Paper and Slippers by Grounds and Hounds
Disclaimer: This is not meant to flame the people who sell the products I post about. The purpose of this is to offer some entertainment and make fun of some ridiculous claims about coffee and other products. I actually enjoy most of the stuff I will be reviewing. I would also like to note that I am not an expert on most of the content here so take what I say with a grain of salt.
Description:
Using a blend of both light and dark roast beans sourced from Peru, Nicaragua and Mexico, Paper & Slippers delivers great acidity and a very full body. Hints of brownie and toasted nuts are immediately noticed, followed by blackberry and blueberry on the finish.
Stats:
100% Fair Trade Organic Certified
100% Arabica
Dark and Light Roast
Whole Bean and Ground Options
12 oz. and 6 oz.
Picture:
Review:
First of all, this is the first coffee I have ordered and have not drank out of a local coffee shop. I was suggested to this by a person on reddit by the name of /u/emperorcodeman. With that being said, let's begin. When I first got this coffee earlier I was stoked. I really like coffee and mostly have some crappy generic brand. Late 2016 I started using a Keurig with slightly better coffee and was unable to enjoin the cheap stuff anymore. Recently I have been enjoying coffee (mainly mochas) from a local shop. It is good but very costly so I decided to step it up. As previously mentioned I took /u/emperorcodeman's suggestion and went with the Paper and Slippers by Grounds and Hounds. This coffee was great to start, and I really enjoyed it. It is a medium roast and not too strong for me. It was a step up from most coffees I have had. It also is nice knowing that some of the money is going to help dogs in need. The coffee had a 'clean' aspect to it and had a flavor that lasted after drinking it and did not leave a nasty aftertaste. It was smooth and nice. For a while I plan on drinking this in the morning. Overall, I give this coffee a 8/10.
Roast:
Now we get to the good part. This coffee was good, but what bugs me is the description. SCREW THE DESCRIPTION! I will be taking this description apart and talk about what I dislike.
Using a blend of both light and dark roast beans sourced from Peru, Nicaragua and Mexico
This part does not have many issues with it, but as always I question the working conditions. Grounds and Hounds does nice things for dogs but I really wonder about the workers and where the coffee itself came from. It is nice of them to tell us the countries but I wonder if they only buy from places with good working conditions. I am not accusing the company, but rather wondering about the sourcing of the coffee they sell.
Paper & Slippers delivers great acidity and a very full body
Now is where I start to get annoyed (and hopefully justifiable). The part where it says it has a very full body can be understood by me, someone new to good coffee, but at the same time every coffee says this. What exactly does that mean? Before that it says that it delivers a 'great acidity' but really I don't see it. I don't taste anything acidic in this coffee. I don't know if I am missing something but really I don't understand where they are getting this from. I have tasted coffees with some acidity before (usually in the aftertaste) but this does not supply anything noticeable in my opinion.
Hints of brownie and toasted nuts are immediately noticed
This is a plain lie. I taste this coffee and I taste a smooth coffee, nothing suggests brownies or nuts. This is a large gripe I have with coffee related products. No, it does not taste like brownies. If it did, I would get another coffee because I am trying to drink coffee not brownie mix. My father said he noticed a chocolaty flavor, but that was after he added coco powder to his cup. It has no nutty flavor at all. The only nutty feeling I get when drinking a cup is how nutty this description is.
followed by blackberry and blueberry on the finish
No, just no. This coffee has no fruity 'finish' or even an aftertaste. If it did, I doubt it would taste like these specific berrys. Some coffee does have a fruitier flavor but this is not one. Not every coffee needs to taste like something else. Coffee has a unique taste, not a 'blackberry and blueberry' one.
Conclusion:
Finally, I have these things to say to summarize this post.
- The coffee is very good, full and clean tasting without any sharp flavors.
- This coffee does not taste like brownies nor nuts. It tastes like medium roast coffee.
- There is nothing fruity about it, in the 'body' or the 'finish'.
- People don't drink black coffee to have it taste like fruit or sugary desserts. They drink it for caffeine and taste.
Overall, I think the description could use some work. I wish coffees were honest and did not use these crazy buzzwords. Some of it is just blatantly not true. I would also like to learn about where they get their coffee and the working conditions in those countries.
Info and pictures taken from the Grounds and Hounds website