Roast Review: Luce Coffee Roasters
Iām thrilled to introduce you to this next coffee roaster, which proudly serves the Houston, Texas community ā Luce Coffee Roasters! Luce (pronounced loo-cheh) not only serves high-quality and specialty coffee from around the globe, they also host events and competitions to help their community get excited about coffee culture and better understand what theyāre sipping on.
Luce sent me two roasts (one for pour over and one for espresso), which I tasted alongside my husband and coffee tasting assistant, James. Read on to see what we experienced!Ā
Costa Rica- Tarrazu & Tres Rios
First impressionsĀ
We admired the beautiful bag of coffee, which was very on brand with the rest of the coffee fleet you can see on their site. Then, James opened the bag and lifted the coffee towards his nose to take in the scent.
āOh I smell something fruity⦠maybe a blueberry or melon.ā He pondered for a moment, then added, āit also could be nougat or caramel!ā
He handed the bag to me and I inhaled the aroma. It was very potent and bright!
I responded, āI definitely smell the blueberry. Itās almost like dried blueberry or dried cherry because itās so fragrant.ā
James smelled the beans again and said that he was sensing toasted nuts, punchy blueberry, and coconut.Ā
We agreed that there was an intoxicating sweetness. Would it be honey? Caramel? Fruit? We didnāt know but we were excited to stop guessing and start tasting.
I prepped our trusty Cuppamoka and James boiled the water. We ground the beans and the smell became even more potent! I poured water over the filter filled with beans and watched the fresh brew start to come into form.
Tasting notes
James took the first sip.
āI am definitely still getting the fruit. It is very pleasing, thereās low acidity, itās quite bright. Yum!ā
I noted that it was extremely light in body and very light on the tongue. I noticed a fruit but it was less punchy than I imagined.Ā
We both enjoyed how different this coffee was. We didnātĀ taste any sort of spice, nut, or chocolate, which is in a lot of coffees. The tasting notes were light and pleasant, like melon and honey.
The reveal
Luce describes this coffee as oak barrel aged whiskey,crisp, and dark cherry. Weād recommend sipping on your way to your next big hike or on the weekend while hosting friends.
Papua New Guinea
First impressionsĀ
We were so pleased with the pour over that we dove right into the espresso. I opened up the bag of beans and shook the beans around to release the aroma.Ā
āAh,ā I said, āthe smell is so warming. It has a certain sweetness but Iām not getting any fruit. Itās more like toffee.ā
James disagreed with the fruit piece. He said he noted a certain citrus smell and agreed with the warming spices.Ā
James took out the PicopressoĀ and I heated the water this time. We ground the beans, poured the beans into the filter, and tamped them down. We decided to use the Picopresso Pressure Gauge so we could really perfect our shot.
Tasting notes
I took a sip of the espresso and was instantly warmed by the sweet taste, which was perfect for the rainy day. I also noted a certain citrus taste, as James sensed earlier.
āFor me there is a bit of citrus on the tongue, what do you taste?ā
James took a sip and replied, āThere is a nice hit of citrus as well as acid. Itās so pleasant. Iām almost getting a tingling on the tip of my tongue.ā
We agreed that the espresso had a beautiful acidity, was woody, and had a bit of sweetness. We were curious to see what Luce said about the tasting notes!
The reveal
Luce says that this Papua New Guinea roast has notes of orange peel, molasses, and single malt whiskey. Delicious! This is definitely a coffee shop to keep an eye on, as they keep on growing! Make sure to stop by in person if you are in the Houston area, or subscribe to get it delivered to your doorstep.
Ā