New Guinea (Organic) - Cafe Hernandez
Welcome to the Espresso Idiot's review of the New Guinea Organic Blend availabe both in house, and for take home consumption from Cafe Hernandez. Cafe Hernandez is a Sydney espresso landmark, and it isn't hard to see how they made a name for themselves, and why they have been able to stay on top of their game for so long. One of the great feature of this place is that it is open 24 hours so anytime you are in need of a hit of caffeine, you just need to call in and pick up your favourite blend. I'd suggest that you try this one at some stage. This blend is mid range in terms of price, and is well worth checking out if you can find the time to visit Hernandez. Don't forget that you can try it in house to see if you like it before you buy.
"This is a full bodied, well blended espresso that performs well in all categories. Hernandez don't do themselves any favours with the packaging of the coffee is brown paper bags that while sealed, are not airtight. Best have yourself set up to store the coffee at home before you buy. It is good stuff though, particularly this powerful, yet mellow blend."
Espresso Idiot, 8 November 2006.
Summary Information
Overall Score: A superb coffee from Cafe Hernandez, well selected, blended and roasted. This is a full bodied espresso that is not overpowering, and still has plenty of flavour in the shot. The beans are dark roasted in colour, and appeared almost covered in oil. Delicious. 7 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 black in colour from the bag, and a very apparent oily sheen on the bean. Magical and intoxicating appearance. 8 out of 10.
Crema: A light caramel colour, evenly covering the top of the shot. Oily sheen to the creama. A delight to taste, mixing well with textured milk. 8 out of 10.
Aroma: Not the usual aroma that comes with full bodied espresso coffee. No strong aroma in the bag or from the brew. The most disappointing aspect of this coffee. 7 out of 10.
Taste: A subtle and yet full bodied espresso. Very well flavoured, subtle enough on the palate to allow all of the flavours to come on to the palate. Mellow in terms of intensity, but enough complexity in the taste to keep you interested. 8 out of 10.
Review
Cafe Hernandez has produced a superb espresso here that is available as an in house espresso, and also to take home in bean or ground form. This blend is also organic, although there was no certification given along with the statement that it is organic. However, that was good enough for me as this is an establishment with quite a reputation, but certification ought to be available for those that insist on organic coffee at home.
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. The oil from the beans did make stains on the paper bag, and storage would be an issue unless you set up storage at your home as I have. This could probably be the subject of some improvement at Cafe Hernandez as their prices are comparable with other establishment that provide air tight plastic bags with gas release valves that would be preferable for storage at home if you don't have your own facilities. The beans themselves were very dark in colour and they had a wonderful oily look to them that hinted at the taste sensation that was to follow. 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.
The aroma of this blend is disappointing. There is not very much odour from the beans fromt he bag, nor after grinding. The beans looked so good that my natural instinct was to sample the aroma at the same time, and I found it was almost entirely absent. There was a coffee smell, but nothing to speak off which was a shame. Off the shot this situation isn't really improved, all you are aware of is a vague smell of coffee coming from the shot. I have noticed that weak aroma seems common among the organic coffees that I have tasted and this is no exception. Definitely the weakest aspect of this blend.
The New Guinea blend produced a crema that was light carmel in colour. It was evenly disperesed over the top of the shot. There was an oily sheen to the crema that was probably the most impressive I have seen for some time. Very tasty, mixes well with the espresso. A real strong point of this blend, even when mixed with textured milk.
The espresso shot is full bodied, however unlike a lot of full bodied espresso this is not bitter or overpowering. The flavour is allowed to come onto the palate which it does on the rear and sides of the tongue. There is a slightly earthy hint to the taste, but very little after taste. The taste is strong, and is very rich. This is a wonderful espresso blend and is reccomended for anyone wanting to try full bodied espresso to further educate their palate.
This espresso is a must for anyone looking for a full bodied espresso, and in particular an organic one. I'd reccomend that anyone try this in house before they buy, mostly because you can and this one wont be for every palate. Cafe Hernandez 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 an impressive espresso, well worth getting to take home and treat yourself.