Mother Earth Coffee - Organic Espresso

The light breaks above the flowing waves of green as the valley fills with life. The birds flock to the sky as the deer head for bed and the capuchin monkeys begin swinging from tree to tree. As nature envelops the valley, the light breaks on a small, weathered, dirt path cresting one of the hills. All becomes still for a moment as an eerie silence falls over the valley.

And then, a rustic man on horseback breaches the thin line between the downtrodden dirt path and the universe. His crisp, white shirt nearly blinds at first glance, but then the sun loses its power to the Bolivian traditional vest and cowboy style hat. They are both a rich, deep brown with only a slight ornamentation around the hems to give them style.

His face scarred and hair slightly grisled, one wonders how he may have arrived at such an age. Certainly a dash of luck is on his side. He's the type of man one would likely find in a prison or perhaps a bar fight. He isn't overly large or powerful looking, but he holds himself in such a way that his mere presence strikes fear and respect into those beholding him. His lean frame doesn't diminish him, but rather it makes his feat even greater.

This man has few words for those around him, but they all hear him clearly and verbosely. One supposes no words are necessary. However, he doesn't seem harsh or unfair. His eyes are kind and forgiving if you're honest. If you aren't, his eyes turn fierce, and his steely gaze will cut through you like a rusty blade.

He really isn't soft or hard, but somewhere in between and dependent on how you deal with him. Almost a malleable being responding directly to each interaction in an entirely predictable way. But, just as we think we have learned this man completely, a woman breaks the crest of the hill. Her vanilla blond hair flowing over her shoulders like a thousand rays of light trapped in glistening strands. Her milky white dress wraps her body tightly, but releases it's hold as it travels down to caress the wind.

As she comes to the side of the man, only then is her angelic countenance revealed. She appears as the most innocent woman in the world. The picture of the two is confusing at first. What woman like this belongs with such a stern, tough man? This delicate flower growing on such weathered, broken dirt.

Then a smile breaking from his face to hers reveals the truth. He can make it on his own as the earth doesn't need the flower to be beautiful, but the flower truly makes him shine. It adds that bit that is missing in his life. He is a great man despite his simplicity, but paired with this woman, he is the perfect balance. If he was anything more, then he may overpower or contradict her beauty.

Mother Earth Coffee - Organic Espresso

This is a simple coffee without much fanfare for itself, which I really enjoy. I don't need to worry what I add to it, because it doesn't come with any additional flavoring. It's really true to its intentions, and I like that. If you handle it properly, then it'll produce an excellent espresso.

http://motherearthcoffeeco.com/

Parisi Artisan Coffee, Espresso Parisi Review

Parisi Artisan Coffee Espresso Parisi

The Crema: This is one of the best espresso beans I've had. It has a smooth taste and produces a full crema without a lot of effort. It didn't require tamping by The Hulk to get a good extraction like other lesser espressos require at times.

The Over Extracted: It's not cheap. By that, I mean it's pretty expensive. It may not be worth the price to everyone, but I really appreciate consistency and smoothness in my espresso. It's also local, and I like giving back to my local entrepreneurs.

The Whole Bean: I never knew Kansas City housed an artisan coffee. However, the name is quite appropriate for the "Paris of the Plains." Honestly, I only just realized this was a local brew as I examined the bag to write this post. I thought for sure it was an exotic import.

Their bag is a quality production that really reminds me of my years spent in Italy and Germany near Luxembourg and France. It harkens back to its namesake and Italian heritage and brings the flavor to the present. Much like the European espresso producers, Parisi looks at their craft as an art and a proud passion. It shows through in their coffee.

As with most gourmet coffee's, they proclaim their espresso is small batch roasted. It certainly isn't unique, rather obligatory, but it often isn't done right. Parisi has succeeded. They use 100% arabica beans to create a rich, flavorful expression of creativity. It sings of chocolate seductions on notes of hazelnut and almond, with vanilla and caramel accents leading the chorus. I would often have a vanilla latte as my preferred drink, but this melody should first be sampled a cappella.

