Aged Sumatra Coffee

 Every Trader Joe’s has a “new products” section and on my last trip to this area, I was excited to discover this “Aged Sumatra Coffee.” I couldn’t recall ever having tried aged coffee before so this seemed like as good a time as any.

My first impression upon grinding the beans was that they weren’t super fragrant. Sure, they smelled delicious but it wasn’t as pungent as most other grinds. The flavor is another thing though. It’s flavorful: smooth, rich, and, smokey. No sweetness or acid here. Over this weekend, I made a large pot and poured some into a jar to refrigerate. As a cold coffee, was excellent to sip on a hot day.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Hawaiian Shirts – I prefer coffee that is sweeter and more complex. However, this coffee is very good and if you want to drink a rich cup that declares proudly “I AM COFFEE” to your taste buds, give this one a try.

Pumpkin Ale Showdown featuring KBC, Mendocino Brewing, and New Belgium

There’s a meme circulating that the only way to enjoy pumpkin ale is to throw it in the trash. Hilarious! Of all the beers varieties, pumpkin ales are the most likely to get a thumbs-down from me too. I often wonder why anyone even thought it was a good idea beyond a holiday marketing exercise to pair pumpkin and beer. With this in mind, I took one for the collective team of beer drinkers and tried these three pumpkin ales. If the following reviews save a single taste bud this holiday season, then this research was worth it. (Spoiler alert: these beers were actually pretty good, each in their own way.)

Kennebunkport Brewing Company’s Pumpkin Ale – Strong pumpkin flavor – think pumpkin pie but less sweet and more carbonated. I can certainly image drinking this with a turkey and mashed potatoes dinner. Rating: 3 out of 5 Hawaiian Shirts – get it if you’re looking for the purest pumpkin-in-an-ale flavor.

Mendocino Brewing’s Engine 45 Pumpkin Ale – This is probably my favorite of these beers. The flavor was more brown ale than pumpkin ale. However, as I enjoyed more of this bottle, I noticed some sweeter pumpkin aftertaste that I really enjoyed. Rating: 4 out of 5 Hawaiian Shirts – Maybe not for the pumpkin ale purists but if you want to add a bit of pumpkin to your liquid diet, this is the one.

New Belgium’s Pumpkick – Perhaps the most “exotic” of the pumpkin ales listed here. It’s flavored with cranberry juice and lemongrass to create a flavor that is tart, a little sweet, and certainly unique. For me, this is a dessert beer. I can’t image drinking more than one in a sitting. However, my wife, who is an infrequent beer-drinker, loved this pumpkin beer most of those reviewed here. Rating: 3 out of 5 Hawaiian Shirts – worth a try but just prepare yourself for some serious cranberry flavor.