Akron Coffee Roasters: Flashback Towards Home

Outside perspective of the hole-in-the-wall coffee shop!

Might as well start off the first post towards a flash visit back home. Originally, I'm an Akron, Ohio native and it took me moving outside the city towards Columbus for me to finally try Akron Coffee Roasters single-origin beans.

I stopped back home for the Fourth and sadly couldn't make it into the actual roastery spot (like most other places, they were closed) - however, they do have a small coffee shop located in Cuyahoga Falls, Akron named Asterisk Coffee Bar.

Inside the cafe

I've been a huge fan of Asterisk's coffee space for it's minimalistic aesthetic but also for the ambiance that it creates after 6pm. Little do most Akronites know, this local coffee shop not only offers tasty espresso beverages but they also serve tasty cocktails as well. But since we're sticking to the coffee aspect of it - I'll continue.

Featured single origin coffees and house blends

Akron is usually run by a lot of corporate chain businesses, and because of that, it misses out on the opportunity to create a place known for it's quality coffee shops. This gem-of-a-place really gives coffee lovers the oasis they're looking for when in dire need of a specialty coffee.

A cup of their seasonal blend sporting their logo on a sleeve

From a visual standpoint, the bags show beautiful and original designs that have a great balance of brightness and vibrancy in colors to abstract and appealing artwork. As stated in the ABC Packaging website:

"The artwork used for the outside of the coffee brand’s stand up pouches for coffee beans is both a reflection of the owners’ Akron roots and place in the community, as well as complementary to the origins of the beans themselves."

Concluding my escape of the city back to the 'burbs, I took home their current bag of Guatemala beans from the region of San Gaspar Ixchil, Huehuetenango.

Based off of these flavor notes, I was very intrigued to see how the taste would come through. So - I put it to the test and made myself a V60 pour over. But most importantly, lets look at those beans.

Visually, these are darker tones of brown - showing these are at a darker roast level. In roaster terms, these were (most likely) roasted at a hotter/higher temperature. Guatemalan beans tend to be versatile in how they're roasted - whether it's for a light, medium, or darker roast. Overall, these beans are very uniformed with few defects to be detected outside of the norm for that region.

Can't help but admire some pretty coffee beans.

Now the best part we've all been waiting for: the cup experience.

Don't mind the cracked V60 - she still works like a charm!

Once it reached a comfortable temperature to drink, these are the notes that I was able to detail:

• Mouthfeel/Body: a light to medium body with a pleasant coating around the bitter receptors of the tongue with a nice syrupy film lingering

• Aroma: initially smelled of red fruit and sweeter notes

• Flavors: lemon peel, bittersweet dark chocolate, shortbread cookie/biscotti

• Aftertaste: strong - with consistent development

• Complex richer flavors suggests higher temperature + longer development time

• Would pair wonderfully with any pastries or served as a dessert coffee

While brewing, the coffee bloomed beautifully. Coffee "blooms" (the act of the round beans releasing gas) from carbon dioxide escaping, so it is a good indicator on the freshness of your beans which help with understanding a better quality cup you can have.

As it cooled down, the pronounced sweeter notes sang through alongside the molasses-film that coated the mouth. This would be delicious brewed for espresso, pour over, or cold brew.

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