Kenya Royal - Cafe Hernandez
Welcome to the Espresso Idiot's review of the Kenya Royal espresso available on request inhouse at Cafe Hernandez. All of the beans on sale at Cafe Hernandez are available in ground form to be prepared by the inhouse barista on the epsresso machine, and you could do worse than giving this wee gem a try. At $2.80 per shot, this espresso has a higher than average price tag.
"This is a full boided espresso that any royal family would be proud to serve up in the palace. Rich, fruity, flavoursome, and full bodied this is an espresso to take the time to try at Cafe Hernandez"
Espresso Idiot, 2 November 2006.
Summary Information
Overall Score: A superb espresso from Cafe Hernandez. This is a full bodied espresso that is not overpowering and has plenty of flavour in the shot. Shame that it wasn't freshly ground for my shot and lacked some freshness. 8 out of 10.
Presentation: Beans 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. Rich and well roasted beans. 8 out of 10.
Crema: An evenly dispersed, thick crema. Brownish caramel colour with a slightly oily look to it. Very inviting. 8 out of 10.
Aroma: A full and strong aroma heralding a full bodied espresso. Very inviting. 9 out of 10.
Taste: A powerful full bodied espresso. Balanced flow on palate, not too overpowering. Slight bitterness in aftertaste, but not overly so. A great tasting espresso. 9 out of 10.
Review
Cafe Hernandez has produced a superb espresso here that is available as an inhouse espresso ifyou select it from the list of espresso types available. The Kenya royal is also available to take home in both bean or ground form, and anyone that appreciates a full bodied espresso would do well to try this one.
The beans were not freshly ground for my shot. Instead they were scooped from preground beans located in air tight, but not light proof containers on top of the food shelves near the entrance to the cafe. This is a bit of a shame, and I felt that this was detectable in the quality of the espresso produced, it seemed to lack some of the punch more fresh full bodied espresso shots have. However, this espresso coped well with substandard treatment. The barista staff were helppful, skilled, and prepared to discuss the different tastes and aspects of this espresso shots compared with some others.
The aroma of this shot hits the nose well before the cup is placed before the face. You cannot miss the pungent full aroma eminating from the espresso shot as it is delivered to you. The odour is most inviting and really gets you in the mood for a full bodied espresso - most inviting and a really refreshing start for this espresso. So many full bodied espressos come up short in the aroma department, but this one truly measured up. This would make a great morning coffee, or a great shot to have if you ever need a pick me up.
Royal Kenya produced an even thick crema over the top of the shot. There were some patches in the colour, however I believe that this was probably a result of excess oxidation of the oils due to the storage problems I have referred to. However, this espresso shot was robust enough to cope with this adversity, and the creama still hung together well. I would expect that a decent textured milk would mix very well with this crema. The cream had an oily look to it that was inviting.
The espresso shot, when sampled, proved to be full bodied as indicated by the aroma. There wasn't the sharpenss that sometimes accompanies a full bodied espresso shot, and there was no prnounced unpleasant bitterness that is also the hall mark of some supposedly full bodied espresso shots. I knew that I had something good here. The taste was not detectable on the tip of the tongue, but the flavours were noticeable on the rear and sides of the tongue, and mouth to a degree. There was a fruity taste, and a slightly bitter, but pleasant aftertaste that came on after the mouthful was swallowed. In addition the aftertaste had an earthy hint to it, very flavoursome and interesting. A fantastic lingering taste to be sure.
This espresso is a must for anyone looking for a full bodied espresso. Preferable in my mind to the house blend by a long shot, and no more pricey so well worth requesting. Hopefully Cafe Hernandez will address the aspect that let them down in my book, the storage issues, however they get through so much coffee that it wont linger around for very long before you get to having your epsresso made. Who knows, if you ask for freshly ground they are so helpfulyou'll probably get it, but really you shouldn't have to. Imrpessive coffee though this one, I snagged a bag to take home with me.