My Taste Test of Allegro Coffee Mocha Java Medium Roast

by Nigel Ong

Mocha Java is a rather unique, if not historical blend. First popularized in the 17th century, the Dutch blended coffee beans from Java and Mocha to create it. 

The blend has been popular ever since for its unique taste worldwide. Many roasters, including Allegro, offer their own take on the Mocha Java blend. 

How would Allegro’s Mocha Java roast fare? I picked up a bag to find out. I will brew the coffee three ways before comparing it against other relevant roasts I have in my collection.

About Allegro Coffee Mocha Java Blend

Allegro Coffee Roasters was first founded by Jeffrey Cohn in 1977 in Boulder, Colorado. It started as a modest specialty coffee shop dedicated to providing the local community with exceptional coffee before growing into what it is today. 

Allegro made its name by roasting their coffee in small batches, ensuring precise control over the roasting process, leading to consistently high-quality coffee. 

This craftsmanship approach to coffee roasting and sourcing beans globally underscores their commitment to quality. 

Over time, Allegro expanded its reach and began selling its coffee in Whole Foods Market stores, leading to Whole Foods’ acquisition of the company in 1997. With Whole Foods now under Amazon’s umbrella, Allegro can be considered part of Amazon. 

Allegro coffee is available in various forms, including whole beans, ground, and pods. From the beginning, Allegro has been at the forefront of the specialty coffee industry, focusing on direct partnerships with coffee farmers and advocating for fair trade and organic practices. 

As for the Mocha Java Blend, Allegro retained the traditional blend approach by bringing beans from Java, Indonesia, and Yemen together. The word Mocha refers to the port city of Mocha, Yemen, where many of the Arab peninsula’s beans are exported.

First Impression

I picked up my bag of Allegro Mocha Java from Amazon as a 12-ounce bag. That’s 340 grams for you metric people. The coffee comes in whole beans, but there is ground coffee, too, if you prefer that.

The packaging is robust and well-crafted. The packaging’s gray and bluish hue exudes comfort as if this is an understated coffee. However, it may not stand out on the shelves. 

The coffee bag also includes standard features expected from a quality coffee roaster, such as foldable tabs for resealing after opening and a one-way valve that releases carbon dioxide while preventing air entry. 

Opening the bag is easy – I do not need too much force. Once I did that, the rich aroma of the coffee was immediately noticeable, showing how the packaging managed to keep the coffee fresh. 

The coffee’s scent carries subtle, sweet, fruity notes, accompanied by possibly some hint of warm spice – a clear sign of the Javanese origin of this coffee. 

The beans are quite uniform in size, with little broken pieces. These broken pieces are likely from transport and occasionally rough handling.

Evenly-sized beans usually translate into better-tasting coffee, as they roast better with less burnt or under-roasted beans. 

Looking at Amazon reviews, drinkers enjoy the smoothness of this coffee and find it a good value for the price. They also like how the coffee is rich, delicious, and yet not too bitter. 

How Does Allegro Coffee Mocha Java Blend Taste?

To do justice to the Allegro Mocha Java, I will brew the coffee three ways, utilizing all the major ways people brew it. These include immersion and filtration.

French Press: French press is a popular, simple brewing style. It makes a murky, full-flavored coffee with many particles. This should allow me to sample the coffee ‘dirty’ in its full flavor.

Pour Over With Filter Paper: The pour-over method brews through filtration instead of immersion. This method produces a ‘cleaner’ version of the coffee without too much oil and particles floating about. This should help me to sample more of the subtle notes. 

Espresso: Espresso is coffee in one of its most concentrated forms. Making Espresso with medium roasts like the Allegro Mocha Java may not be common. Still, I am keen to see if I can pick up new flavors from my regular brewing styles.

French Press

I started brewing with a French press brew, using my Bodum Caffettiera to prepare a two-cup batch. I continued to brew the coffee using the standard brewing method when reviewing coffee.

