A Brief Commercial Interruption

Awhile back I received an email from Brianna who asked if I "want some free coffee and a mug?" The answer to that is of course, yes, as I very rarely turn down free things. So I went off to check out the good folks (and the free wares) at Boca Java. True to their word, I received more coffee than I could ever hope for in the mail. The only thing left to hope was that it would be worth the sacrifice of counter and freezer space...

The deal with getting free coffee though, is that after you get it, it must be reviewed. I assume if I didn't review it I would get an invoice of some sort in the mail. I don't want to get on the bad side of people who shower me with free gifts, so here I am, dutifully spending my Sunday evening shilling for the man instead of finishing my bridesmaid's gifts. That's the kind of dedicated free-stuff-getter I am.

My honest opinion of coffee lies somewhere like this: I sorta like it.

However....

• I like coffee better iced.
• I like coffee better with ungodly amounts of sugar in it.
• I don't like cream in my coffee, but I do like whole milk. However, we only keep skim milk in our house.

None of these are putting me up there as a supreme coffee-reviewer. Thankfully, Boca Java never said you had to love coffee in order to get it for free. And luckily I live with a boy who does love coffee... So much so that he needs none of my "training wheels"-- he drinks it black, no sugar. We had a nice thing going: he drank the coffee I made, I made it as much to my likings as possible, and here we all are finding the ultimate answer: What do we really think about Boca Java and the coffee that they provide-- and the blogging market they are so desperately trying to corner?

Out of the six (6!) coffees that they provided for my reviewing pleasure, I have tried 3 of them so far. We have not tried two of those remaining three because they are flavored (Joe dislikes flavored coffees, and even I felt they sounded a little too much) and one because we just haven't made too much coffee lately. The untested coffees are: Late Night Log In; Blogger Fuel, Blogger's Pajama Passion: Life's Short. Blog Hard. and Blogger's Beach Blast: Go Ahead. Make My Blog.



Something to keep in mind during my reviews is that even though Boca Java does have whole-bean coffee, I ordered it pre-ground. Then I brewed it in our press pot, so the integrity of the coffee may have been compromised.





Now, what we've all been waiting for (assuming that you're still reading)... The contenders:

• Blogger's Boot Up Blend: Blogging Rocks. Blend of African, Central and South American coffees. "rich taste and smooth finish for the perfect Breakfast blend"
  

We tried this one first, and liked it but didn't love it. It had a great rich smell, and beautiful color. It was a little to intense for my tastes though. I plan to give it another chance one of these days.

• New Media Mavericks: unfledged Truth. Costa Rican with "excellent body and robust richness"

This was my favorite. It had a nicely round flavor, and tasted really good the way I like it: sweet over ice. Joe had it hot, and deemed it his favorite immediately.

• Blogs of Bravery: the real story in real time. : Blend of south American dark and medium roasts "a well balanced smooth taste"

We tried this one yesterday morning. There was a slight brewing accident, so we were a little worried it wouldn't taste right. However, it was good (if a little bitter due to the fact that I got grinds all over...) And I'm not just saying that to be nice to the purveyors of free stuff. It was the first one that I had tried hot, and I really enjoyed it-- though not as much as the New media Mavericks. Again, I might want to make it again, correctly before condemning it, especially as it was totally drinkable in it's "whoops!" state.

So my final thought is: New Media Mavericks is great. Bold, rich, yummy. All a girl could ask for in free coffee. And I hold faith that their flavored coffees will live up to the standards that have been set for them. And that standard is set at this : that there's some damn fine coffee.

And now back to your cafe-reviewing pleasure.