Grounds for Victory: How the Contenders Fared

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

At a recent blind coffee cupping, we discovered that a good brew can sometimes taste "nutty" or even "sweet" and that a sip of joe can bring a nuance of "caramel" to mind. But as is true throughout the world of food and drink, "cardboardy" is never a positive attribute. In the end, we learned that the most famous coffee in the land has some stiff competition.

The cupping was conducted at Murky Coffee in Clarendon by Nicholas Cho, president and head barista; Aaron Ultimo, director of coffee quality; and general manager Katie Carguilo. (Murky has a second location on Capitol Hill.)

The Food section collected whole-bean Central and South American coffees from six companies: five specialty brands and one mass-market ringer. To make a total of seven, Cho added a bag from his own shelf. We asked Ruth Poupon, co-owner of Patisserie Poupon in Georgetown and Baltimore, and Todd Thrasher, general manager and sommelier of Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, to help Food section editorial assistant Leigh Lambert gauge the coffees in terms of fragrance/aroma, brightness or perceived acidity, flavor, body and aftertaste.

We didn't rank each coffee but grouped them into three categories: Top Roast, which we liked best; Middle Roast, which we thought were fine; and Bottom Roast, which we liked least. Within each category, they are listed alphabetically.

TOP ROAST:

Caribou

(A national chain based in Minneapolis)

Costa Rica Sombra del Poro (16 ounces for $11.99)

· Sweet and soft, with little acidity and notes of caramel.

Mayorga

(A local roaster based in Rockville)

Panama Hartmann Estate (16 ounces for $11.99 )

· Soft and creamy, with cinnamon and walnut; a long, nutty finish.

Murky

(A local company that buys its beans from a roaster in North Carolina)

El Salvador Malacara (12 ounces for $13.50)

· Nutty and sweet, with no bitterness, a touch of chocolate and, overall, a clean taste.

MIDDLE ROAST:

Dean & DeLuca

(Roasted by local coffee roaster Orinoco, headquartered in Columbia)

Costa Rican Tarrazu (16 ounces for $12)

· Woody in aroma, low in acidity, cardboardy in flavor.

Santa Lucia

(A locally owned company that roasts its beans in New York; served in many Washington restaurants)

Nicaraguan Classic Roast (12 ounces for $7.99)

· Fruity and slightly oily, with a full body and a final hint of bitterness.

BOTTOM ROAST:

Eight O'Clock

(A national brand with a roasting plant in Landover)

Colombian (12 ounces for $4.69)

· A hint of sour, burnt apples, a thin flavor and a really unpleasant aftertaste.

Starbucks

(A national chain based in Seattle)

Colombian Narino Supremo (16 ounces for $10.95)

· Ammonia and hambone in aroma, burnt flavor, thin body.