I get lots of interesting food products to try out and that’s generally a great thing. My kids and I have tried quite a variety of weird, curious, and sometimes fantastic foods and it’s always interesting. I’m also a big coffee drinker and have definitely reviewed not just coffees but coffee makers too, from cold brew to Keurig K-cups. One more data point: I was born in England so I’m pretty sure that a predilection for a nice cuppa tea is woven into my genes.
That’s why when Steeped Coffee offered to send along a sampler box I was intrigued. It’s coffee, but in flow-thru bags that you just toss into boiling water. Well, the process is slightly more complicated, as their handy info card details, but not by much:
Their logo theme is a cute submarine (see the periscope on their packaging?) and the steeping process is broken down into three steps: Submerge, Saturate, Steep. Basically, you put the Steeped Coffee bag into your cup, pour water over it, then use a spoon to keep it “submerged”. Then you dunk, then you let it steep for five minutes. Trick: Use a well insulated cup, mug or other container if you want the coffee to remain nice and piping hot.
Before I poured in the water, here was the tea, uh, coffee bag:
I have to say, it smelled fantastic. This test brew was the Driftwood Blend, which the company describes on its Web site as being their version of a French Roast: “Smooth and steady, the french roast Driftwood Blend uses caramelization to bring together creamy dark chocolate and dark sugary sweetness for the most delicious of treasures. This high-grown specialty coffee achieves a balance and consistency year around.”
Doesn’t that sound fantastic?
I pulled out a cup measure to ensure that I added 8oz of water and no more. During the Saturate stage it looked like this:
I actually dunked it for closer to 30 seconds than the 15 recommended as I like my coffee dark and strong. Five minutes later, here’s what I had, held up to the window for maximum artistic value:
Dark? Somewhat. Tasty? Definitely. But to be entirely candid, I found it relatively weak which was disappointing. I am contemplating using two bags and 12oz of water or so (rather than 2 * 8oz) to see if I can make a strong, rich brew. Then again, I am also used to cold brew, which I could probably duplicate by letting it steep for an hour or more, rather than five minutes. Steeped Coffee definitely has lots of roasts in its lineup too, so a different roast might well give me the darker, stronger cup I seek:
Either way, this is a really fun way to brew up a cup of coffee and could be really fun for a dinner party or similar too. I’d also recommend sticking with the submarine theme and considering watching The Hunt for Red October after singing along to Yellow Submarine. Too much? Hey, this is coffee we’re talking about here!
Steeped Coffee Sampler Pack, $15 at steepedcoffee.com
Disclosure: Steeped Coffee sent me the sampler pack in return for this taste test writeup. Fantastic. If you have a coffee roaster or unique coffee, send me your product too! I promise I’ll drink it. 🙂