Friday double feature trying two coffees from a new to me roaster out of Ashland, Oregon.  Case Coffee Roasters appears to be a single location roaster and coffee bar with a nice selection of coffees all available with shipping included.

Peru La Esperanza

 Is a washed Caturra / Typica varietal with tasting notes of toffee, pear, creamy, and Peruvian dark chocolate.  I appreciate that Case notes that this coffee works well brewed and as espresso, and can attest to this.  I didn't find this to be overly transparent when brewed either way, but did find the coffee to be approachable and crowd friendly overall with the more toffee and dark chocolate flavors.  The pear notes came forward mostly in the form of a touch of acidity, and the coffee was pretty mild and balanced overall.  These darker flavors meant that the coffee held up well in milk, particularly as a cappuccino, where it took on some nutty characteristics.  As espresso, it needed a fairly fine grind with light body and crema.  

Brewed cups favored the more traditional coffee drinker, particularly as you pushed brew times longer to brink out the caramelized sugars and more bass notes.  1 : 16 brew ratios with 22.5 grams of coffee pushed out to 3:30 or 3:45 highlighted this, making it a great option for converting the dark roast drinker.

Cascadia African Blend

Speaking of converting the dark roast drinker, this blend of 30% Kenyan and 70% Ethiopian coffees might just be the way to go.  It's certainly a more developed roast than I'm typically used to when dealing with African coffees, but I think that will suit those looking for the more roasty, full bodied coffee, while still presenting a bit of berry sweetness to showcase the African coffees.  

This coffee ended up being a bit dark for my typical cups, so I tended to brew and pull this faster and at cooler temperatures to try and bring out more acidity and fruit flavors.  The nutty and toasty flavors meant that it holds up well in larger milk drinks, and would be a good candidate for those lazy morning lattes.  It looks like the makeup of this blend might be ever changing, as it's now listed as a 75 / 25 mixture of Ethiopian to Kenyan, available for $18 for a 12 ounce bag.

The Peru La Esperanaza is available for $19 for a 12 ounce bag here, and all orders ship free regardless of order size.  Be sure to check back next week, with one more coffee from Case that's an absolute banger!