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Beans: Brazil, Yirgacheffe, Peru
Shop: Monks Coffee Roasters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Monks Coffee Roasters – House Blend: Background information.
Monks Coffee roasters is a coffee shop in the western part of Amsterdam. The owner of this hotspot is Patrick Abbott: an Irishman who ended up in The Netherlands after living in Perth and Melbourne, Australia. While living there, Patrick worked together with the industry leaders and learned a lot about the 3rd wave movement, and what coffee is all about. Eventually he ended up in Amsterdam, armed with all of his experience, expertise and knowledge. Before settling in Amsterdam, however, Patrick also tried his luck in Seville, but unfortunately (or fortunately) couldn’t find what he was looking for there. After searching the city of Amsterdam for over a year and a half for a suitable spot to start his own coffee shop, Patrick finally found it. The perfect spot to start Monks Coffee Roasters was located in Amsterdam West.
Nowadays Monks is not only famous for their great coffee, but also for their amazing food menu. Although the name suggests that Monks roasts its own coffee, use coffees from several roasting companies in The Netherlands and abroad. According to Patrick, Monks Coffee Roasters is looking into roasting their own coffee in the near future. In this review I will discuss the Monks House Blend; a coffee that was created by Patrick Abbott himself and consists out of a Brazilian, an Ethiopian and a Peruvian bean. The coffee, for now, is roasted by Bocca Amsterdam.
Monks Coffee Roasters – House Blend: Opening the package.
The Monks House Blend comes in a beige/brown bag with a zip-lock and a de-gassing valve. The package is adorned with the Monks Coffee Roasters logo and you will also find the roasting date on the bag. When opening the package you can clearly see the different varieties of beans in the bag. The roasting colour is nice and even. The scent is soft and has hints of sweet nuts. When grinding the beans the scent is stronger and less sweet, but a soft freshness is there as well, as if the Yirgacheffe wants to let us know it is in there as well.
Monks Coffee Roasters – House Blend: The tasting.
When I was searching for the sweet spot of this coffee, I noticed that the blend will not reach its potential when using between 16 and 18 grams. My best espresso was pulled with 20 grams; all the aromas and flavours came together nicely. The espresso flowed into the cup as a thick syrup with nice brown beige colours. I could already see that the crema was nice and thick. When the espresso was done brewing the aromas that emanated from my cup were rich and soft. Nuts and toasted bread that were accompanied with a flowery freshness in the background.
As I took a sip and slurped oxygen in my mouth, I felt a lot happening in my mouth. The nutty flavour was accompanied by a chocolate sweetness. This happened all in the front of my mouth. As I swirled the coffee in my mouth, the acidity immediately stepped up and stimulated the tip of my tongue in a beautiful way. I would say the acidity is best described as vibrant. The body is medium to full and has a buttery feeling to my mouth.
There is also some fruitiness to be discovered in this coffee. The Yirgacheffe has little role to play in the background with the flavour of blackcurrant. The aftertaste is somewhat of a surprise: the Yirgacheffe shows itself clearly with the taste of leather that eventually carries over to nuts and cocoa sweetness. There is also a little astringency appearing in my mouth, but in an agreeable way.
I also brewed a Cappuccino and Flat white with the coffee. On both occasions the milk and the coffee blended perfectly and created a beautifully balanced brew.
Monks Coffee Roasters – House Blend: The Verdict.
Monks Coffee Roasters doesn’t roast its own beans but sure knows what they are doing. The House Blend is well balanced with flavours and aromas that do not conflict with each other. The acidity is very pleasant on the tongue and so is the mouthfeel of this coffee. The synergy between the Brazilian bean and the Peruvian and Yirgacheffe is spot on and make for a fine all day, every day coffee. The most surprising about this coffee was the leather note in the aftertaste, which I loved!
Monks Coffee Roasters’ House Blend