Sblendid!
A little about an(other) coffee co. to start: This is the quintessential small batch coffee roaster. The name, which I am a huge fan of, is a nod to everything in the cup besides the tasting notes as well as Evan simply being another buyer and roaster in a crowded field. But Evan is not just another roaster, his care and passion for the craft show up as an(other) coffee co. build towards their ideal cup rather than a fixed recipe.
This is part of what drew me to the Sblendid! bag, a medium roast blend that features seasonally rotating coffees meant to balance chocolate notes with mild fruit flavors. The current blend is 50% Guatemala (Primavera Family Blend, Huehuetenango) + 50% Colombia (San Vincente, Huila). You can expect a splendidly sweet and easy cup to drink any way you brew it.
I went with my standard 37g of coffee to 600ml of water in my Chemex for my standard brew setup. That first hot sip led with the chocolate flavor in a cup that didn’t feel muddled, with the orange note becoming a bit more pronounced throughout the cup than the cherry. If you have read some of my other reviews, you know I am a sucker for a delicious first hot sip of coffee, no waiting for it to cool, no waiting for notes to settle, just a delicious first sip of hot coffee and Sblendid delivered. Those first hot sips finish incredibly smooth with less of the sweetness that becomes present as it cools slightly. This can leave you expecting rich notes of marzipan, cherry, and juicy orange slices that I found to grow in presence as the cup cooled. This medium roast blend features seasonally rotating coffees meant to balance chocolate notes with mild fruit flavors (basically what I always ask for from coffee companies). Evan says you can expect a sweet and easy cup to drink any way you brew it from this bag and I find myself agreeing.
This bag really helped me understand their blend focus that I mentioned at the start of the review. By not focusing on a fixed recipe and more on the end goal of a great cup of coffee Evan is able to take some coffee’s that might not make it to your cup on their own, but when combined create a product better than some single origins. That creativity is something I want in a roaster that I know is going to provide a flavor profile I like but with rotating blends to keep it fresh.
This is a clear take my money, and a recommendation for a roaster that many of your friend may not have heard of as most of their coffee’s are in local Boston shops. One small caveat, is that this bag will change over time, if you find yourself loving a specific roast it might be a good idea to grab another bag before the next blend rotation. Despite the blends changing the outcome for it remains the same, so if you are looking for a blend that allows for constant discovery with notes of chocolate and mild fruit you might have found one of your new favorite bags of coffee.