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Colombia Cauca Excelso (Medium Dark) from Coffee Roasters Asia

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Crisp yet smooth taste

Colombia Cauca Excelso (Midium Dark Roast) taste very balanced but you will never feel bored out of it, neither.

It has taste characteristics of light roast coffee but has very little acidic taste. Overall, it tastes very smooth yet quite crisp. It has a honey sweet aroma and a hint of herbal flavor.

Medium Dark Roast shows a light coat of oil on beans

You will notice a bit of smokiness but it is not overwhelming. While it delivers very crisp taste, acidity is very low and it has a hint of herbal flavor. If you are fond of a crisp taste, you should give it a try.

Costa Rica SHB Washed Tarrazu from Coffee Roasters Asia

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Smooth but a bit boring taste?

MY THOUGHTS

Overall, it is very smooth coffee to drink. I didn’t find anything particularly problematic yet I find it a tad boring to my taste lacking its distinctive character.

TASTING NOTES

Overall: Very smokey aroma and smooth taste. If you want something a lighter version of Classic Black Blend, this one would suit your taste
Acidity:  Quite low and has very tiny littering sourness at the end
Body: Medium (a trace of oil on beans)
Flavor: Very smokey aroma and a bit of nutty taste

BACKGROUND

Medium Roast whole beans (200g bag)
Blend origins: Costa Rica
Hand ground by Hario Mini Mill
Water Temp- 91~92°C
Kalita Wave Glass Dripper
Ratio – 15g beans : 250g water

Kenya Kamunyaka Iriani Nyeri AA from Q.O.L. Coffee in Nagoya, Japan

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Very fruity and crisp taste

My god! This is a mouthful name for coffee

TASTING NOTES

Overall: Very fruity and underlying cereal flavor and has a wonderful sweet sugary aroma
Acidity:  quite a bit of acidity but still very pleasant drink
Body: Light and crisp
Flavor: Profile on the label describe it Tropical fruits / Pink grapefruit and I think so, too. And it has a bit of cereal flavor (or maybe even herbal)

Very little to no oil found on beans

MY THOUGHTS

Firstly, these beans require your extra attention in terms of water temperature and fineness of ground coffee as its taste can be rather unpleasantly sour. So you need to grind as fine as possible and keep the water temperature slight higher than 90°C.
Once you get the recipe right, you will have wonderfully crisp and flavorful coffee. In addition, coffee has amazing aroma and it is nice to fill the whole room with sweet coffee smell.
I notice that roasting was done with very little amount of oil as you see virtually no oil residue on beans.
I strongly recommend to stop by Q.O.L. Coffee when you visit Nagoya. You can check this nice little cafe before/after cheking out Nagoya castle which is about 10 mins away by walking

Interestingly, all of coffee bags on display were loosely sealed and they permanently heat sealed the bag right  after I paid
You can see an interesting looking CO2 release valve on top right corner of the bag

BACKGROUND

Medium Roast whole beans (150g bag)
Blend origins: Brazil, Ethiopia and others
Hand ground by Hario Mini Mill
Water Temp- 91~92°C
Kalita Wave Glass Dripper
Ratio – 15g beans : 250g water

NOC COFFEE on Graham St.

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NOC Graham St. – Cozy Little Cafe in Sheung Wan 




NOC Coffee Co. currently runs 6 shops all in Hong Kong island and this one is quietly tucked in Sheung Wan.

The design language of the shop is very minimalistic which is also reflected by its official website. Staff were very nice and serving was quick.

Inside you will find Espresso station and 3-4 tables far end of the shop. This shop is really meant to be for Take-out as these tables are the tiniest table I ever seen. Facing the Espresso station, customers wait for their coffee sitting in a small bench against the wall.

Yes, they do sell coffee beans and the brand is co-founded by 2011 Hong Kong Barista Champion so their coffee beans mean business.



The packaging has some interesting details as shown in the pictures. It’s free standing vacuum bag with a taste profile / recipe bound to the bag.

I tried No. 18 House Blend as it seems to be their main staple. I sense nutty flavor with a pleasant acidic taste but didn’t really catch that chocolate taste described in their note.

Overall, the coffee was very enjoyable and I recommend you to pick one up if you are in the neighbor.

