MSI Coffee Tasting Club: #8 - Sumatra

See prior posts to learn more about the tasting club

Sumatra by Starbucks Coffee

April 26- May 3

Earthy and unpredictable. A full, syrupy body with herbal notes and earthy aroma.

Earthy and unpredictable, Sumatra has a full, syrupy body with virtually no acidity - so the coffee's intensity lingers in your mouth. The concentrated spicy, herbal notes and earthy aroma are the telltale signatures of this well-loved coffee.

Starbucks Sumatra Coffee. Indulge your sense of spontaneity with a cup right now.

More about this coffee:
The island of Sumatra produces 70% of Indonesia's income and is home to over 38 million people.

Intensity: Extra Bold

Food Pairings: Cinnamon, toffee and fresh breads - all are divine with a cup of this coffee.

Origin Notes: Sumatra is Indonesia's largest island.

My Notes:

Smell: spice, roast
Taste: spice, earth, slight acidity
After taste: spice

Not really a memorable cup, bot great and not bad.

Those 8 weeks flew by too fast!

My preferences, best to worst, so far:
1) Caffe Verona
2) Gold Coast Blend
3) Italian Roast
4) Sumatra
5) Yukon
6) (STARBUCKS)RED
7) Café Estima Blend
8) Komodo Dragon

You need to post your week #8 tasting notes here:

MSI Coffee Tasting Club Week #8 - Sumatra

Additional Sumatra Links:

You Tube

Buy Here - Sumatra by Starbucks Coffee 1-lb.

MSI Coffee Tasting Club: #7 - Gold Coast Blend®

See prior posts to learn more about the tasting club

Gold Coast Blend® by Starbucks Coffee

April 19-25

Our biggest and boldest blend was created in 1987 for our first store opening in Chicago.

We created our biggest and most flavorful blend in 1987 to commemorate our first store opening in Chicago. Gold Coast Blend® is a sophisticated coffee with waves of flavor that evolve as the coffee cools.

More about this coffee:
This full-bodied blend showcases our finest Latin American and Asia Pacific coffees, accented with a touch of Italian Roast's sweetness.

Now all Starbucks® coffees are at your fingertips - StarbucksStore.com is the online resource for all Starbucks coffees. Buy Starbucks coffees - whole bean, ground, pods, caffeinated, decaf, single-origin, espressos, blends, organic, promotional/holiday/seasonal blends and Black Apron Exclusives™ - easily and conveniently, delivered to your home or office.

Intensity: Extra Bold

Food Pairings: Four flavors that hold their own against this bold coffee and accentuate its intensity, are: tangy cranberry, woodsy maple, buttery-sweet caramel and dense cheesecake.

Origin Notes: A blend of Latin American and Indonesian coffees.

My Notes:

Smell: spicy, chocolaty, earthy
Taste: spicy, earthy, pleasantly acidic, smooth, a weaker body (medium) than I was expecting
After taste: earthy, spicy, acidic

While reading all the notes I decided to try this with a chocolate peanut butter tandykake - that was a mistake, it made the tandykake bitter.

It was great without sugar or cream, but I expect the additions would only have complemented and not overpowered the coffee.

My new almost favorite of the bold tasting adventure, it is hard to believe it's nearly over.

My preferences, best to worst, so far:
1) Caffe Verona
2) Gold Coast Blend
3) Italian Roast
4) Yukon
5) (STARBUCKS)RED
6) Café Estima Blend
7) Komodo Dragon

You need to post your week #7 tasting notes here:

MSI Coffee Tasting Club Week #7 - Gold Coast Blend®

Additional Gold Coast Blend Links:

You Tube

Buy Here - Gold Coast Blend® by Starbucks Coffee 1-lb.

MSI Coffee Tasting Club: Week #2 – Italian Roast

Italian Roast by Starbucks Coffee

This sturdy Multi-Region Blend is a sweet, bold cup of coffee.

This sturdy Latin American blend is less complex than Espresso Roast and not as intensely smoky as French Roast. Nonetheless, it's a potent, bold cup of coffee.

More about this coffee: Italian Roast is the coffee flavor found in Frappuccino® blended beverages containing coffee.

Intensity: Extra Bold

Food Pairings: Italian Roast is amazing with dark chocolate and any buttery pastry.

Origin Notes: Blend of Latin American coffees.

MY NOTES:

Smell: chocolate, coffee, roast
Taste: thick, dark spice fronted by a bit of acidity
After taste: oily slick of sweet spice for a moment

I didn't want to add sugar or cream it's nice and enjoyable the way it is.

This wasn't as aromatic as the Yukon (MSI Coffee Tasting Club: Week #1 – Organic Yukon Blend® but I liked it better.

About the tasting club:

The program was announced 3/2/2010 on MSI (My Starbucks Idea)

MSI-My Starbucks Idea Tasting Club

MSI Tasting Club Details

You need to post your week #2 tasting notes here:

MSI Coffee Tasting Club Week #2 - Italian Roast

Additional Links:

You Tube

Buy Here -
Italian Roast by Starbucks Coffee

Starbucks Sumatra Extra Bold

Company: Starbucks
Name: Sumatra
Growing Region: Asia/Pacific
Flavor: Intensely earthy and aromatic
Intensity: Extra Bold
Description: As you might have guessed, one of the benefits of working here at Starbucks is free coffee.

A pound a week, in fact. And it may interest you to know that this coffee is the one single-origin offering that we most often choose to enjoy at home, after we take off the green apron.

Why do we love it so? It has a full, buttery body with virtually no acidity, so the coffee’s intensity and flavor simply lingers on your tongue. Make no mistake, this is a slurping coffee. At its best, there’s no mistaking the concentrated herbal notes and earthy aroma – telltale marks this beloved brew have left on our shirts and our hearts.

Sumatra has a full, syrupy body with virtually no acidity - so the coffee's intensity lingers in your mouth. The concentrated spicy, herbal notes and earthy aroma are the telltale signatures of this well-loved coffee.

More about this coffee:
The island of Sumatra produces 70% of Indonesia's income and is home to over 38 million people.
Purchase: Here

Grind: unknown?
Preparation: Pour over in Starbucks Store
Amount: unknown
Water: unknown
Additives: none
Body: Full
Smell: chocolaty, earthy
Taste: nutty, spicy, thick and rich
After-taste: slight acidity / bitterness, but the taste coats your tongue

Notes: I really wanted to try the pour over, I find it thinner than french press but with a little more body than auto drip. This has a lot less acidity than many coffees, which makes me enjoy it without additives.

Rating: 2/3