Roast Review: Genesis Coffee Lab

I’m thrilled to share this next roaster with you because it certainly is a special one! Genesis Coffee Lab shares specialty coffee from the birthplace of coffee - Ethiopia. Genesis imports green coffee from the mountains of the Sidama region directly to their roasting spot in Alaska.  I personally love learning these important details, as it speaks volumes about its values and commitment to those values. Learn more about the Genesis Coffee Lab story here! Spoiler: You may fall in love with this coffee and company. I had the pleasure of trying the Tamiru Tadesse : Double Anaerobic, which can be made as a pour over or espresso, and I’ll be sharing my experience with you.

Tamiru Tadesse : Double Anaerobic

First impressions

I strategically turned the bag of coffee away from myself as I opened it. As always, this was a blind review, so I didn’t want to see the tasting notes just yet! I smelled the whole beans and felt entranced by what I smelled. It was especially sweet and syrupy and on a scale of light to dark notes, it seemed to fall more toward light and floral. 

James smelled the beans next and exclaimed how absolutely incredible the smell was. I agreed! He also said there were light notes and a palpable smell of vanilla. From simply smelling the beans we could tell this coffee was going to be a special one! Jeffrey, the co-founder of Genesis, said that this coffee would be fantastic as a pour over or single origin espresso. Where I would typically go the espresso route with a new coffee like this, James and I were eager to try it as a pour over. We took out our trusty Cuppamoka and prepared the coffee setup by pouring hot water through the filter to settle. Next, we ground the beans (which filled our kitchen with a sweet coffee smell) and poured the grounds into the Cuppamoka filter. Once the vessel was filled with coffee, it was time to give it a try!

Tasting notes

I let James try the coffee first and waited for his reaction. James took a sip and threw his head back, “Wow! That’s really good!” He doubled down on his guess of vanilla notes and said there could be citrus in there as well. I tried the coffee next and was blown away. It was syrupy in the best way possible and just tasted high quality. The syrupy texture was balanced by airy and floral notes and I did agree with the vanilla.

James took another sip and said there was something sugary about it and said he could taste the airy notes that I had mentioned. The coffee held a depth of flavor that revealed a depth of coffee history. It was not your average cup you could find just anywhere!