Seattle's Best House Blend

Once upon a time, I was a self-employed writer/editor/game designer, working out of my home. When I got tired of  the scenery outside my office window, I would grab my laptop computer, drive down to a nearby Seattle's Best shop, get a large cup of coffee, and sit there and write. And when I was at home, I would also drink Seattle's Best Coffee, because I bought bags of their medium roast in the store and made my own coffee blends. With this latest coffee review, I return to those days... sort of.

 

SEATTLE'S BEST COFFEE: HOUSE BLEND

The subject of today's review came to me via the grocery store when I caught sight of it. I used to go to Seattle's Best all the time, pay table rent (in the form of a Large Coffee or Large White Black-and-White Mocha), and sit their and write all afternoon and into the evening. The staff knew me and would chat, some of the other regulars knew me and would chat... it was an oasis of friendliness in the otherwise stand-offish Northwest. But then Starbucks purchased Seattle's Best and over the space of a year, things changed and the store was closed (to eventually reopen, remodeled and rebranded as a Starbucks location). This was the fate of all the Seattle's Best locations. Except in airports.

But the Seattle's Best brand name lives on in the grocery store. The other day, I noticed bags of Seattle Best's House Blend. This was, basically, the coffee I always got there, either with a bunch of creamer and sugar added, or as part of the aforementioned Black-and-White Mocha. I decided to take a trip down memory lane and bought a bag.

Given the negative experience I had not long ago when I tried the Starbuck's Pike Place Roast for the first time in several years, I did not have high hopes for this, but, as will all media items or coffee I review, I start from a place of expected to enjoy myself; I'm never going to waste my time on something I am certain will be disappointing.

As it turned out, I was not disappointed. The House Blend was every bit as smooth and tasty as I remembered it. As I expected, it's not a coffee that I am happy drinking straight, but a couple Stevia packets fixed it right up... and when I added some Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, it was great!

The House Blend works for me on the level that it works for the many blends from Bones Coffee that I've been reviewing. It's got a strong coffee flavor, but it doesn't have the bitter edge that darker roasts have, so it mixes perfectly with a range of creamers (like my favorites--sugar free Vanilla Creamer and sugar free Italian Sweet Cream creamer) and serves as a great foundation for my home-made chocolate coffee (which is a mix of dark unsweetened cocoa powder and coffee). It also works nicely iced with just unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk added... or as part of my own half-assed spin on a "Black Russian"... which is iced coffee, chocolate almond milk, and vodka.

The House Blend was every bit as good as I remember it, and I enjoyed blending my own flavors as much now as I did back then. I was particularly happy with the chocolate/cinnamon/coffee concoction I came up with and drinking a "Black Russian ala Steve" for the first time in years was a real walk down memory lane.

The House Blend also mixed nicely with some of the Bones Coffee blends that I found too intense for my liking. I brewed pots of coffee made from House Blend and half Peaches and Scream, and half House Blend and half Strawberry Cheesecake, and I ended up with some very tasty flavored brews that were nearly perfect when I added some sugar free Italian Sweet Cream creamer or Unsweetened Almond Milk. I liked the results whether I drank they hot or iced, with a slight preference toward drinking them iced.

I liked the flavor of the House Blend so much that I can't help but wonder if the horribly burnt-tasting cup of Starbuck's Pike Place Roast I got during Free Coffee Day was more the fault of the barista who made it than the coffee that was used? I also loved the great results I had mixing it with other coffees and beverages, and I wonder if I would find the same level of fun and enjoyment through the Pike Place Roast?

I always preferred Seattle's Best over Starbucks Back in the Day, so experiments with the Pike Place Roast might not be as successful, but I won't know until I try.

Watch the space for updates!

She's watching for Steve to arrive with bags of coffee for experimental brews!

Bones Coffee's Eggnog

The Christmas Season is upon us! There are just a handful of things that are more Christmas-y than eggnog, and I love eggnog, so sampling and reviewing an eggnog-flavored coffee for this Sunday's post was an easy decision! (I was also extra curious about the Eggnog blend, because I have my own homemade holiday standard that consists of mixing eggnog and coffee.)


BONES COFFEE COMPANY: EGGNOG

This is one of those Bones flavored coffees that amused me even before I opened the package; it's got a cartoon of the company mascot doing an iconic scene and character from the movie "Christmas Vacation."

The joy continued as I opened the package and I could smell eggnog, and it got greater as the coffee brewed. A strong aroma wafted from the kitchen and into my office and made me eager for the coffeemaker to finish it's work so I could start drinking.

I was not disappointed. The eggnog flavor is unmistakable, but not so strong that it overwhelms the coffee flavor as with some of Bones' offerings (like the Peaches and Screams blend, for example). It wasn't quite as strong as the mixtures I usually make myself, but it was close enough that I almost didn't feel the need to immediately add the usual unsweetened almond milk. The eggnog flavor blended perfectly with the smoothness of the Bones' medium-roast that is the typically foundation for their flavored coffees, and I count this among my favorites from the company so far. I don't know if the Bones Eggnog blend will replace my own coffee-with-eggnog mixture, but it might. I will have to order another set of sample packs so I can compare the two, side by side. I'll be sure to provide an update. (Oh, the sacrifices I make for you, my loyal readers...)

All in all, the Eggnog blend was flavorful enough that I could have consumed it without adding any of the unsweetened almond milk or sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer, but I found that I liked it even more once the almond milk had been added; the eggnog flavoring seemed like it became stronger. I didn't think the sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer did much for this blend--it seems to wash out the eggnog flavor rather than enhance it.

The same is true when this blend was consumed cold, over ice. It tasted just as good as when it was consumed hot, and adding the almond milk also seemed to once again bring out the eggnog flavor. That said, it the eggnogginess of this blend seemed to grow weaker as the coffee grew colder, and it was very subtle when the coffee was iced. It was almost as if I was drinking straight, high-quality coffee with a touch of cream and sugar added.

I highly recommend Bones' Eggnog as a coffee that will bring some cheery Christmas warmth to your gatherings ... or even if you're just enjoying a quiet evening alone. It should be enjoyed hot, though. 

All Diane wants for Christmas is a pair of pants, because hot coffee is only so effective.
(Still, we think if she was drinking Bones' Eggnog-flavored coffee, she'd be happier!)

POSTSCRIPT (wait... isn't everything here a postscript? Eh, never mind...)

As for my above-mentioned homemade eggnog/coffee eggnog blend, I recently purchased a bag of Seatttle's Best medium-roast House Blend, one of the three or four varieties I have used to make it over the years, so I was able to compare it to the Bones variety sooner than anticipated. (I'll be posting about that House Blend in the not-too-distant-future. But I digress.)

I think it's a tie between my home-made version and the Bones' version, taste-wise. Bones' Eggnog blend scores some bonus points for having fewer calories and being convenient--I am more likely to run out of eggnog than I am almond milk. My own blend, however, gets points for me being able to adjust the eggnogginess at will.

Sadly, neither is available year-round...