Kicking Horse Coffee Cliff Hanger Beans Review

Kicking Horse Coffee Cliff Hanger Espresso Beans Review

I noticed that one of the more popular espresso beans that visitors to espressocoffeesnobs.com were ordering from Amazon was Kicking Horse Coffee "Cliff Hanger Espresso" beans so I thought I'd order some for myself and put them to the usual test.

Kicking Horse Coffee "Cliff Hanger Espresso"
Photo Credit: John Corney

The beans come in a 2.2lb / 1kg package. I was surprised to see when I got them that Kicking Horse Coffee roasters are actually based in British Columbia, Canada. Who knew that Canada had coffee roasters. Just kidding! On top of that, the beans are both fair trade and certified organic!

The beans currently retail at Amazon for $29.42 for the 2.2lb bag ($13.37 per lb or $0.84 per oz).


I actually purchased the beans through the Amazon Subscribe and Save program and after the 15% discount paid $25 for the order ($11.37 per pound or $0.71 per oz). Not a bad price.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the bag is that the beans were definitely a darker roast than I typically use. Because of the longer roasting, the beans were also shiny and wet-looking from the extrusion of the oils caused by the longer roasting. I was a little concerned about this as dark-roasted oily beans can result in less crema production when extracting an espresso shot.

However, as you can see from the below video, ample crema was generated during the extraction of my test shot and there was no burned flavor.

Speaking of which, as to flavor, my first impression was actually that it was kind of "woody". I know it sounds weird, but I don't mean it in a negative way; it's just the first thing that came to mind. And it's not that I've eaten a lot of wood in my life. :-) The balance of bitterness and sweetness was good, with no overpowering or lingering bitter or sour aftertaste.

A Flat-White made using Kicking Horse Coffee's
"Cliff Hanger Espresso Beans" 
Photo Credit: John Corney

When I used the beans to make a flat-white, the flavor had the oomph to support itself and not be overwhelmed by the addition of milk.

I'm glad I didn't write this review immediately since you can see there were a couple of first impressions that left me wondering. At this point I'm almost through the entire bag of beans and in the next few days will take delivery of my Subscribe and Save order . I love these beans! Having made coffee with these beans every day for a month now I have fallen for these beans, so I wholeheartedly recommend them to you. Buy some Kicking Horse Coffee "Cliff Hanger Espresso Beans" and see for yourself.

See all my espresso bean coffee reviews.

Salimbene Superbar Beans Crema and Taste Test

Salimbene Superbar Beans Crema and Taste Test

A few weeks ago I received an email from someone who wrote:

How come you don't mention Salimbene coffee from Naples as the winner of Best Italian Roast for 2015, in a blind tasting by "Crema" Magazine, a European coffee magazine for espresso lovers. For the first time its available in the USA on Amazon.com.

I let them know that I'd check it out, which I have now done.

I purchased a 2.2 lb (1 kg) bag of Salimbene Superbar beans through Amazon.com at my own expense. According to the packaging, the beans are roasted at Cafee Salimbene in Naples, Italy, the city from which espresso coffee originates. The beans cost $39.85, which works out at $18.11/lb, one of the more expensive beans I have bought, and the most expensive beans I have reviewed to date.

The packaging and logo is understated with a vacuum-seal valve. The packaging notes that the blend is 80% Arabica beans. The labeling on the packaging states:

A rich, finely textured, almond-reddish coloured crema seals down into the cup the aromas of this harmoniously structured blend. The real, good Italian Espresso blend with a rich body and lingering taste thanks to the presence of highest quality washed Robustas. Salimbene's Superbar is made of coffee beans grown in 8 countries from Central and South America, Africa and Asia.

Upon opening the package, I observed that the roast is a dark roast, but not to the extent that the oils are being extruded from the beans, a critical characteristic for making espresso crema: beans that are roasted very dark to the point that the oils make the beans slick and wet often fail to produce good crema when making espresso, especially when using a less-expensive domestic espresso machine.

Salimbene Superbar Coffee Beans

The beans were not noticeably aromatic. I'm sure we've all gotten ecstatically heady breathing in deeply the aroma of roasted coffee beans, but that is not the kind of hit you are going to get with these beans. The aroma is quite subtle.

I ground 4 tablespoons of the beans in my Breville Smart Grinder at the normal fine grind setting that I use for making espresso and extracted a shot into a glass demitasse so that the results of the crema produced were easily visible.


