Storiarts Coffee Tasting with 4 Girls and a Brew

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Storiarts.com. I received the product in exchange for my review but all opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

Being the literature lover that I am, I couldn't help but be intrigued when I spotted a coffee called Gothic Roast while surfing the Storiarts.com site one day. I'm a fan of their literary items and check their site periodically to see what's new. They take literary quotes and passages and print them on everything from t-shirts to scarves to blankets and home goods. And then, apparently coffee. I've reviewed 3 of their products in the past so I asked them if I could do the same with their new coffee. My suggestion was that I try it with 3 friends as a tasting. They liked the idea and kindly sent their product.

The company's description of their coffee:

Our Gothic Roast is an electrifying experience. With overtones of citrus and vanilla bean and stealthy undercurrents of nutty sweetness, one sip will bring your senses on high alert. We micro-roast our Brazilian arabica beans to a rich medium-dark color – never burnt – for powerful flavors perfect for brooding over lost loves, crimes of passion, or unearthly creatures. Curl up and share a cup with Shelley, Poe, Stoker, and the Brontës.

All Storiarts’ coffee beans are ethically sourced in direct trade with family-run farms and roasted locally in small batches. Taste the difference that a good story makes.

Our group of 4 girls decided to get together at our friend, Suzanne's house, for the tasting. We chose 3 methods to try it out: Chemex Pour Over, French Pressed, and Cold Brewed. Before we continue, we need to introduce our participants.

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First brew was a Chemex Pour

With this method, the coffee “blooms” when you dampen or first pour hot water on the grounds.

Sipping our first tasting we gave the following opinions on this brew method:

Jennifer: Smooth and lighter tasting
Lane: Very fruity aroma with a green taste.
Suzanne: Smooth, low acid taste.
Laurie: Smooth. Laurie would ultimately pick this method as her preferred one.

Second Brew was a French Press

Jennifer: Light and a little fruity. Smooth yet full bodied.
Laurie: More fruity. Rich and intense. A little too fruity for her taste. Both the Chemex and press are smooth.
Suzanne: Richer and creamier with a slight bitterness but not in a bad way.
Lane: Felt it had a toasty aroma and a deeper taste came out. You can taste the bottom notes.

Final Method was a Cold Brew

The beans were coarsely ground and soaked for 12 hours.

Jennifer: Strong and toasty. Too strong for me so I added sugar and half and half. I like it sweet like my tea. This was my favorite of the 3 brews.

Laurie: Not fruity. Refreshing. Intense flavor and bitter in a good way.
Lane: Has a smoky taste. Raw and green and slightly bitter.
Suzanne: Cold brew was tasty, slightly bitter, and refreshing.

We had a great time coming together and sharing something new. What better way to hang out and catch up than over a good cup of coffee? I'd say we all agreed that the Gothic Roast is worth it, and even better if you sip it with a good book. We hope you enjoyed our review. Oh, we did have one semi-invited guest, Trixie, who did not partake in the tasting.