Proud Mary is a roaster originally based in Melbourne, Australia, but with a US presence in Portland, Oregon. I recently purchased a variety of their coffees ranging from their more approachable “Mild” to their more exotic “Wild” coffees. This Ghost Rider is a blend from Brazil and Ethiopia, but lives in their “Wild” category—and rightly so.
The coffee began with a sweet, rich and full fragrance that had notes of stone fruit and subtle tropical fruit. The flavor was jammy and rich with notes of berries and stone fruit coming to the forefront. For as rich and sweet as the coffee was at the beginning, it became even richer and thicker as the coffee cooled. The body was smooth and creamy with a lush, thick mouthfeel. The syrupy fruit-toned sweetness was decadent and the sweet finish lingered long after every sip. The coffee blend was incredibly well-balanced with the smooth buttery structure of the Brazilian coffee pairing perfectly with the sweet, fruit notes from the Ethiopian coffee.
The Bottom Line
I really enjoyed exploring this coffee. It handled every brew method I threw at it from traditional pour over methods to espresso where it was a great milk carrier. Ghost Rider and the other coffees I tried from Proud Mary set an incredible baseline for my expectations of Proud Mary and I can’t wait to try more of their coffee in the future.
