Blue Bottle Coffee is a whole-bean coffee subscription with multiple options to suit your coffee needs. Generally you’ll get 12 oz of beans every other week for $17, or double your bag for an extra $11. They also offer half bag and triple bag subscriptions. The prices vary by a buck or so on your coffee selections.
My most recent arrival was Mixtape Vol VI. Blue Bottle offers 3 types (Origins, Blend, Espresso) or one of the 8 specialty subscriptions available, as well as change the frequency and amount of coffee you receive in each shipment. Each is produced from high-quality beans — it’s just a matter of what your taste preference is.
After many months with the Origins subscription I decided to switch to Blends. The Origins provides a variety of flavor notes and combinations plus delightful “rough edges” of single-origin brews but it was time to check out how Blue Bottle mixes it up. Currently, I prepare my beans with a Baratza Virtuoso burr grinder and make my coffee Americano-style with an Aeropress.
Every bag includes the date on which it was roasted — this one was prepared on September 20, 2016.
A “Mixtape” is a great metaphor for Blue Bottle blends, because it fits their approach well. Each coffee has its own vibe and is meant to be experienced, not just tasted. The BB blends pair coffees that vibe well together and create a coherent whole that is more than the sum of its parts.
Blue Bottle Coffee‘s notes do a great job of laying out the growing conditions and peculiarities of each coffee. More than any other coffee subscription, Blue Bottle tries to capture the feel and essence of its coffees rather than declaring flavor notes with absolute authority. They are fairly accurate with both identifying the specific notes and conveying a sense of the taste.
Mixtape VI is a blend of a Ethiopian and a Tanzanian bean. The Ethiopian brings a highly floral presence, with notes of rose and wildflower dominating the nose and early sip. The Tanzanian presents nectarine and caramel notes that emerge late and create a sweet finish. The BB notes describe the latter as a “Phoenix,” and I can see why. The delightful sweet notes are very late in the sip, and they follow an almost woody dryness in the middle. I like the juxtaposition of the two beans, as they create a blend with interests from start to finish.
Visit Blue Bottle Coffee to find out more or to subscribe. Get a free trial when you use this link!
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