smell: mild earthy spice

Taste: very acidic, earthy, spicy, thick, smooth, deep

After taste: acidic, citrus, spice

This was way to acidic for my tastes.

+1 sugar - A slightly sweet aftertaste

+2 sugar - Sweeter up front, less acidic, still spicy and citrus and a more spicy less acidic aftertaste

This wasn't as aromatic as the Yukon. So far my favorite has been the Italian Roast.

I really am loving this bold tasting promotion it's so fun to have a different coffee each week to look forward to.

anyway As for this weeks Red I had never tasted it before so it was very interesting.   I drank about 1/4 of the cup black which I never had done before, this tasting club is making me bolder.  

anyway the aroma was earthy and a bit off putting.  The coffee had an initial sour/winey taste  that dissipated quickly.  The coffee became more likeable as I paired it with a blueberry scone (free pastry day) The scone eliminated the winey taste.  I then detected a  bbq/burnt sugar aroma in the cup.  This had a lighter mouth feel than the other two bolds even with milk.  The pairing with the scone made the coffee much more palatable to me, overall interesting brew and funny how my impression changed over time it took me to drink it.  Better than Yukon, worse than Italian roast IMO .  looking forward to next week Komodo another  blend I've never tried.

It's funny, I have read several of the review and several people do not like the Week#3 Bold coffee. I like this one much better over the Yukon and Italian past options.

To date, for me, this one is the best by far!!!!

Hats off to the Bold tasting program. It makes me try new coffees I normally would not try.

The Red is maybe at the weak side of the bold side.  It trends toward a "medium" roast maybe?  So I guess you'v guessed it's not my favorite.  And you'd be right with that guess.  I like my coffee to be bold.  And I like my bold to be, well, bold.  And I don't think this qualifies.  As a medium blend, I think OK.  My medium-drinking buddies, I think, would like it.  On the other hand, it reminds to much of Pike Place roast, which I'm not a fan of.   Anywho, I'm looking forward to next week's Komodo!  It's at the top of my list.

Aww I haven't had a chance to taste it yet.  I'm usually the first one in line every Tuesday.  I'll be grabbing a cup on my way in to work tomorrow.  :)

The Red is my least favorite so far. My first taste took me aback, and my opinion of it didn't improve until I used it as an accompaniment to the maple-pecan scone I purchased on impulse when I got my coffee.

Wouldn't get the Red again. While it was OK with the pastry, I did not enjoy it solo.

I like it much, it seems to be a variation of yukon. yum

I sampled (Starbucks)RED East Africa Blend yesterday morning, paired with a free blueberry scone.  I found it to be a balanced taste; by that, I mean one taste evenly from start to finish, instead of the one-two punch that some coffees have.  It was not a particularly bold flavor, however.

I also found this blend to have a dryness to it, if that is possible for a liquid.  As for any interplay between the coffee and the scone, I do not believe I have enough talent as a taster to comment on that.

I continue to enjoy this promotion...

Since those who post comments each week for the eight weeks receive free coffee, I would like to make sure I receive credit for the comment I posted which somehow appeared as Anonymous.  It begins, "I sampled (Starbucks)RED East Africa Blend yesterday..."

Thank you.

Just a note to anyone: The (RED) pairs very nicely with the lemon poppyseed swirl loaf. Just my two cents.

My initial impression of this one was, "Oh I love this one!  Maybe this will be what I get for my freebie."  I was pleased with the taste, especially since last week's flavor was too bold for my taste.  I didn't think it was too acidic or citrusy, but I should try it again tomorrow and make sure. :)

I like how different this week's choice was.  It caused me to consider it more carefully, and savor it more fully.  The spice-y flavors along with the tang of the citrus notes played together so nicely for me.  

My husband found it to be bitter, and thought that was the only boldness in this blend.

It was an interesting tasting experience, and nice to compare impressions.  I think I would like another cup to enjoy with a pastry.

The tang of the Starbucks Red is not among my favorites, but it's not bad either. Still better than Pike :)

This one was very interesting for me. The aroma was faintly citrusy with a hint of smokiness. Tasting it, it was rather fruity with the spicy flavor sneaking up in the back of my mouth. It held up well with milk and sugar (how I always drink coffee, btw) mixed in and had a smooth quality to it.

If I had to put the three coffees in an order of favorite to least favorite so far, I'd still list the Italian first, then the Red then Yukon.

A splash of half and half was just what RED East Africa blend needed.  It did have a sweet aftertaste which I enjoyed, but this blend will not be added to my list of favorites.

definitely a fruity flavor without being overbearing.  not as bold as the others i've tasted.

Upon getting Red, I smelled for an aroma, it was a strong, bitter, and earthy.

I naturally drink my coffee with half and half, and I put plenty, and two sugars.

Aroma- Smokey, Earthy, Bitter, Tangy.

Acidity- High

Body- Medium

Flavor- Tangy, bitter, sweet after the sugars were added.

Had Mallorca bread with it, it did not compliment each other. I don't think I would buy Red again, it was nice to try, just not my type of coffee I guess.

Not my favorite, but I can see how its unique flavor could be very appealing to some.

