I love coffee. Like, a lot. Like, enough to where my first stop when I get out of bed in the morning is my coffee machine, and my editor has seen me come into the office with Starbucks in hand more times than is probably healthy, and I go through coffee beans at a rate that I think could land itself a page in the Guinness Book of World Records.
What do I love about coffee? Well, the coffee taste itself is a given—the rich, bold, aromatic beans that hit me like a jolt of warm energy. But what makes a really good cup of coffee is what other notes are in the cup besides the coffee itself. Some like a light roast, maybe with a nutty flavor, or something sweet, like caramel or vanilla. Some (including myself) like dark roast, with intense flavors like chocolate and smoke coming through with each sip.
A good cup of coffee should be full-bodied—no wateriness, no acidity, no sharpness. A great cup of coffee should be nuanced and complex, and have you tasting subtle notes other than the coffee itself. And that's something that Blue Bottle Coffee has mastered.
With their Giant Steps whole bean coffee blend, Blue Bottle has definitively ranked itself in my books as one of the best roasts on the market—and remember, my books are extensive. I'm picky! But whenever I make this at home, I know I'm in for a great cup of joe (and maybe even two).
The product description for the Giant Steps blend says "No brightness or fruity fanfare." That was enough to pique my interest into ordering it to try for myself, and let me tell you, the Blue Bottle copywriting team did not lie! This is a strong, deep cup of coffee. It's bold. It's heavy. It, delightfully, has notes of cocoa, toasted marshmallow, and graham cracker—it's not too sweet, but drinking it is like sitting in front of a hot fire on a chilly night, letting the blaze wash over you while you roast s'mores to perfection.
The cocoa in this is not chocolate-y, per se. Think of the richest dark chocolate you've ever had—it's about as "sweet" as that. I don't drink my coffee with sugar or milk, but I'm sure if you added those to this blend, it'd taste like Christmas morning and every campfire you've ever sat around. It stays true to it's flavor until the very last sip, and if you really try, you can even discern some smokiness—the last embers of the campfire, burning out after the s'mores are all done.
This is also an organic blend, so I feel healthy when I drink it. It's a comfort cup of coffee, really—not one that jolts you out of bed like the Stone Street blend, but instead, one that eases you into your day, and when you circle back to it for an afternoon pick-me-up, it greets you with a warm embrace.
