Here is a review where both "Belladora", and "Don Jose" were evaluated at www.arizona-coffee.com "All in all, I found that I really liked the Belladora, and that I was surprised by the bold roasted Don Jose." "Nice blend. This one was called a medium roast, and looks to be about a City Plus, or a "She was easy to please, and had good things in the cup all over the temperature range, and was easily adjusted for a ristretto without having to hunt to far. Hotter temps brought out the complexity and subtle naunces, cooler ones brought out the sweetness and extraordinary mouthfeel and chocolate explosions."
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Special thanks to a prolific member of the coffee community Chris Babbie for the review.
Here a some excerpts from his posts from June 23rd-June 30th 2008.
Don Jose - Bold Roast - Espresso
"This blend has the dark, rich, COFFEE taste that Starbucks wishes it had. It did remind me of the good old days when a green Siren didn't make me turn and run, and when bright red La Marzoccos graced the counters, and the baristi were baristi, and they didn't wear paper hats, and they acted so superior 'cause, well, they were."
"While I'm admittedly not a dark roast fan, I can at least recognize the things that attract folks to the dark side. It was bitter and blueberry, all at the same time, but not the grapefruit rind bitter. Grapefruit, smoke, and a bit of peat, like a good whisky." "You're familiar with the pleasant peaty taste on an eighteen year old Glenlivet? Or a nice Lagavulen Islay? Or, my favorite, the cask strength Caidenhead Campbeltown? Same thing..."
"The blueberry and chocolate notes came out, the peat and smoke were still there, and dark chocolate raised it's head and said 'howdy!' The grapefruit sank into the background, and just became an undertone of strength and masculinity. That undefined thing that makes a coffee get a bit of respect as a caffeine source, and separates the cowboys sitting around a campfire drinking coffee in the early pre-dawn glow from the ladies sitting around the cafe in the afternoon."
"I must say, I would have said that I don't like dark roasted espresso beans before this, and I only tried them because I told Mario that I would. And I'm glad I did. Both blends reveal more and subtler nuances as I grow used to them, and are just now starting to show signs of aging (roasted on the 18th of this month) while still providing a great cuppa."
Belladora - Bold roast Espresso
"It was very chocolatey, especially since the first shots I pulled were too tight, and ended up being a bit over-extracted. I taste almost all of my shots, even those destined for the sink, while I'm dialing in a blend. It gives me direction. So, after dialing in the grind I ended up with a bit of a decent citrus and honey note buried under a strong chocolate note. The honey was non-existant, and the citrus was just barely there on the early over-extracted shots. Not much change to the ristretti, but the hidden flavour that I can only call 'coffee' started to poke it's head out. Running a bit more of a traditional normale led to more complexity, with brighter citrus notes and a stronger honey and a bit of bread. The chocolate was always present, but it grew stronger, almost to overwhelming as the shots were extracted at a lower temperature, or tighter, as in a ristretto. Not that that's a bad thing. These made really great cappuccini for friends who tend to lean towards candy-bar drinks, who didn't complain about the lack of syrup shots or Hershey's."
"Coffee has ALWAYS been an important part of our lives… although before experiencing your Belladora blend, our coffee was always accompanied with cream and sugar! After the first sip, it was the end of dressing up coffee for good! There is nothing more enjoyable than a delicious cup of coffee, and that is exactly what Belladora provides for us every time we make it! We would (and do) recommend your coffee to everyone!"