My first experience with coffee that stands out in my mind is a bit of a strange one.
I was at a wake for a funeral – and in Trinidad, a wake isn’t like one in Canada. The entire village is at the house and they set up tables and play cards and chat all night. It is truly a time to stay up all night, so food is cooked and there is ample coffee. I was at the wake with my parents and my cousin snuck me a cup of coffee from the huge iron pots on the firecrackers in the shed.
It was black coffee and extremely sweet – but I loved the fact that I was drinking it like the adults, I loved that I was getting away with it (until my mother reads this post) and I loved the rich, earthy flavor.
When I was finally deemed old enough to drink coffee, it was during my A-level exams at the end of high school – my older sister and I became addicted to Irish Cream coffee. When I say addicted, I mean as addicted an 17 year old can get – I needed that coffee in the morning, took some with me to school and even had some in the evening. It took me a while to stop consuming that much caffeine.
Now, coffee is off limits due to my health restrictions, and when I could drink it, I used to limit it to the days when I really, really needed a kick. I have to say I did that on purpose because I knew that if I started drinking coffee on a regular basis, I’d become a complete coffee addict. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I personally was trying to eat cleaner and completely stimulant free.
So when I got the opportunity to try Seattle’s Best Coffee, I was a little nervous. That is, until I actually tasted them.
Sampler pack of Seattle's Best Coffee (yummy)
The sampler pack that I have is a sampler of all the new Seattle’s Best Coffee that are available at Mac’s stores around Ontario. Until March 25th, they are going to be available for only $1 for any sized coffee. This is perfect, because you have to try these.
Seattle’s Best has come up with this innovative way of defining their coffees – they’ve numbered them from levels one to five with one being the least robust and lightest coffee, while five is the strongest, most robust coffee flavor.
The interesting thing is that each number has a specific colour, odour and taste. I decided to try them all at once, sampling the samples (hee hee) as such.
My sampling platform *lol*
I put one teaspoon of sugar and one teaspoon of soy creamer (remember I am dairy free) in each cup, and then brewed each coffee and filled the respective cups with approximately the same amount of coffee. You could actually see t he progression from a light brown number one to a dark brown number five. Similarly, when smelling them, you could smell the nutty, earthy flavor of the coffee increasing as you went higher in numbers.
The whole purpose of the numbers is that you can figure out which is your favorite coffee and which would be most suitable to your lifestyle. I have to say I loved the #2 for an afternoon cup of coffee with a friend. I immediately thought of a patio, a good friend and lots of laughs. Then, #5 was my absolute favourite, the one I would add to my day everyday. Yes, it is the strongest one, but to me it was the most flavourful.
Yes, even though I’m a past coffee addict, this choice did surprise me, just because when someone usually says “Strong coffee”, there’s usually a slightly bitter aftertaste that just almost jolts you out of your seat. This one did not. This one had the same voice as a strong coffee yelling “Wake up!!” but it was done in a pleasant way. I’m not sure how else to describe it to you.
So if I were you, and you want to find a coffee custom made for your tastes, I would run to Mac’s and try one of each of the numbers – as I said before, until March 25th, you have the opportunity to buy each coffee for only $1 each. That’s $5 to find your favourite, custom Seattle’s Best brew. They also come in flavoured coffees (so I’m staying far away from the Irish Cream!) Oh, and if you’re caffeine free like I am, but still love your coffee, these coffees come in decaf versions as well
Oh, and just for fun, if you’re interested, Seattle’s Best describes their coffee levels in the following manner (if you’re not able to spend $5, this may be a good guide for which one to try):
Level 1: You love to laugh – especially at your own jokes
Level 2: You’re the person everyone wants to sit by at a group lunch
Level 3: You’re spontaneous, yet dependable. You’re spontendable.
Level 4: You prefer to drink your coffee out of fancy china mugs
Level 5: You are part-time you, full-time daredevil.
Yay!
So, according to this, I’m a full-time daredevil that everyone wants to sit by at lunch
That’s not too bad at all
What level are you? I’d love if you tell me after you try it!