The beans did in fact produce a good level of crema. (See video below)

Salimbene coffee espresso crema

The taste profile of the espresso was pleasantly mild in its bitterness. Bitterness is an essential component of the taste profile of espresso coffee, but in poorer blends can be overwhelming and unappealing, often leaving an unappealing and lingering aftertaste. Not so with these Salimbene beans: a perfect balance of constrained bitterness - that does not even become apparent at first taste - and mild levels of contrasting sweetness. A perfect balance! No wonder the roast won the blind-tasting mentioned in the message I received.

I wholeheartedly recommend these beans. If the price point is too high for you, however, I have several other recommendations for you to consider, and perhaps you can treat the Salimbene beans as a special occasion treat to impress guests.

Salimbene Superbar beans can be purchased at Amazon.com

See all my coffee bean reviews

illy Medium Roast Espresso Beans Crema Test

illy Medium Roast

It's time for some beans from the home of espresso coffee to step into the ring and show whether or not they are up to the "crema test".

The " illy" brand has been around since 1933 and was founded by Francesco Illy, the inventor of the "Illetta", a precursor to today's espresso machines. (illy: wikipedia).

For the test I purchased two 8.8 cans of illy Medium Roast Whole Bean Coffee 8.8-Ounce from Amazon.com using "Subscribe and Save".

How do the illy beans compare to the Lavazza Super Crema beans from my last test?

Crema:Passed, but slightly less crema than was produced by the Lavazza beans
Flavor: More sweet and less bitter than the Lavazza beans
Packaging: 2 x 8.8oz tins with screw lid (Lavazza: 1 x 2.2lb bag)
Price before discounts: $24.25 for two 8.8 oz tins. $1.37/oz (Lavazza: $0.68/oz)

Noteable:
The "illy" beans are packaged in the tins with an inert gas to maintain freshness as opposed to the more typical vacuum-seal.

When consumed, the cans can be reused to store your favorite trinkets.

Conclusion
Pros : Recommended for flavor and crema production. Great espresso for latte, flat-white, and cappuccino. Great tasting espresso for after-dinner fix.
Cons: Price; one of the more expensive brands

My equipment as seen in the video:
Breville Smart Grinder
Breville Semi-Automatic Espresso Maker

Lavazza Super Crema Espresso Beans Crema Test

Lavazza Super Crema Espresso Beans

Readers of Espresso Coffee Snobs will know that my recommendation for coffee beans suitable for making espresso coffee with excellent crema is Ethiopian Yirgacheffe beans. (Check the Coffee Masters store at Amazon for availability). Over the last couple of months I've had a couple of people outside of the U.S. contact requesting a recommendation that's available in Europe since these beans appear to be available only from the U.S.

Unfortunately, I don't have any knowledge of the European market, but I have noticed that one of the most popular beans ordered from Amazon through my blog is Lavazza Super Crema. Since Lavazza is one of the most famous European brands for coffee and available in many countries around the world, I thought I'd place an order from Amazon and put them to the test to see how good they were at making a good espresso shot with crema. I ordered them through Subscribe and Save at Amazon for which I also received a coupon for the first purchase, so they were quite a good deal. 

As you can see from the video below, the beans produced very good crema. The flavor of the espresso is best described as "bittersweet." Personally, I still prefer the flavor of the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, but taste is a personal thing. So if you can't get the Yirgacheffe beans in your country, or are having trouble with producing crema, consider giving these Lavazza Super Crema espresso beans a shot. You can also visit the Lavazza store at Amazon for other bean varieties that may appeal to your personal taste. 

Related Reading

• The Road to Perfect Crema
• Coffee Masters Ethiopian Yirgacheffe
• Coffee Bean Reviews

Espresso Coffee Bean Recommendation - Ethiopian Yirgacheffe

Coffee Masters Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Whole Beans for Espresso

For a long time now I have recommended Copper Moon Guatemalan Antigua Blend Medium Roast beans (that recommendation is dated March 2011), but I have recently found some beans that I personally prefer even more. I have always had a thing for Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans. It seems that these “single origin” beans can be hard to come by, and they tend to be a little more expensive, but they make a wonderful espresso base for my daily flat whites and lattes and the flavor is perfect for my taste; a touch of the bitterness that is characteristic of coffee, but not overpoweringly so.

I recently thought about checking Amazon to see if they might have any (in the past they didn’t) and was very pleased to find that they do and at a good price too! They are roasted by Coffee Masters Gourmet Coffee and come as whole beans in 12-ounce bags in packs of 4. I placed an order and really, really liked them. They are now all I am using at home and I have added them to my monthly “Subscribe and Save” order with Amazon which means I get 15% off the price since I have more than 5 items on Subscribe and Save each month.


