
As those behind Gluten Free Safari hail from a region of great coffee and coffee roasters; home of the “Triple, Venti, Soy, No Foam Latte” and “Grande, Iced, Sugar-Free, Vanilla Latte With Soy Milk,” we know our coffee. And coffee is one thing, in its pure form, that is gluten free (however, syrups and coffee variations may not be; more on that later).
Another bonus? Coffee looks great held against the background of a steely grey sky — so helpful in a region where grey is often the norm!
So it was with anticipation that I ground the Out of the Grey beans provided to me in a sample by “Java Jack,” Jack E. Barton, Founder/CEO of Out of the Grey Coffee (I haven’t yet seen any on the store shelves in my region).
The Congo Bongo Zulu beans (Tanzanian Pea Berry/Kenyan AA) were smooth, of medium strength — and, most importantly, just like in the tasting of any complex beverage — the coffee “finish” contained several different notes, one after the other. It was smooth yet robust.
The Congo Bongo Zulu showed its strength mainly in the complexity. It was not bitter, as is some stronger coffee.
Out of the Grey uses 56 distinct organic coffees from around the world (per the website) and are Fairly Traded and Rain Forest Alliance certified.
I love the fact that Out of the Grey is a small-batch roaster based in Fairview and Erie, Pennsylvania. For me, these names conjure up images of railroads and other Main Line American towns.
More on this interesting company/roaster later!