Roast Review- Pilot Coffee
Written by: Sheila Murray
Pilot coffee was founded in 2009 and since that time has made a major impact on the growing coffee culture in Toronto, with 10 locations total as of the time of this article! Not only is Pilot committed to providing specialty coffee (learn how it’s measured here!) and outstanding service, but they are also thoughtful about their impact on their community and the world. This is apparent when you look at their Direct Trade sourcing, sustainable and bilingual packaging, and the abundance of accolades!
Heritage Signature Blend
First impressions
I pulled off the tab and opened the resealable bag (great touch, Pilot!) to reveal the first impression of the coffee. The smell was nutty, bold, and sweet. Yum!
I handed the bag to James, who had some trouble deciding exactly what he was smelling.
“This is a tough one,” he said, “I’m not getting the rich and nutty tones you’re talking about and for me it’s more reminiscent of stone fruit.
We passed the bag back and forth trying to determine what else we sensed. For me it was quite complex with earthy and sweet notes. James added melon and floral notes to his list of guesses. We were careful not to look at the label, though the anticipation grew for what the coffee would taste like!
We decided to brew this blend using our Picopresso and worked together on the process. I carefully weighed the beans while James got the water started. Then James ground the beans, tamped, and added them to Picopresso. Then I brewed the espresso while he got started weighing out the next beans for the next espresso! After just a few minutes we had two, beautiful espressos side by side.
Tasting notes
“Wow!” said James, after his first sip. He said it was definitely nutty, with a sweet finish. He also remarked that if any coffee could be described as having notes of marshmallow, it was this one! He was impressed by the creaminess as well as the sense of sugar cane.
“I get the sugar for sure and agree it has a pleasant mouthfeel!” I responded, sipping my espresso thoughtfully. It held the sweet and creamy taste all the way through and was lively without being acidic. I hadn’t tasted anything quite like it in recent memory. I was also glad that we had tried it first with the Picopresso - the two are a perfect pairing!
For the two of us, it is a versatile blend that can be easily enjoyed on rainy days or warm summer months.
The reveal
Pilot says this coffee is creamy with notes of milk chocolate and toffee. It can be enjoyed on its own, as we enjoyed it black, and pairs well with milk too! This blend can be prepared as drip, espresso, or immersion. I enjoyed reading about how each of these brewing processes lend themselves to the coffee and create different results.