Specialty Gold Blend from Coffee Roasters Asia

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Specialty Gold Blend – Plum Plum Apple

Whole Bean Coffee Label

TASTING NOTES
Overall: Strong honey sweet aroma and floral flavor characterize this coffee
Acidity:  Strong tang is noticed from the beginning of your sip but it is not overly lingering
Body: Delicate
Flavor: Plum, very light ginger, herbal, grapefruit

Coffee Bean Close Up



MY THOUGHTS

This one is a bit of perplexing. The coffee has a delicate body tasting multiple layers of flavors yet overall taste profile was rather tamed and brewing might need your extra attention to achieve its full flavor.
Regarding the flavor, this one is the most fruity among CRA coffees so far. Supple apple flavor will greet your nose and mouse followed by a hint of plum with a brown sugar flavor. And there is an underlying bitter taste.
Lastly, when under-brewed, coffee will reveal very different flavor. Acidity and bitterness are very apparent which masks all other flavors and taste becomes very dull and flat. 

Yes, brewing is finicky but fruity flavor might be your effort.

BACKGROUND
Medium Roast whole beans (200g bag)
Blend origins: Brazil, Ethiopia and others
Hand ground by Hario Mini Mill
Water Temp- 94°C
Kalita Wave Glass Dripper
Ratio – 12g beans : 240g water

Premium Blue Blend from Coffee Roasters Asia

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 Premium Blue Blend – A Twist With Sweet & Tang

Whole Bean Coffee Bag

TASTING NOTES
Coffee has very interesting twist. You taste a sweet and smooth overall taste followed by light tang at the very end of a sip.
In addition, it has a very intense sweet aroma which will fill your whole kitchen in the morning.  Along with sweet and smooth taste, you can taste fruity & floral flavor with a very light touch of caramel.

Coffee Bean Close Up

MY THOUGHTS

Besides Classic Black Blend, this would be one of my top pick among Coffee Roasters Asia.
Compared to Classic Black Blend, Premium Blue has tad more crisp taste. If you like Classic Black Blend, this one would be a good addition to your coffee stocks. Lastly, this is pretty hard beans and it require quite a bit effort to hand grind them.

BACKGROUND

Medium Roast whole beans (200g bag)
Origin: Guatemala, Ethiopia, Others
Hand ground by Hario Mini Mill
Water Temp- 92°C (197.6°F)
Kalita Wave Glass Dripper
Ratio – 12g beans : 240g water

My experience with Coffee Roasters Asia

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Locally Roasted Whole Bean Coffee Ready in 2 Days


INTRO 

Started in 2014, Coffee Roasters Asia is a Hong Kong based specialty coffee roaster which a sister company to Coffee Roasters Australia based in Gold Coast, Australia. 

MY THOUGHTS
I recommend Coffee Roaster Asia for quality beans and great service. Ordering was breezy. Delivery was fast and coffee was very fresh. 

Coffee Box Seal

COFFEE QUALITY
I found the beans very fresh. Coffee Roaster Asia dispatches the beans no less than 3 days after roasting in my case. Each bag is labelled with a date.
When brewing coffee, a nice blooming is clearly visible.

Coffee Bean Bags in box

Roasting Date on a coffee bag

ORDERING
The web site has a online chat for queries. Surprisingly, the representatives were available each time I tried for a quick question.
Once you place an order, you will receive a confirmation email first and order order update notice when shipping out.

SHIPPING & HANDLING
The package is robust and professionally prepared.
Delivery time is 2 days in average(1 day for order processing & 1 day for actual delivery time)
Shipping is free of charge when the total amount is over HKD 500. Yamato Logistics handles the deliveries and the service is very satisfactory.

Whole Bean Coffee Mailing Box
MAILING LIST
I recommend you to sign up for their mailing list as they frequently send out a promo code for discount. 

Indonesia Gayo Mountain from Coffee Roaster Asia

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Indonesia Gayo Mountain Coffee from Coffee Roaster Asia 

Whole Bean Coffee Label


TASTING NOTES

Overall: Very sweet aroma
Acidity: Light to medium (more lean toward light side) and it’s a very pleasant note even for those who won’t like an acidic taste
Body: Light ( the store website describes it as Syrupy full body, though)
Flavor: Caramel, cinnamon and vanilla

Coffee Bean Close Up

MY THOUGHTS

I recommend to those who typically drink full body dark roasting but want a safe choice to try lighter roasting beans.

Coffee Bean Close Up


BACKGROUND

Light Medium Roast (2 roasting options available)
Hand ground by Hario Mini Mill
Water Temp- 90°C (194°F)
Kalita Wave Glass Dripper
Ratio – 12g beans : 240g water