I rarely take just a shot of espresso as they can be pretty rough, especially the bad ones. Even in Italian cafes, I've had some rough shots. However, this espresso is smooth and flavorful without the hard kick usually associated with a solo espresso. It says something about an espresso when it can sing on its own and stay in pitch.

However, I still prefer my espresso with a band. This particular espresso plays well with a background of vanilla. This is usually my basis for comparing different espressos, as it is a very common drink, and the flavor of the espresso is left as the lead singer. I was very disappointed when I came to the end of this bag and had to move on to the next type of coffee. This will be my new espresso of choice when I'm not testing a new type of coffee, and Parisi has a Roma blend, which I am very excited to try.

I can't recommend this brew more, but it gets better. Parisi proudly supports the local arts in Kansas City. They dedicate precious real estate on each bag to promote a local art venue. Kansas City is quickly becoming a haven for the artistic, which makes our city a much more exciting and vibrant place to live and work. My bag promotes the Kansas City Ballet "Where local dance takes the spotlight." Learn more at their cool website!

Cameron's Espresso Blend From The Bin Review

The Crema: It's cheap. It will probably make fine coffee, but the espresso is very poor quality in my Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine.

The Over Extracted: There really isn't any quality in the product I sampled. I can't speak for the rest of the line or if a different batch would have been better, but this particular one was poor in all areas except price.

The Whole Bean: I had never heard of Cameron's coffee until I visited my local Hy-Vee. I had been purchasing some amazing coffee from Williams-Sonoma, but they discontinued it, so I've been on a mission to find a replacement. I also enjoy tasting local and unique coffee's. And by coffee, I mean espresso. I don't actually drink regular coffee on a normal basis, but I do have a number of specialty drinks I enjoy.

I'm not sure Cameron's is unique, but it definitely isn't local. Cameron's hails from Minnesota where they have been a company since 1978. I'm not sure where the coffee came from that I purchased, but the bag ambiguously says the coffee comes from around the world. I wished they had stated where the particular batch I was purchasing had come from, but that's probably too much to ask of what is essentially a "store brand" coffee. As such, I also had no knowledge of how long the coffee had been sitting in the tube before I dumped it into my bag.

Therefore, it is hard to properly review this coffee beyond the general warning that bulk coffee is probably going to taste like anything else that comes in bulk. I would say the scent was ok, but it may have begun to turn. The taste was very hard to get consistent as an espresso. I didn't try it as a regular coffee, so it may have had a more consistent flavor in that environment.

The reason for the inconsistent flavor was due to the difficulty I had with my Breville trying to extract this espresso. The initial pack was tamped to my normal level with the nice, expensive coffee, but this resulted in an extremely under-extracted espresso. The pressure barely even registered on my machine. So, I tried a second pack after cleaning up the mess from the first. I like to start each pack with a completely clean system to produce the best extraction.

The second pack contained more grounds and was tamped with much more pressure. This pack resulted in an extraction that was still very low, but was just high enough to be viable. I went ahead and added this to my latte, and the taste wasn't great. It tasted a bit diluted and watery. It was just a pretty bland mix. So, if that's what you like, this may be ok. However, you're going to need Popeye to come and tamp it for you. Seriously, you'll need a vice to hold the portafilter and a press to push the tamper. I was never able to get a single good extraction from this blend.

For the reasons above, I can't recommend this coffee. It gives an inconsistent extraction, there is no expiration date listed, there is no country of origin listed, and the coffee is rather bland. Perhaps this blend is best suited for a regular coffee or a different batch would have been better, but my money is best spent elsewhere. I didn't even finish the bag, which has never happened.

Update: Fun Fact: The leftover coffee that wasn't good enough to drink makes for a great air freshener for that rustic, down-home feel.