Royal Kenya - Cafe Hernandez
Welcome to the Espresso Idiot's review of the Royal Kenya Blend availabe both in house, and for take home consumption from Cafe Hernandez. Cafe Hernandez is a legend on the Sydney espresso scene. They consistantly, both over a substantial number of years, and 24 hours a day seven days a week, offer up some of the freshest, expertly blended espresso coffee beans to the public, either whole or ground. It is a winning combination that has stood them well over time. This blend is the best I have had from Hernandez, especially if you are looking for an espresso that will have a more powerful impact on your palate. This coffee is mid range in terms of price. Don't forget that you can try it in house to see if you like it before you buy. You've gotta love that!
"This is a full bodied, well blended espresso that packs a real punch on the palate. A strong performer overall, this is another strong contender in the Hernandez stable of fine coffee. The packaging of the coffee could be better, and you will have to have your own storage sorted to prevent unecessary degradation of the coffee after purchase."
Espresso Idiot, 13 November 2006.
Summary Information
Overall Score: A superb coffee from Cafe Hernandez, well selected, blended and roasted. This is a full bodied espresso that has plenty of flavour and sits well on the palate. The beans are a deep, rich, dark colour, and yielded a wonderful espresso shot. The pick of the bunch at Hernandez, and will be a regular for me. Delicious. 8 out of 10.
Packaging: Not such a strong point.not freshly ground for shot, instead the ground coffee was kept in jars on top of food cabinet. No idea how long it had been there for. Prepared in full view of customers, barista staff skilled and friendly. 5 out of 10.
Bean Type: 100% arabica. A deep, rich, dark black in colour from the bag. The colour accurately conveys the espresso that will eventually emerge from these wonderful beans. 8 out of 10.
Crema: A delicious, almost forthy crema that is not lacking in substance. It contains a nice slightly muted preview of the espresso that lurks underneath, waiting to tantalise your tastebuds. It is a very light colour, almost a chocolate milkshake foam colour, evenly covering the top of the shot. Magnificent creama, a delight to taste off the shot, and mixes very well with textured milk. 9 out of 10.
Aroma: Not the usual aroma that comes with full bodied espresso coffee. No strong aroma from the brew. There was a nice aroma from the beans, both when purchasing and when ground for my shots. However, it was disappointing to find the armoa did not take to the shot. 7 out of 10.
Taste: A full bodied espresso with plenty of interesting flavours. Subtle enough on the palate to allow all of the flavours to make an impression, and deep enough in taste and stength to let you know you've got an espresso to reckon with on your hands (or tongue I guess). The most interesting espresso in the stable of Hernandez so far. Well worth a try. 9 out of 10.
Review
Cafe Hernandez have outdone themselves with this espresso, a magnificent full bodied espresso roasted and produced on site from imported arabica beans. At the outset you should know that this is the best offering I have tasted from Cafe Hernandez, and that means this offeirng sits pretty highly in the Sydney espresso scene given Hernandez are among the better operators in the city. They have done well here, and fans of full bodied espresso should consider this a must.
The beans were given to me a paper bag that had a folding arrangment near the top that prevented the beans from coming out of the bag. It was not airtight, but it seems that storage of the beans is considered the realm of the purchaser by Cafe Hernandez. Fair enough as long as you know about this in advance I suppose. You would be best advised to ensure that you have storage prepared at home to keep your beans in the best possible condition. The beans were a rich, deep, very dark black from the bag which conjures up images of an equally deep dark, rich, and black espresso from them (even if this is not technically an accurate method of determining the espresso that will emerge from roasted beans). They looked divine coming out of the bag and into the grinder (before I stored them) and this is one of the more impressive aspects of this coffee. Quite a stunning look to the primary product.
The aroma of this blend is a bit disappointing. The beans, both whole and once they are ground, do release a captivating aroma that tantalises the nose. There are earthy tones to the aroma, and a deep aspect to it that causes one to imagine the rich espresso that is waiting for you once the beans are ground and the magic is worked upon them. Unfortunately this does not translate to a strong and nice aroma coming from the shot, making the armoa fall a bit flat. However, the other aspects of this coffee overcome this shortfall.
The Royal Kenya produces a crema that has a very light colour, most similar to the foam on the top of a chocolate milkshake. The crema did disperse evenly over the top of the shot and it was thick enough to taste while taking the espresso into the mouth. It was quite foamy, however it had enough flavour in it to add to the overall experience of the espresso. The crema is a real strong point of this blend, even when mixed with textured milk. The crema colours the milk well and makes for a nice latte or flat white from this full bodied espresso - it can handle the extra milk without losing much of its punch.
The espresso shot is full bodied, however unlike a lot of full bodied espresso this is not bitter or overpowering. The espresso comes on to the palate in a mild way, hitting the tip of the tongue and not creating much of an impression at all. As it winds its way around the tongue the sides and rear of the tongue come alive with a deep and earthy taste of coffee. It is magnificent and the flavours continue to play on the tongue long after the liquid ahs been consumed. The aftertaste is a little bitter, but in a good way - in the way that lets you know you have had a decent shot of espresso and can expect a bit of a kick to follow through. This is the best tasting espresso I have had from Hernandez and would not hesitate to reccomend it to anyone wanting to try a full bodied espresso.
This espresso is a must for anyone looking for a full bodied espresso, and is a great selection to take home and make. I'd bet that this espresso bean could produce a full bodied well flavoured shot on just about any espresso machine you take it to. Cafe Hernandez may have let themselves down a bit with the packaging, however as long as you are aware of this in advance it wont present any insurmountable issues. This is a most impressive espresso, well worth getting to take home and treat yourself and your friends.