a_southern_mom's Full Review: Green Mountain 15509 Dark Magic Extra Bold Coffee
I have a dark secret. I’m a coffee snob.
I treat a cup of coffee like some people do a fine wine, inhaling the aroma, savoring the first sip, swirling it in my mouth. I sneer at Folgers. I make my own espresso because Starbucks doesn’t suit me. I have 5 coffee makers utilizing different methods, 2 espresso machines, and 2 grinders.
Now, I don’t know a good Cabernet from Welch’s grape juice, but I’m fairly serious about my caffeine. Also, I’m an untrained, layperson coffee drinker. Yes, there are pro coffee drinkers! I’ll even quote one later. Still, be prepared to roll your eyes as I describe the flavor of this coffee. It’s O.K.
I’ll Begin with the End
This is not my favorite coffee, but it is one of my favorite K-cup coffees for this Keurig 1-cup coffee maker. I like many of the different flavors and types of coffees that come in these little ‘pods’, or K-cups, but the Dark Magic Extra Bold is one I usually keep in stock. Naturally, none of the K-cup flavors equal grinding your own personal blend of beans.
All of the Extra Bold varieties are richer and deeper. The box says they are “for true coffee lovers who prefer something a little more robust, a touch more intense.” I think the Dark Magic Extra Bold is the deepest of this variety.
Bitterness
With the Dark Magic, I can have the strongest setting, (the least water), that this coffee maker allows, and the coffee is still not bitter. It’s one step weaker than a moderate espresso, assuming the espresso was done with mildly robust beans. At the same time, it doesn’t taste like a watered-down espresso.
For me, bitterness usually comes as an aftertaste. Some people like a bit of that, but I don’t. That makes it harder for me to find a really full-bodied coffee. The Dark Magic manages that feat.
Flavor
I promised a quote from an expert, so here it is, regarding Dark Magic:
"Sweet, round, toasty caramel aroma with a hint of flowers. In the cup very balanced: sweet, toasty, rich, with a hint of green apply tartness and pruny fruit edging toward chocolate. Sweet and rich in the short finish; turns slightly woody in the long."
— Ken Davids, CoffeeRevew.com
So, here’s how I know I’m not an expert. I don’t get most of that. I don’t find sweet caramel aroma with flowers, no green apply anything, and I don’t know what pruny fruit means. Couldn’t find a hint of chocolate. If sweet means ‘not bitter’, then O.K.
What I get is a kind of earthy aroma, a sort of smoky flavor. It lingers pleasantly after I drink it. It doesn’t have an acidic quality. I don’t feel the need to run brush my teeth to rid myself of ‘coffee breath’. (That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t, I just don’t feel like it!).
The manufacturer says it has ‘spellbinding complexity’. I think they must have been drinking it in the morning before fully awake. It doesn’t cast a spell over me, I just enjoy it.
Some have described this coffee as very strong. I would describe it as moderately deep, but then, I’m an espresso drinker. That could make a big difference in my perception.
The Blend
They say all of their blends are 100% Arabica bean coffee, “sourced from exotic coffee-producing regions around the world”. Dark Magic has Indonesian beans that they describe as rich and “syrupy”. I not well-versed enough to know what “syrupy” means, but in general, coffees made with syrupy beans seem richer to me. Dark Magic also includes coffees from Latin American.
The Company
One thing I really like about this company is that they’re a socially/environmentally conscious organization. (At least they say so). They try to “preserve the pristine environments and indigenous cultures where these beans are grown.”
I hope this is true, and if so, I commend them for it.
Finally
The single description that came closest to my own experience was on the Green Mountain website. Keeping in mind that I don’t find it “sweet” at all, the rest sums it up pretty well:
“We think you'll find it sweet, intense and vibrant, with a finish that's as pleasing as it is lingering.”
But what do I know? Everybody thinks it's sweet but me! :D
If you try it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
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