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Over the coming days weeks we will be tasting and sharing our thoughts on all the latest coffee's in this edition's Discover Great Coffee Club box!
As you can see, this Autumn 2023 edition of Coffee Magazine issue #43, has a music theme and a cheeky little nod to Rolling Stone, thanks to two of our featured coffee professionals who are both musicial - Stevo Kühn and Retha Van Rhijn.
And so it is extremely fitting that we kick off with the appropriately named Stereo Coffee Roasters from Bloemfontein, which also happens to be where Stevo and Retha come from!
Stevo on the Rolling Stone inspired cover of Coffee Mag and Stereo's TRIO blend!
The TRIO Blend is Stereo Coffee Roasters signature blend. A medium roast mix of three coffees originating from Central America, South America and Africa. These coffees have been selected to work in harmony to make great-tasting espresso-based beverages yet mild enough for a flavourful filter or plunger coffee.
I loved the dry fragrance of the blend and the colour of these beans...
...so decided to go for an espresso (just look at that crema!)...
...followed by a Flat White!
I am not usually inspired to try blends as espresso, for two reasons: Firstly, most roasters blend coffees for milk-based beverages and therefore roast slightly darker and secondly because, well, it's a blend so you're getting a mix of single origins and this sometimes can detract from trying to highlights the unique characteristics of each of the beans...HOWEVER, when you encounter a roaster like James Kilbourne, who has been in the game for a good number of years, is a specialist roaster and has spent time overseas honing his sensory skills with leading global coffee professionals.... then you make an exception!
And, I'm so glad I did.
The espresso was rich, smooth and had the most luxurious crema on top. The flavour was bold and complex, as you'd expect from a blend, and the TRIO really gave me a good punch in the mouth!
Then, the Flat White - the beverage this TRIO blend was made for! Starting with the espresso extraction I've just described above, I was super excited when layering the steamed milk into that thick, rich base.
Sipping on this Flat White I was transported to another place...hitting the road, being on tour, exploring the countryside with great tunes blasting from the stereo. I even dusted off the old guitar case and had a chuckle looking at the ageing, faded stickers of all the brands and iconography of that life on the road...
