Roast Review: Little Seed Coffee Roasters

As a New Hampshire native who grew up exploring the mountains and waters in Vermont, I’ll always have a sweet spot for the state and its people. So when I came across little seed, a coffee roaster out of Middlebury, VT, I wanted to find out more! I was immediately impressed by their commitment to sustainability in coffee packages and cups as well as the fact that they donate 5% of their proceeds to non-profits that improve their coffee producers’ communities. Now when you sip little seed, not only will you have a delightful experience, you’re sipping will be going to a good cause!

Adriana Gonzalez Pelaez

First impressions

I opened the bag and handed it to James. He inhaled the smell of the coffee beans and took a moment to consider. He noted white chocolate and some sort of spice but wasn’t sure which it could be.

Being careful to keep the printed tasting notes on the bag pointed away from me, I smelled the beans next. For me, I didn’t immediately sense white chocolate and my nose was more attentive to the overall “lightness” of the smell. There was definitely something sweet and bright for me!

James agreed on the sweetness and said that could be the white chocolate but we also considered there may be a citrus fruit. Chocolate and citrus seem to be opposite ends of the spectrum so our curiosity grew and only tasting could reveal more!

This coffee is versatile - your best friend for your next trip where you’ll want to have filter coffee and espresso - and we decided to brew it as a coffee for our first impression. We set up Cuppamoka, ground and packed the beans, added hot water, and delicately poured hot water over until we had a full cup!

Tasting notes

We doled out coffee between two cups and each held the cup for a moment, taking in the warmth and smell of the steam. I knew immediately that this would not be a bold punch of caffeine because the smell of the brewed coffee was subtle and light. 

James sipped from his cup and said, “There’s some acidity at the back that may be grapefruit! I feel like it could be grapefruit, hibiscus, rose petal… something like that.” I laughed because we had recently been showing a friend the coffee tasting note wheel and had refreshed our memory with the wide range of descriptions.  James was demonstrating his great memory of that!

I sipped my coffee and could definitely see where James got the grapefruit notes. There was nothing “sharp” about the flavor though, as it was smoothed out by grounding notes that I guessed were brown sugar or chocolate. What I love about light roast coffee is that I personally tend to sense more of the layers of tasting notes versus just the strongest and boldest ones.

The reveal

In their words: "we taste kiwi, orange blossom, and chocolate soft serve." We could definitely see ourselves drinking this roast all spring and summer long. It’s the ideal complement to a park day or trip to the river!