MSI Coffee Tasting Club Week #3 - (Starbucks)RED East Africa Blend

re: MSI Coffee Tasting Club Week #3 - (Starbucks)RED East Africa Blend

BoSox2004 — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 11:44:07 GMT

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 ! )

re: MSI Coffee Tasting Club Week #3 - (Starbucks)RED East Africa Blend

sarcla — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 22:15:36 GMT

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.

re: MSI Coffee Tasting Club Week #3 - (Starbucks)RED East Africa Blend

coffeevanilla — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:27:01 GMT

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

re: MSI Coffee Tasting Club Week #3 - (Starbucks)RED East Africa Blend

uniquelysteph — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 04:38:53 GMT

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

re: MSI Coffee Tasting Club Week #3 - (Starbucks)RED East Africa Blend

PeterFox — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:32:28 GMT

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.

re: MSI Coffee Tasting Club Week #3 - (Starbucks)RED East Africa Blend

Thale — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:38:48 GMT

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!

re: MSI Coffee Tasting Club Week #3 - (Starbucks)RED East Africa Blend

parkerboy — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 02:05:55 GMT

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.