Red Bird Brazil Sweet Blue - Excellent! - Page 2

Discuss flavors, brew temperatures, blending, and cupping notes.
FrankieC63 (original poster)
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#11: Post by FrankieC63 (original poster) »

Lavazza Qualita Rossa/Crema e Gusto, Caffe Kimbo, and a variety of other brands but those are the more common.

These are what espresso is supposed to be. A lot of the stuff we see now is good but it isn't traditional.

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JmanEspresso
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#12: Post by JmanEspresso »

I just recieved some coffee from Redbird, and I hadnt seen this thread, but what do you know, I ordered Redbird and Sweet Blue. Cool beans!

Cant recall if I have had the sweet blue before or not. Have had Redbird plenty, and I go for the Blue Jaguar every now and again as well. But, as is the norm for redbird, I expect a solid, easy to pull coffee.

Ill comment back after Ive tried it a little bit.. hopefully I remember.

Oh, also picked up a bag of the Rwanda Kivu Lake.. VERY nice brewed, and its quite fresh still. Brewed it in the aeropress(shockingly, really been enjoying the AP lately) I probably wont pull any espresso with the Rwanda, but so far its great for brewing.

azzurri13
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#13: Post by azzurri13 »

FrankieC63 wrote:Lavazza Qualita Rossa/Crema e Gusto, Caffe Kimbo, and a variety of other brands but those are the more common.

These are what espresso is supposed to be. A lot of the stuff we see now is good but it isn't traditional.
+1

FrankieC63 (original poster)
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#14: Post by FrankieC63 (original poster) »

Stefan, glad you agree.

A lot of this single origin stuff is good for lattes or milk drinks but a good espresso is usually an Italian one.

It's amazing how the U.S. tries to reinvent things in an attempt to appease their own interests, while there current products which are available are more than satisfactory. The only issue with the bagged coffees from Italy is the freshness. If you get a good Italian roast from a Canadian roaster thats the best of both worlds.

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dominico
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#15: Post by dominico »

I too like to experiment with single origins, I'm going through a great bag of papua new guinea right now, but I always go back to Italian blends (or rather, local roasted Italian Style blends). I'm going to get around to trying some Red Bird and some Blue Jaguar here pretty soon, but I have really enjoyed one of Milwuakee's roasters, Valentine, who have an "Espresso Dolce" blend which is pretty good. Paradise Coffee Roasters have a fantastic "Espresso Classico" roast, but I have to say that their "Espresso Nuevo" is great when you want a chocolate bomb.

The reason I go with North American roasters of Italian Style blends rather than actual Italian beans is mainly for freshness. Having lived in Italy, Lavazza and Illy here just don't taste as good here as they do over there. Beans get stale after two weeks, no matter how well you seal them.
That being said, the next time you are in Trieste go to a bar serving Illy and have a caffè, it'll knock your socks off.
https://bit.ly/3N1bhPR
Il caffè è un piacere, se non è buono che piacere è?

azzurri13
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#16: Post by azzurri13 »

FrankieC63 wrote:Stefan, glad you agree.

A lot of this single origin stuff is good for lattes or milk drinks but a good espresso is usually an Italian one.

It's amazing how the U.S. tries to reinvent things in an attempt to appease their own interests, while there current products which are available are more than satisfactory. The only issue with the bagged coffees from Italy is the freshness. If you get a good Italian roast from a Canadian roaster thats the best of both worlds.
I actually bought a bag of 49th Parallel Blue Sky espresso last night. And it certainly was the closet to Italian roast out of a Canadian roaster that I have found! No hints of brightness or fruit. Also tried it with my immersion brewer and produced a nice bold but smooth cup. I recommend you try it out! Also, look at a thread that I started "Looking for Italian Style Espresso" Canuckcoffee posted some great recommendations which I'm in the process of trying. I've tried a fair amount of them now so if you have any questions

FrankieC63 (original poster)
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#17: Post by FrankieC63 (original poster) »

49th is on the list, has been for a while!

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canuckcoffeeguy
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#18: Post by canuckcoffeeguy replying to FrankieC63 »

Azzurri13 is specifically referring to the Blue Sky espresso blend now being sold online by 49th Parallel. This blend has only been available online for a few weeks. Previously it was only available by special order. I recommended it to him in a separate thread when he asked for Italian style blends in Canada that werent fruity or acidic.

FrankieC63 (original poster)
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#19: Post by FrankieC63 (original poster) »

Yes, I should have mentioned that it was that particular roast I was looking at.

LukeFlynn
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#20: Post by LukeFlynn »

Really enjoying Red Bird Espresso.. not to mention he throws in a load of chocolate with 5lb bags.. as well as a handwritten thank you note, which I appreciate.