California Coffee Roaster’s Sumatra Mandehling

I am happy to say that I’ve successfully reset my palate. 
I have spent the last few weeks drinking office coffee (sparingly, only when I’m desperate), McDonald’s coffee, 7-Eleven coffee, and the occasional Starbucks.  At the office, though, for the most part I actually avoided coffee and drank various teas.
I keep thinking, Should I start up a GroovyBrew Tea site?  Hmm.  Maybe.  But that’s off the subject.  Anyway…
This morning I decided it’s time for some really good coffee, and I have been saving this because I knew it would be, and I was not disappointed.
California Coffee Roaster‘s Sumatra Mandehling is smooth and smoky rich without being overpowering.  I ground some up and made my single cup, and sat here and savored it for about 11 minutes before I finally started typing.  It has a full, deep flavor, with wonderful pecan and chocolate notes, and only a hint of acidity.
Did I mention that it’s smooth?
It’s very smooth.
This was a perfect brew to welcome me back to the world of gourmet coffee.  Ah yes.  It’s good to be home.

When Is Coffee Not Really Coffee?

xPICT6714I feel bad for what I’m about to say about this coffee, because it was a gift.
Oh well.  I have to be honest.
If you like Southern Comfort liquor in your coffee, then this stuff is for you.  After you brew it up, it tastes EXACTLY like you’d just dumped two jiggers of the stuff into your coffee.
The flavor emulation is perfect, but alas, without the payoff of an alcoholic kick.
Don’t get me wrong.  I like Southern Comfort.  I just don’t like it in my coffee.
Why?  Because I like the taste of coffee.  No, more than like.  I love it.  I love the taste of coffee.
When you trash mess up destroy change the taste of coffee so much that you really can’t taste a coffee flavor anymore, is it really coffee?
Seriously, I want to know.  Because I don’t think it is.  It may have been once, but like a mad scientist changing an animal’s DNA, what you end up with is a mutant.  Something different.
Even as flavored coffees go, this one makes me … ill.