Unfortunately I have nothing to say regarding (Starbucks)RED East Africa Blend because this is just one of many blends that in Hawaii are not being served.

It's truly a shame that we are left out like this...

Couldn't try it, Starbucks Hawaii is not brewing it.

I had another cup of (red) Africa today.   different experience than the cup I had a couple days ago.  The first may have been brewed, I can't remember.  Today was pour-over.  The aroma was much more dominant......as I took the lid off......quite citrusy.  Also, a cleaner finish.  It takes more than one cup (usually) to really taste a coffee. (for me)  still would not be one of my favorites but different impressions than the cup I had a couple days ago.

Starbucks (Red). I had another cup today to maysure. I like it a little better than last weeks bold but not as good as the Yukon.

3.5 out of 5

I thought Starbucks (Red)  had a citurus top note, a smooth body and a bright finish - however, it's not my favorite of the choices...

I finally tried it yesterday.  I had it with a raspberry scone.  I''m thinking I liked drinking it, but I didn't like the bitter aftertaste.  I've been trying them all with very little sugar and very little cream (I can't drink it straight) in order to really taste the coffee.  However, I had to add more sugar to cut the bitter taste.  I think I still prefer the Yukon.  :)

I have never tried this blend before but really liked it.  It seemed spicy to me.  I picked that up just from the smell but it wasn't over powering.  I liked this one for sure.

I had the (RED) earlier this week and really enjoyed it. It didn't suffer from the tangy after taste that i felt last weeks did. It had a nice bold strong smell.

I rank it #2 behind the Yukon out of the three we've sampled so far.

On a scale of 1-10: 8.5. I'm looking forward to next weeks Komodo Dragon;  I've never tasted it before.

Still not a coffee tasting connoisseur, but I was proud of myself for picking up on the citrus notes in this one.  Solid cup of coffee and a great time chatting with my friendly baristas.

I like the (Red) coffee or East African Blend. It is pleasingly dark. The body and texture made me think I was drinking a French Press---there was a certain fullness---even though it was a regular drip brew. I picked up the orange/citrus notes and a subtle spice flavor that others have mentioned, but I was hoping for more of the citrus and spice notes to come through. Additionally, I tasted a certain sweetness, vaguely floral or honey-like, I'm not sure which. The acidity was quite muted, but the overall complexity was pleasing. There's nothing particularly bad about this coffee, but it doesn't shake up my taste buds as much as I'd hoped.

This one is hard to describe for me. It was somewhat dense and complex tasting with a balance between acid and bitter notes. It tasted a bit wine-like and had a syrupy feel. It's not what I look for in a bold but it wasn't bad either. So far I'd rank the three as 1) Yukon 2) Italian and 3) East African.

I enjoyed the Red blend more than the Italian, and about the same as the Yukon.  As someone who is not interested in how strong a coffee can be, and who does not care for bitter coffees, this is an enjoyable coffee that has a long cup life (doesn't start tasting worse as it starts to cool).  I enjoy the clean taste, and the citrus notes were subtle enough that they did not detract from the overall "coffee" taste.  For me, I'd be happy to have Red anytime!

I thought the Red coffee was rather unexciting.  To me, it was perhaps only a little more flavorful than the regular Pike roast.  As my cup cooled down, though, I thought the coffee tasted better.  I don't know that I would classify this as a "bold" coffee, but it was okay.

I normally drink my coffee black, but thought this could have perhaps used a bit of cream or sugar to liven it up a bit.

Ummmm... ewwww?

I did the East Africa Blend as a pour over again. (I *heart* pour over.)

I found the coffee to be bitter, nutty, and flat. It didn't wow me. I even paired it with some food: didn't work with my apple fritter or the fiance's cinnamon chip scone.

I was tempted to buy a small Pike Place (so not my favorite) to see which blend was the ickiest because I never thought there could ever be a brew to rival the ick that is Pike Place.

The aftertaste? I had an incredible urge to brush my teeth afterwards to get the aftertaste out.

The East Africa Blend is just drinkable--and barely that. I went with a small this time. Had a half a cup left; threw it away. Usually I take my leftover coffee (no matter how much I have left) home with me to warm up and drink the next morning.

I am *so* glad Komodo Dragon Blend is this week! It's my favorite--had it before--so it's a good blend for redemption. :)

My rankings so far:

1:  Italian Roast

2:  Yukon Blend

3:  East African

The main flavors I taste in this coffee are citrus. I wonder if it would be good iced...

I, as a first-time taster/reviewer on this bold experiment, was pleased with myself that I actually tasted some of the citrusy notes in this coffee.  I really have a hard time detecting anything at all until I add sweetness, so I used some raw sugar and found it to be delightful.  Since I most often purchase iced drinks, I did eventually pour the bulk of my venti cup over ice, and @coffeevanilla, it was EXCELLENT!!!  I think I like this one better than the Italian Roast, but the Yukon is right up there with it.

This is my favorite Starbucks Coffee. I enjoy the taste and especially enjoy helping those living with HIV in Africa. On my last trip to Africa I brought this coffee with me along with the press/travle mug...it was great! ( on previous trips, was hard to find a good cup of coffee, since the locals export their coffee & drink instant coffee ! )