Golden Hour – Golden Lantern Coffee Roasters

Golden Lantern is a roaster based in California. I had a chance to try their single origin Brazilian coffee earlier this summer and was quite impressed, so I was excited to try their new Guatemala + Ethiopia blend, Golden Hour. I’ve always preferred single origins, but recently have come to appreciate the skill that goes into a high-quality, expertly roasted & blended blend. When done right, blends can bring out a final product that is even greater than the sum of its parts.

The Golden Hour blend began with a balanced and sweet fragrance that reminded me of dark chocolate. In the flavor, I tasted a wide variety of notes including chocolate, almond and berries. The front of each sip was strong with the chocolate & nutty notes and the second half was much stronger with the fruit & blueberry notes. The fruit and berry notes also become much more pronounced as the coffee cools to room temperature, an evolution I always enjoy. The acidity was full of lemon citrus throughout. It was bright, yet exceptionally balanced. The mouthfeel was smooth and the sweetness was caramelly with notes of both chocolate and berries. The blend was extremely flexible and worked equally well in a variety of pour over methods, as well as espresso.

The Bottom Line

Golden Hour shows the quality possible in a well-balanced and well-roasted blend. It’s a coffee that would appeal to a broad range of coffee lovers from those that prefer more balanced, approachable coffees to those that prefer brighter, more fruit-forward coffees.