This is a review of a coffee pod produced by Marley Coffee that was sent to us by Distillata.

Marley Coffee Lion’s Blend Coffee Pod

Ash tray meets chalkboard.

Coffee Pod Rating

1 out of 5

Aroma: 2
Acidity: 1
Body: 1
Flavor: 1
Aftertaste: 1

Question of the Day

What is your favorite Pod Coffee?

Ever since Dunkin’ Donuts came out ahead in a National taste test you have been asking me to do this comparison tasting. Finally you get to see which one is better, Starbucks or Dunkin’.

Starbucks Vs Dunkin’

Which one do you like better Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks Coffee?

As you may know, it was recently announced that Keurig would start carrying Starbucks K-Cup Coffee! For those of you who have a K-Cup brewer or love Starbucks Coffee this is a very exciting time. In this review we will see if the K-Cup French Roast gives us yet another reason to be excited about this new partnership between Starbucks and Keurig.

Starbucks K-Cup Coffee is Here

I have been acquainted with Starbucks for quite a while now and I am extremely familiar with the flavor of their coffees. I also have tried my fair amount of K-Cup Coffees over the past 2 years (Over 200 Flavors).  And with this much history tasting  Starbucks and K-Cup Coffees I had my preconceived notions about what this mash-up might taste like. I was, in all honesty, imagining something between a Starbucks pre-ground coffee and Starbucks Via.  My notions, as demonstrated in the of House Blend, could not have been more wrong. This new found partnership between Keurig and Starbucks is going to have a profound effect on the coffee industry. I am very interested to see what will happen not only within Keurig but in the coffee industry, as a whole, as a result of this partnership.

Starbucks K-Cup French Roast

As I brewed this up in my, Breville K-Cup Brewer on a 5 oz setting , I could smell the aroma dark chocolate, grapefruit and smoke. The slurp brought a surprising grapefruit acidity with a dark chocolate aftertaste. It does have a campfire (ashtray) quality to it that would no doubt be cleaned up by a little bit of cream, if that’s how you roll. The ashtray (burnt tobacco)  flavor is very much in the background but is present in the coffee. Based on this first tasting Starbucks K-Cup French Roast could easily be one of my favorite K-Cup Coffees to date. I am hesitant to say it is in my Top 10, because I was only sent one sample, but it is definitely recommended for a dark roast coffee enthusiast.

Starbucks Keurig French Roast

Dark chocolate, grapefruit with burnt tobacco.

Overall Rating

8 out of 10

Aroma: 7
Acidity: 7
Body: 9
Flavor: 8
Aftertaste: 7

Question of the Day?

Have you ever been to France?

I have a confession to make, I have been drinking Season’s Best Coffee (formerly known as  Christmas Blend) from A Cup of Faith Coffee for 3 days before doing this review. This is normally not the way we do things here at Coffee Cup News but I couldn’t help myself. The aroma coming out of the back drew me in and I just had to try it.

A Cup of Faith Coffee

A Cup of Faith Coffee was founded in 2002 out of California. They sell roasted coffee, loose leaf tea, chocolates and christian books. They are a faith based organization that focuses on high quality coffee, using their Diedrich IR-5 commercial coffee roaster, and being an encouragement to people. (A discussion around this started in the YouTube comments section.)

Season’s Best Coffee Review

When this coffee first hit my tongue, french pressed, it tasted pretty dark with chocolate notes. It had a nice flavor enveloped my whole tongue, especially for the dark roast coffee enthusiast. One of the main big drawbacks to this coffee is the lack of acidity and complexity. It is really straight forward coffee with very little to keep me interested for the long haul. Though, the three days before this tasting I was enjoying this coffee in my drip brewer (a couple times I even added cream, shhhh don’t tell anyone…). It was smooth, with a sweet chocolate flavor that I really enjoyed. I think this coffee would pair really great next to any chocolate flavored pastry or dessert.

A Cup of Faith Coffee, Season’s Best

Aroma: chocolate, dusty
Notes: dark, smooth, chocolate

Coffee Score

82 Points out of 100

Aroma: 7
Acidity: 4
Body: 8
Flavor: 7
Aftertaste: 6

Question of the Day:

Do you hang out on YouTube much?

Dallis Bros Coffee has been in business since 1913 in New York. For over 100 years they been roasting coffee. If any coffee we have tasted should be good it should be this one. With that much history and experience I am expected big this from this Nyeri, Kenya from Dallis Bros, brought to us by Craft Coffee.

Dallis Bros Coffee Review

Number 1, I really have to say that the bag drew me in and communicated to me that this was going to be a wonderful experience. The fact that they break down every relevant aspect of where the coffee comes from and where it is grown gave me an amazing first impression. Number 2, This partnership between Craft Coffee and it’s roasters is a cool one to say the least. Every month Craft Coffee selects 3 coffees to send out to it’s subscribers. From what I can tell these coffees are nothing but the best from each roaster. Today’s selection of Nyeri, Kenya is no exception. SL-28, SL-34 are known for being the highest quality coffee from this region because of their Bourbon like characteristics.

Nyeri, Kenya Coffee Flavor

I pick up my cup, take the first sip, the coffee hits my tongue and I am like, “woah!” Flavors of lemon, tropical fruit and huge acidity spring out of the cup! I really, really liked what I was tasting and I am really excited to try all of the other coffees that Craft Coffee sent my way. This coffee in one sentence was, “An explosion of lemon acidity and tropical fruit juiciness!” After 100 years of selection quality coffee Dallis Bros Coffee really knows how to deliver an amazing experience.

Dallis Bros Nyeri Kenya Coffee Score

Aroma: tropical fruit, lemon
Notes: lemon acidity, tropical fruit juiciness 

Coffee Score

94 Points out of 100

Aroma: 8
Acidity: 10
Body: 8
Flavor: 9
Aftertaste: 9

Question of the Day:

Have you tried SL-34 or SL-28 Coffee?