My Taste Test Community Coffee New Orleans Roast Blend Coffee

by Nigel Ong

One of my favorite medium roasts is the Community Coffee American Roast. Comfortable, smooth, and easy to drink at a good price. This also made me keen to look at Community Coffee’s other roasts. 

As a result, I snapped up a few bags of Community Coffee’s roasts in the range and tried them out. This time, it’s the New Orleans Dark Roast.

As usual, I will brew the coffee several ways and sample it. I then compare the coffee with other relevant roasts before deciding who should give this coffee a try.

About Community Coffee New Orleans Roast

Community Coffee, a familiar sight in grocery stores, has an interesting backstory. Norman “Cap” Saurage founded it in 1919, starting with a unique coffee blend in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 

The coffee sold so well that demand skyrocketed. To cater to this, Saurage moved production to a converted barn in 1923, and by 1924, he focused entirely on coffee.

Today, the company sources beans from places like Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, roasting them in the US. Community Coffee also supports veterans, sending coffee packages to active and retired military personnel as a thank you.

The New Orleans Dark Roast was created to pay homage to the city’s famous coffee traditions, which often include the unique practice of blending coffee with chicory. 

While the New Orleans Dark Roast does not contain chicory, it embodies the bold, rich flavors that coffee drinkers in New Orleans and beyond have come to love. It is roasted slowly and dark to produce a bold, rich-flavored coffee.

Reviews on Amazon indicated that many drinkers like its taste, smoothness, and softness to the stomach. Quite a few also mentioned the value, where they get good coffee at a competitive pricing. 

First Impression

My bag of New Orleans Roast looks about the same as the other Community Coffee Roasts. Bright, Captain America kind of red, with a uniquely colored square indicating it is a New Orleans Roast. 

Here, the label color is purple, with a trumpet logo printed on it. Supposed to remember New Orleans as the Jazz capital of America.

The rest of the bag is similar. It has a foldable tab and a one-way valve to help you smell the coffee and prevent oxygen from getting in.

Once I opened the seal of the packaging, I was greeted by the fragrance of the coffee. It was fresh, refreshing, and had a deep, smoky aroma. I also picked up a bit of nuttiness, something similar to peanuts. 

The aroma also has a bit of sharpness, which may mean acidity. I’ll save this for the cupping session later.

My New Orleans Dark Roast comes as coffee grounds, so I cannot observe what the roast looks like as beans. However, in appearance, the coffee looks pretty dark, consistent with the fact that it is a dark roast.

How Does Community Coffee New Orleans Roast Taste?

I plan to use three brewing techniques in my coffee test: immersion and filtration. I’ll also throw in espresso for good measure:

French Press: This immersion brewing method produces a rich, cloudy coffee with some particles. It’ll let me taste the coffee’s full spectrum of flavors.

Pour-Over with Filter Paper: This filtration method yields a cleaner cup with less oil and fewer particles. It’ll allow me to detect the coffee’s more delicate flavors.

Espresso: I’ll get a dense, concentrated cup by brewing the coffee as an espresso. This method will highlight unique flavors that might be missed in other brewing methods. The New Orleans Roast is a dark roast anyway, so why not try it as espresso?

French Press

I began my coffee tasting with a French press, using my Bodum Caffettiera. Following Illy Coffee’s recommendation, I stuck to a 1:12 coffee-to-water ratio, consistent with all my previous reviews.

I used 15 grams of coffee and 180ml of off-boiling water in this case. Then I let the concoction brew for 4 minutes before pouring myself a cup.

The rich aroma filled the room as the coffee brewed away, creating a welcoming coffee scent in my kitchen. The smell was dominated by coffee, with hints of smoke and wood. The aroma intensified as I took my first sip, filling my nose with coffee goodness.

The New Orleans Dark Roast first hits me with a bold, smoky flavor with hints of charcoal. However, I do not mean the coffee is unpleasant; it is just distinctively roasted. The brew carried robust, woody undertones as well.

Despite its smoky profile, the coffee was quite smooth. I then noticed some peanut-like notes, reminding me of Community Coffee’s Breakfast Blend. The coffee is also quite acidic, as I picked up some sourness with the coffee. Again, not in a bad way. 

The coffee concluded with a medium-length finish, where the flavor stayed on my palate. Still, it didn’t linger as long as some darker, more intense roasts might.

Pour Over With Filter Paper

I used my usual setup for my pour-over coffee: IKEA Overst Coffee Pour Over Set, Hario Coffee Filter Paper, and IKEA Riklig Glass Pot.

I used 20 grams of coffee grounds and added 360ml of water. I poured the water slowly, taking around 3-4 minutes to pour the hot water.

What I get is a cleaner cup, likely because the filter paper traps many finer toffee particles. The coffee appeared a tad lighter in color, though the difference was subtle.

In terms of flavor, the pour-over coffee was milder and lacked the intensity of the French press brew. This change can be attributed to the filter paper, which likely absorbed some of the coffee’s oils and finer particles.

This brewing method highlighted the coffee’s nutty flavors and brightness more prominently. I even think I picked up some citrus notes, although I cannot tell what fruit they are.

Espresso

Since I don’t own an espresso machine, I used my Wacaco Minipresso GR to make an espresso shot. The coffee was initially coarse, so I ground it finer first.

The espresso turned out great, topped with a rich, creamy layer of crema. It had a smoky aroma with subtle notes of nuts.

The espresso was potent and full of flavor but remained pleasantly smooth. It was strong without making me feel the urge to swallow it down quickly to get rid of the taste in my mouth, which speaks to its smoothness.

As the espresso’s initial intensity faded, it unveiled hints of nuttiness. After drinking, it left a delightful and lingering aftertaste.

Community Coffee New Orleans Blend vs Community Coffee Roasts

I set out to see how the New Orleans Dark Roast stacks up against other Community Coffee roasts that I have. These are:

Following my usual routine, I brewed each coffee with a French press and conducted a side-by-side taste test.

The American Roast took the top spot in this comparison for its standout smoothness and clear flavor profile. I also think the Breakfast Blend tastes quite nice, with the New Orleans Roast coming next.

However, the others were impressive in their own right. While the Signature Blend and Cafe Special roasts might not have been as rich in flavor as the others, I found them to be more sophisticated.

It’s just that my palate seems to appreciate medium roasts more, so naturally, my vote goes to them.

Community Coffee New Orleans Blend vs Popular Dark Roasts

Next, I want to evaluate the New Orleans Dark Roast alongside other dark roasts in my collection. I brewed each of these coffees and tasted them sequentially with the New Orleans Dark Roast:

Among these, I found the New Orleans Blend not the best coffee roast here. I think the Major Dickason remains the best dark roast, with the New Orleans Blend second. 

The Major Dickason stands out as the superior choice, primarily due to its smooth texture and the rich blend of flavors it offers.

Is Community Coffee New Orleans Blend For You?

After I sampled the coffee, I found that the Community Coffee New Orleans Dark Roast lives up to its name perfectly. 

It’s the ideal coffee to kickstart your day with, especially if you enjoy drinking dark roasts. It is smooth, smoky, and has a comfortable flavor. It is something you can sip away while focusing at work without being distracted by unique flavors from the coffee.

It is also enticing enough to pair with a hearty, savory breakfast like an egg and cheese sandwich. I can also easily see dark roast fans sipping it on a leisurely weekend morning while enjoying a full breakfast of bacon, beans, eggs, and toast.

Moreover, this coffee won’t break the bank. It’s surprisingly affordable and offers great value. The Community Coffee New Orleans Dark Roast can be found in various forms, including ground, whole bean, or K-cup.

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