Big Picture
There are some cups of coffee that give an overwhelming sense of comfort. The Big Picture blend (which is also a staff favorite) is exactly that type of blend. With tasting notes of Milk Chocolate, Orange, and Burnt Brown Sugar I immediately was thrown back to nostalgic Christmas mornings opening a chocolate orange in my stocking. In my very "official" first smell test I found myself going back in for a second big whiff of the beans before brewing in my Chemex. Again it had that hard to define but very noticeable scent of comfort and nostalgia, it felt like it matched the quiet moments I take for myself in the morning while brewing.
The first sip confirmed my comfort feelings immediately with a subtle smooth chocolate start, a hint of orange and the occasional lingering note of brown sugar. Everything felt like it belonged in the cup with no note overpowering another. As it cooled I felt the chocolate note getting a bit more pronounced and led to a very smooth cup throughout the drinking process. The finish is almost like a palate cleansing, clean and smooth, leaving me ready to take another sip.
Brewed with ~ 25g per 400ml so a standard brew for me in a morning is 37 / 600 for a couple cups. I found this was the perfect ratio for me and didn't find myself tinkering from it during testing. I'd say it had a medium body, not a light tea-like but far away from the mud my uncle used to brew as a kid.
Deeper Roots started in 2011 when a group of friends in Cincinnati got serious about coffee and the kind of shop you actually sit in. The relationship they treat as the center of the company is with farmers in Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala. They roast in the West End and have shops in Oakley, Over-the-Rhine, and downtown.
Big Picture is also the giveback bag. Every retail bag or pound sends a dollar out, split 50/50. Half to a Cincinnati nonprofit, half to a project in a coffee-growing country. Partners rotate. The Guatemala side of that list includes La Armonia Hermosa in Santa Maria de Jesus, which matches the story they tell about how they started.
This is an easy Take My Money rating, and a bag I would buy again. Deeper Roots also offers three separate coffee subscriptions starting at $18.75 a month in case you find yourself with a new favorite roaster after drinking this. I really enjoyed the interaction I had with the team before they sent out samples and imagine they take the same intention and care when selecting what bag is going to be their monthly send. If I were picking I would default to the Roaster's choice option and trust their judgement over my own.