Roast Review: Coffee Bros Roastery

Roast review by: Sheila Murray Photos by: Linked Ring

You’re going to love this next coffee roaster - Coffee Bros Roastery - not only because they have delicious and quality coffee, but also because their website is absolutely packed with helpful information to make your best cup of coffee ever. I’m not kidding – I loved their coffee to water ratio calculator and my husband and I lost track of time looking at all the coffee equipment. They even have a blog featuring the Nanopresso! This collaboration was absolutely meant to be and I’m thrilled to share our experience trying Coffee Bros.

Read on to learn about four of the excellent roasts we tried.

Ethiopia | Daye Bensa

First impressions

I opened the bag of beans and inhaled the aroma.  

“Woah!” I exclaimed, “It’s so potent and clearly freshly roasted. I’m getting a nice hit of a punchy fruit.

James smelled the beans next and guessed that there were notes of strawberry compote and sugar. I added that there may be some lemon meringue and a touch of brown sugar. 

It was safe to say that the first impression of smelling the coffee piqued our interest. We decided to brew this coffee with our Cuppamoka. James pulled out our trusty Examgram Pro and switched the setting to “P” for pour over mode, while I set up the Cuppamoka filter and ground up the beans. In the end we had two gorgeous cups of coffee to taste.

Tasting notes

We both took a few sips and quietly considered.

I noticed a pleasant, smooth mouthfeel and more subtle flavors than I expected. For me it seemed like the coffee held notes of white peach, cacao, and some apple. With every sip the melody of tasting notes continued to transform and blend perfectly.

“I really like this one,” proclaimed James. “It is so smooth and balanced. I am getting notes of pear and green tea.”

The reveal

We finally looked at the box to reveal the tasting notes. This coffee has notes of caramel, fresh apple, and peach! 

Colombia | Fruit Loops 

First impressions

We both enjoyed the Ethiopian roast so much that we wanted to try another roast straight away. This time, the coffee from Huila, Colombia! Coffee Bros does an exceptional job highlighting the details of each coffee, including information about the regions and people that are involved. I enjoyed reading about how Coffee Bros discovered this coffee at an event in Chicago.

James opened the coffee bag and shook the beans around to release the aroma. He guessed that there may be notes of cherry, meyer lemon, blueberry, and blackberry.

I found it to be equally as bright and fruity. I was sensing notes of punchy red and blue fruit and perhaps even something tropical like mango.

As we already had the Cuppamoka out, we decided to try this as a pourover but we promised ourselves we would try it another day as an espresso. Once again, the Cuppamoka helped us brew two beautiful cups of fresh coffee.

Tasting notes

“Oh yeah!” exclaimed James. “I’m getting an explosion of red fruit, strawberry, and blueberry.” After a few more sips he added the brew was tart but sweet, acidic but not overly so.

I found this coffee to be unbelievably satisfying and full bodied. It held a nice, round mouthfeel with a bright hit of fruit at the end. I agreed with James that there were notes of red and blue fruit and it was overall very awakening.

The reveal

As revealed in the name, drinking this coffee is like indulging in a bowl of fruit loops cereal. It’s fun and bright and an amazing way to kickstart the day. I tried the roast a few days later in a homemade cortado with the help of the Picopresso and -wow- I would also recommend that!

Honduras | Katia Duke

First impressions

We opened the bag of beans and passed it back and forth, taking guesses at the notes we were sensing. 

James said he was smelling chocolate but that it was equally matched by notes of fruit. He guessed it may be a stone fruit or a hint of citrus.

Personally, I was taken aback by how bold and bright the coffee was - it smelled delicious! I guessed there may be notes of dark chocolate, cherry, and orange.

We thought this one could be good as both an espresso and a coffee, and we opted for the  Pipamoka pressure brewing method this time around. As always, it was simple enough to make the coffee with our Pipamoka and we were ready to sip it in no time!

Tasting notes

My first impression of the taste was the balance of the deep, flavorful notes with the smooth, light mouthfeel. It was sensing chocolate, caramel, brown sugar, and perhaps a touch of fruit. 

James agreed that this coffee tasted like caramel and chocolate. He also added that there were notes of plum at the end.

We could easily see ourselves enjoying this roast any day of the week and sharing it with friends. 

The reveal

This coffee has notes of chocolate, toffee, orange and red current. Delicious! 

Espresso Roast

First impressions

This coffee was strong with its first impression. I was mesmerized by the sweet notes of sugar and berry. It was much lighter than I might have expected for an espresso roast and, as a fan of lighter roasts, this was a delight.

“I’m almost getting some lime,” mused James, while he smelled the beans. He also thought there may be some red fruit and perhaps honey.

We took out our Picopresso, Exagrind, Exagram, and Gauge for this one. James ground the beans using the Exagrind while I heated the water. We brewed an espresso each into our Wacaco Stellar coffee cups, which I had been eager to use.

Tasting notes

Notes of citrus and fruit hit early on in the first sip. It was sweet and sugary with notes of berry and perhaps vanilla that was rounding it out.

James guessed that there might be notes of toasted almond, blueberry, and honey.

“It’s bold, refined, and flavorful,” he said between sips.

There were a few other tasting notes that we were noticing but couldn’t quite name. What we were sure of was that the espresso was delicious and that the Stellar cups actually made a difference with the clarity of flavor. 

The reveal

This roast has notes of strawberry, sugar cane, and vanilla. Another excellent coffee I’ll have to try in a cortado sometime (my current favorite drink of choice)!