I don’t think, after over 25 years of writing about music and movies, I ever imagined I’d be writing about coffee. But with the debut of Redemption Road Coffee and an offer to try some of their flavors out, this coffee drinker couldn’t possibly pass this tasty opportunity up.
I hadn’t had a sip of coffee until college, when I first tried whatever that sugary, milky slop is that comes out of those cappuccino machines. French Vanilla, I think, had been my drink of choice. Eventually, I moved on to “real” coffee – a term I use ever so lightly because I believe it was Folgers French Vanilla or, even worse, Maxwell House. I shudder at the thought of these now (no offense to anyone reading who is a frequent sipper of these brands). Because of the sugary, syrup-laden drinks I started with, I often filled each cup of drip coffee with a couple teaspoons of sugar and a hearty splash of half n’ half or milk. But, at some point, in an effort to get off needing sugar in my coffee, I slowly skimped on the amount of sugar I’d put into each cup, until I was drinking it entirely sugar free. The same followed for any kind of milk.
Yes, folks, I’m a black coffee drinker.
The challenge, following the abolishment of ‘cream and sugar,’ was to find a coffee that I just really enjoyed the flavor of. For a while, it was Land of a Thousand Hills coffee, a brand out of Atlanta that Third Day heavily endorsed because of their fair-trade practices. It’s wonderful, but it was a pricey one to continue having shipped to my home in Pennsylvania.
To this day, I’m a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee drinker. It’s easily accessible, since one of the establishments is nearby, and their fresh-ground coffee from the Dunkin’ store – not off a grocery shelf – is often quite delicious.
I’ve found I prefer that “nutty” flavor in coffee. So it wasn’t a surprise that, when I began sampling the Redemption Road Coffee flavors, that I ended up gravitating towards the ones that list “nutty” among their attributes.
My taste buds entered into the world of Redemption Road Coffee on January 27, 2023 with a cup of their Honduras coffee. The bag describes it as a medium roast, with chocolate, nutty and brown sugar notes. I noticed right away after I brewed a cup of their ground beans that it smelled amazing. I could definitely smell the nutty flavor. My first sip, however, came off a little bland. With the second sip, I could taste the chocolate. But I noticed that the bag recommended 2 tbsps of coffee per cup of water. I hadn’t done that. Clearly, I had not used enough coffee in the coffee-to-water ratio.
The next day, I tried the Honduras blend with 2 tbsps. of coffee per cup of water. (So 2 and a half scoops in this case… although, in retrospect, I realize it should have been 3 tbsps. Ha! Whoops.) First sip? It’s gooood!
On January 29th, I took a trip to Brazil, so to speak. “Toffee, Nutty, Chocolate,” the bag reads. It smelled divine. First sip? Delicious! I could taste the nuttiness. I also think the combination of the toffee in there helped make it a winner. On the second day, my wife prepped the coffee for me (as she likes to do for me, bless her heart), and she made it on the strong side. Verdict: I really like this flavor!
Last, and I suppose least, was the Guatemala blend. Described as “Sweet, Citrus, Chocolate,” it’s a lighter, definitely weaker coffee flavor. If you want something softer, this one is for you. It’s the blandest of the three. It’s certainly not bad, but I like the others better all around. You could taste the chocolate a bit, but just overall, it didn’t deliver for me. On my second cup, I tried to make it a little stronger, but it came out tasting too bland for my taste again.
Now being in February, I’ve been regularly taking turns between Brazil and Honduras, with the former being my favorite of the three. As I type this, I’m sipping on a cup of the Honduras from a cute little mug themed for “The Office.” I do like this one, but I miss the toffee flavor of Brazil.
I’ve had lots of coffee shop coffee over the years, with many blends just not doing it for me. With that said, Redemption Road Coffee is a wonderful option for fresh and unique blends of coffee. Their website has quite a few options, including Columbian Decaf, which I’d love to try.
Bottomline? I recommend checking these guys out. Their coffees support the various countries it’s farmed from, giving back to each of their communities. So you can enjoy each sip knowing that this great little company is making a difference around the world.
- John DiBiase
JFH Founder/CEO/Writer
Here is some more information about Redemption Road Coffee:
Sit back, relax and enjoy a beautiful cup of single-origin coffee. Since its founding in 2015, Redemption Road Coffee has consistently focused on impacting the world for good.
The result? You can sip with confidence knowing that just by purchasing your coffee you are providing medical care to people in Malawi or schooling to kids in Honduras. They offer whole bean, ground, and pod coffee to start each day with an incredible tasting cup of Joe sourced from farms around the globe that help their own communities.
Highlights:
- Specialty grade coffee from farms around the globe
- Dark roast sourced from: Malawi, Sumatra, and India
- Medium roast sourced from: Honduras, Guatemala, and Brazil
- Light roast sourced from: Panama, Peru, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda
- Every farm gives back in one way or another, and their story is on the product pages
- Options include whole bean, ground, and pods
After seven years of successful farmer’s markets, founder Aaron’s (and wife Jessica’s) passion has evolved into a cause that affects all the countries he sources his beans from by ensuring that the farmers all give back to their community while Aaron + Jessica continue to give back to causes at home and internationally as well.
Starting at $5 – Learn more at www.redemptionroadcoffee.com