CATEGORY
Premium Ground House Blend Coffee
2007 CHEFSBEST® AWARD FOR BEST TASTE WINNER
Seattle’s Best Coffee
What Makes a Great House Blend Coffee?
Though enjoyable any time of day, house blend coffee is an especially good choice for a little afternoon pick-me-up. A solid, nutty and delicious mix of flavors, house blend coffee in a thermos can be an adult treat during kids’ soccer games, or you can serve it to guests who drop by on a Sunday morning.
Our chefs define high-quality premium house blend and decaffeinated house blend coffees as having a rich, dark coffee color. Visible oil may appear on the surface, but it should be minimal.
The coffee aroma should be bold and complex, featuring toasty, roasted, nut and coffee bean notes. House blend coffee should have a variety of roasted beans, which will be noticeable in the aroma and flavor, although decaf coffee is not expected to have the same aroma and flavor complexity as regular coffee. There should be no inappropriate off notes detracting from the overall aroma or flavor.
The appropriate taste balance for regular house blend coffee should consist of a pronounced bitterness with discernible levels of sourness. The bitterness should be smooth without any throat-burn. For decaf coffee, the taste should feature a natural bitterness from the roasting process, balanced by a bright sourness from the coffee beans.
The coffee flavor intensity should be strong, and the flavor character should have a low to noticeable complexity that comes from roasted, toasted and leathery notes.
The mouthfeel should not be thin and watery, nor should it be as full-bodied as an espresso. For decaf coffee, the mouthfeel should have some body, although not as much as regular coffee. Astringency, which tends to make the mouth pucker slightly, should be low for both regular and decaf coffee.
The aftertaste should be smooth, with a complex coffee flavor and a slightly bitter finish. House blend coffees should not have a spiking character or an overly bitter and acidic finish. This aftertaste is not expected to be short, but it should not linger excessively either. It should last just long enough to be enjoyable between sips.
Product Category Definition
The product judged was defined as premium, ground, caffeinated and decaffeinated house blend coffee for the consumer market, not including other blends, regular ground, instant or whole bean coffee.
Other Leading Brands:
Starbucks
ONE-STEP IDEAS
Store ground coffee in an airtight container at room temperature in a dark place. NEVER freeze or refrigerate it.
For a cooling pick-me-up, pour hot coffee over a tall glass of ice and stir in sugar and milk to taste.
Make Creole coffee by sweetening with molasses and perking up with a shot of rum.
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TASTING
TERMINOLOGY
PRODUCT
FUN FACTS
- Venetian traders brought coffee to Europe from the Far East in 1615.
- Hawaii is the only U.S. state that grows coffee.
- Seventy-five percent of all caffeine consumed in the U.S. is from coffee.
The ChefsBest Award for Best Taste is awarded to the brand rated highest overall among leading brands by independent professional chefs.