These beans make rich crema without fail, and the pressure dial on my Breville (reviewed here) sits perfectly at 9 bars with these beans, something that can be hard to achieve if beans are over-roasted.

Anyhow, since I often get asked for bean recommendations for making espresso, this is one that I definitely recommend you try so don't hesitate to give them a try. And the price is right - they will cost you less than anything you buy at Starbucks or Peets etc! And they qualify for free shipping too. Check out Coffee Masters Ethiopian Yirgacheffe here at Amazon.

Review: CAN AgroEco Nicaragua Coffee Beans

I was recently sent a sample of Nicaraguan light roast coffee beans from Community Agroecology Network (CAN) at U.C. Santa Cruz.

The beans came in a full 1lb (16oz) vacuum-sealed package, roasted by Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting.

The beans ranged in size from small to quite large. Despite being described as "light roast, the color was at the darker-end of mid-brown. The color of the beans was exceptionally even, with very slight hints of oil on a few of the beans. I would classify the roast as "full-city". The eveness of coloring throughout indicated excellent roasting.


On opening the bag, the aroma of the beans was pleasantly woody with a hint of smokiness.

I ground 12g of the beans in my home using a mid-grind with a Breville smart grinder.  I boiled water, allowing it to cool for 30 seconds before pouring it over the coffee grinds, and then left the coffee to steep for 4 minutes. For comparative purposes, I "cupped" (comparatively tasted) against some Guatemalan beans.

After waiting for 4 minutes, I "cracked" the surface of the liquid and inhaled the aroma which was noticably sweet.

I then tasted the coffee. I found the coffee to have balanced acidity. The weight of the coffee in the mouth was average, without any cloying. Flavor was mildly bitter. Aftertaste was lingering mild bitterness.

I then ground 4 tablespoons of the beans using a fine espresso grind. I extracted a double espresso shot into a 4 oz glass espresso demitasse cup using a Breville BES900XL Semi Automatic Espresso Machine. Crema production was excellent, measuring at 7mm depth after 15 seconds of settling. The crema held its own well beyond several minutes.

I then ground an additional 4 tablespoons of the beans using fine espresso grind and extracted a double shot of espresso into a 10oz cup. I added foamed milk to make a flat-white. The crema floated well on the top of the milk and the flavor of the coffee held its own against the sweetness of the milk. Overall, a very satisfying and balanced coffee drink.

I would recommend these beans to all readers as well-roasted, flavorful beans, that will make for satisfying espresso and espresso-based drinks. Not to mention that you can drink your coffee with a clear conscience by supporting the good work of CAN in its program of environmental, social, and economic advancement for the growers of the San Ramon cooperative in Nicaragua.

Readers can purchase the beans at: http://store.communityagroecology.net/

The beans retail for $14.95/lb (includeing shipping), and $14.50/lb for a 3- or 6-month subscription. A monthly subscription reduces the cost futher to $13.95/lb. 

Use coupon code: "San Ramon" for all orders of 2 lbs. or more.

(Note: I am not affiliated with CAN nor Santa Cruz Coffee Roasters and will not receive any affiliate compensation from either organization. - John)

About Community Agroecology Network
You can read more about CAN and it's "beyond fair trade coffee" practices at my post CAN Community Agroecology Network

Great Value Coffee Beans Suitable for Espresso - Copper Moon Guatemalan Antigua Blend

A house-guest of mine who had recently spent a few months in Guatemala brought me a bag of Guatemalan coffee beans back for me as a gift. I have to say I was a little apprehensive at first as a prior experience of beans brought back from Costa Rica for me a few years ago was such that I threw the beans away. When I opened them and saw that they were a nice medium roast rather than a dark roast I thought that they at least had a chance of being able to produce some crema. To my great surprise and delight, the beans actually produced a rich, sweet crema, and overall a very pleasant cup of espresso.

So once I had used up the bag I thought I'd give Guatemalan beans another shot so went out to Amazon.com to see what I could see. I found a 2lb bag of Guatemalan Antigua blend medium roast beans from Copper Moon World Coffee for an incredibly good price and free shipping with my Amazon Prime membership, so decided to give them a try. Once again these are fantastic beans for making good esespresso with rich crema. The flavor is a nice sweet with just a hint of bitterness, with no hint of sourness. Perfect! I really recommend them.

Here's a link to them at amazon.com Copper Moon Guatemalan Antigua Blend Medium Roast, Whole Bean, 2-Pound Bag