Coffee Beanery's Michigan Cherry

After a year of mostly reviewing the wondrous flavored offerings from the Bones Coffee Company, I am close to having covered all of them. With that in mind, I am going to be turning to a different source for stuff to write about while feeding my caffeine addiction: The Coffee Beanery.

 

The Coffee Beanery is a roastery and coffeeshop chain based in Michigan. Founded in 1976, the company presently offers 50+ varieties of flavored and regular coffee that can ordered through the mail or enjoyed at one of their 80 or so retail outlets. You can read a brief history of the company at Wikipedia.

As their logo signals, they're a little more staid in their approach to marketing their products than other roasteries from whom I've been sampling wares. Where I was first attracted to Bones Coffee by their creative packaging and amusingly named blends, Coffee Beanery came to my attention through a lawyer I know who recommended I check out some of their blends. Like their logo, those blends are mostly named in ways that describe exactly what they are, with equally straightforward graphic designs on the packaging. All the blends I've looked at so far have been labeled "100% Arabica Beans".

Much like with the majority of my Bones Coffee reviews, the Coffee Beanery pieces will be based on sample packs. I will state up from that these reviews might be a little more barebones, as the Coffee Beanery's samplers are half the size of those sold by Bones. As a result, I only get one pot of coffee out of each. Maybe I'll exert some self-control and drink the coffee in smaller mugs, or maybe I'll think of some other way to keep things in line with the Bones Coffee and Signature Select reviews. Time will tell!

Right now, at this moment, the review that will launch the quest through the Beanery Realm is of a flavor that I was one-hundred percent certain I was going to love. (It could also lend itself to some off-color references, but I'm far classier than to engage in that sort of thing. Yup. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!)

 

COFFEE BEANERY: MICHIGAN CHERRY

I love the taste of cherries. One of the do-it-myself flavored coffees I enjoy is mixing either a light- or medium-roast with sour cherry juice, a dash of Unsweetened Almond Milk, and some Stevia. It works best iced, but it's also pretty good hot or room temperature. 

When I opened the Michigan Cherry sample pack, I felt certain I was going to love the coffee that would be brewed from it; the grounds within gave off a fabulously delicious aroma of cherries. That wonderful smell hovered around the coffeemaker as it brewed, although it was not so strong so as to fill the kitchen nor be detectable down the hall in my office.

The cherry aroma remained strong as I poured to coffee into the cup, and it blended tastily with the medium-roast coffee flavor as I took the first couple sips of the coffee, black. By chance, I got distracted and did not get back to the coffee until it had cooled to room temperature. I tried it like this, and I found that it tasted almost like it had hot. Unlike some other flavored coffees, the Michigan Cherry blend did not shift significantly in flavor between hot and cool... the cherry flavor grew a bit stronger but that was it. 

When consumed with Unsweetened Almond Milk, the cherry flavor was enhanced while the coffee flavor retreated. This was even more true when I drank it with the sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer. Again, the flavors remained stable as the drink cooled, and it was a mellow and pleasurable drink throughout.

If you are drinking Coffee Beanery's Michigan Cherry for the cherry flavor, though, the best way to have it is cold and over ice. The cherry flavor is front and center whether you drink it black or with milk or creamer added.

The one thing that I LOVED about this blend, even more than drinking it, was the aroma. The smell of cherries rose from every cup--whether hot, room temperature, or iced--and it lingered even after the cup was empty. I can't explain how a drink with such a mellow flavor could have such a strong aroma, but I loved it.

When it comes time to replenish my coffee supply, I'll be getting a bag of Coffee Beanery's Michigan Cherry. I want to try this blend with Unsweetened Almond Milk or Unsweetened Chocolate Milk, or a mix of those;, I want to try it iced and with vodka; I want to try this blend mixed with a whole host of other flavors mixed in, and I think they'll all be great!

SHADES OF GRAY COFFEE FACTS #1:

Jackie Kennedy hated bad coffee with an almost psychotic intensity. Every time she drank a cup, her husband, President John F. Kennedy, prayed to God he wouldn't be called upon to nuke Brazil.