I kept to my usual coffee-to-water ratio of 1:12. I combined 15 grams of coffee with 180ml of hot water, which is about 185°F (approximately 85°C), in my French press. After four minutes, I served myself a cup for tasting.

The coffee tastes robust and rich, yet smooth, just like what I would expect from a medium roast. The initial impression also seems to match what the customers at Amazon talked about. 

As for the flavor, it was balanced and smooth, devoid of any overly flat bitter notes. The primary flavors I noticed were fruity sweetness, probably on the peaches or nectarine side.

As I drink along, my nose also seems to pick up spices, warm ones, I mean, something along the lines of cinnamon or nutmeg. The aftertaste was fleeting, quickly dissipating after each taste.

Fruity and floral notes are usually associated with Arabian or East African beans. In contrast, spice and herbal notes are usually the characteristics of Javanese coffee. To have both notes in my Allegro Mocha Java is just right. 

Pour Over With Filter Paper

For my pour-over, I use the following tools:

I follow a pour-over brewing process inspired by Starbucks, which involves using 20 grams of ground coffee and slowly adding 360ml of water. 

This approach yields a noticeably lighter coffee with a more ‘refined’ flavor. The taste is also slightly milder, likely due to the reduced coffee particles in the final brew.

This brewing method enhances the coffee’s inherent flavors, making fruity notes more pronounced. The spicy notes are surprisingly less strong here. 

While I prefer the fuller taste provided by the French press method, I can see why many drinkers like pour-over coffee. It offers a distinct coffee experience.

Espresso

For Espresso, I relied on my Wacaco Minipresso GR to pull an espresso shot. This is a hand-held, manually-operated espresso maker.

I loaded Espresso ground coffee and hot water into the Minipresso, assembled everything, and started pumping the pistons to make the Espresso.

The result is a great espresso with rich, thick crema. When I smell the crema, it has some smoky smell, but not at the intensity most dark roast Espresso has. There are also some notes in the crema. 

The coffee itself is not strong nor punchy like your regular Espresso. It is, instead, slightly acidic, with a fruity sweetness. 

The Allegro Mocha Java makes a good, light, and easy Espresso, especially on hot days. You can slowly sip this Espresso instead of simply gulping it down.

Allegro Coffee Mocha Java Blend vs. Other Medium Roast Blends

One way to help you imagine the taste of the Allegro Mocha Java is to compare it against regular coffee varieties you stumble upon in supermarket aisles.

Hence, I used these popular medium roast blends for the comparison test. I brewed these coffees as French press and then drank them one after the other:

Let’s just say these are all good coffees, each with their own unique flavor notes. In the end, I think which one you like would boil down to what sort of flavor notes you enjoy with your coffee. 

In my case, I usually like to have my coffee with chocolate and creamy notes. Fruity, citrusy, herbal, or spicy notes are usually not my immediate favorite. 

This naturally gravitates me towards roasts such as the Big Bang, with its rich cocoa and chocolate notes. The Big Bang is the best-tasting roast out of this bunch. 

As much as the coffee is smooth, rich, and enjoyable, I would prefer to enjoy my coffee without too many fruity or spicy notes. I would put the Allegro Mocha Java fourth, behind the Qualita Oro and McCafe Premium Roast.

Your preference may differ, so try these coffee roasts and see what your palate tells you.

Is Allegro Coffee Mocha Java Blend For You?

The Allegro Mocha Java may be one of those regular roasts with a unique blend of flavor notes. 

The smooth and rich coffee comes together with a combination of fruity and spicy notes, which many may find enjoyable. 

This is also a good way to start with East African or Indonesian single-origin coffee, as they have the signature flavor notes of coffee from these regions. Still, not to the point it’s too edgy.

The good finish also makes it a good sipper that you can enjoy slowly while reading a book or working. As an espresso, this is an enjoyable coffee you sip and nurse slowly.

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