Coffee Details
Coffee Name
Christmas BlendRoaster
Wild Goose Coffee RoasterRoaster Location
Redlands, CAEstimated Price
$18.50Flavor Profile
Gingerbread, caramelized sugarProcess
WashedCountry
Central AmericasElevation
> 1500 MASLRoast
LightRoast Date
December 23, 2019Reviewed Date
December 27, 2019Coffee Scoring
Overall Score
Aroma
Body
Flavor
Acidity/Brightness
Balance
Sweetness
Cleanliness
Aftertaste
Complexity
Flexibility
Pros
Cons
Years ago, I heard Nathan Westwick, founder of Wild Goose Coffee Roasters, on the Coffee Canon podcast discussing his story and how Wild Goose Coffee came to be. It was an amazing story and I was in awe of the mission of Wild Goose Coffee—to create better communities through better coffee. The main way they do this is through their #1equals10 initiative where they donate 10 pounds of food to a local food bank for every pound of coffee sold (they currently have donated over 2.3 million pounds of food). It was my first exposure to a coffee company with a mission bigger than simply roasting delicious coffee. Years later, I finally had an opportunity to try their coffee and I am so excited to share it here.
The Wild Goose Christmas Blend is a blend of various Central American coffees. It begins with a sweet-toned fragrance of baking spices, almonds and caramel. I immediately tasted cinnamon and other warming spices as I began to drink the coffee. The sweetness from the aroma carried through to the flavor and was present from beginning to end.
The coffee is extremely well balanced and has a wonderful acidity that is most prominent at the front and finish, but really carries through the entire sip. The finish is long and resonant and is a wonderful explanation mark to an excellent coffee.
The coffee was also very flexible. I tried the coffee in v60, French Press and espresso and it worked really well in each brew method.
The coffee does lack some complexity, but has really nice flavor depth and for a blend like this, it really is more about being balanced and clean, which this coffee absolutely is.
The Bottom Line
Christmas Blend from Wild Goose Coffee Roasters is a wonderful blend that fits perfectly into the Christmas season. The warming spices in the aroma and flavor are perfect in a cup of coffee on a cold winter morning. You can feel good when buying this coffee that you’re getting more than some delicious coffee—you’re supporting a company with an amazing mission to help its community.
