Aroma's Guatemala Coban Beans Blend - A White Mason Coffee Critique

In late 2014, the Tombland region of Norwich -- veritable Fine City and East Anglian economic hotbed -- welcomed a plucky new business to its midst. Ensconced among a growing roster of cocktail bars eager to conceal their identities behind confounding names-with-numbers-in, that business was a coffee shop and cocktail bar hybrid -- and today, Aroma remains an individualistic fusion of bustling coffee shop and aspirational nightlife venue. As arguably the strongest independent coffee shop in its immediate neighbourhood, Aroma is the impassioned brainchild of young sibling entrepreneurs Tom and Mercedes, and has established a cult following of loyal patrons -- your humble writer among them -- enchanted by the spirit, vitality and warmth of heart that the enterprise represents.

 So... Aroma, the ever-changing coffee-cocktail-bar, has now started selling their own brand of coffee. Let's see how this pans out...

Mr White, my aforementioned compadre, has from the beginning of time promoted Aroma as a splendiforous place of magic and wonder. I have wandered into their effervescent store on a few occasions... mainly when intoxicated after a night out with Mr White at our mainstay, Gonzo's Tea Room. Aroma in itself is a surprisingly quaint place -- with, at times, startlingly loud patrons! The rustic interior, accompanied by a traditional Victorian-style layout over three floors, brings the character that is Mercedes and Tom's little hole of wonder to life.

Now down to the main event... aside from the tequila cocktail I was provided with on my last visit to Aroma, MR WHITE.

I regret nothing. A tequila'd Teege is a sight to behold indeed. That said... still not entirely comfortable with The Teege referring to one of my favourite places in the city as 'a hole' -- even if it is a 'hole of wonder'. Would not a 'grotto of sensations' or a 'nook languid in conviviality' suffice?

Irrespective of semantics, my comrade in arms is correct -- Aroma's status as an established and individualistic business is clarified, and our appraisal of their first forays into selling custom coffee blends for home use can commence in earnest.

Debuting at £5.50 -- par for the course as far as the Fine City's independent coffee houses go, when it comes to pricing their own bagged coffees -- is Aroma's Guatemala Coban Beans bag o' brilliance. Emblazoned with the spirited little venue's established hues of black and orange, the label itself is very Aroma -- distinct, intriguing, and inclusive of cheeky humour.

But with Aroma's coffees among the finest in the Fine City, can this take-home bag of beans deliver the same sensations administered by the coffee shop's team of barista daredevils?

The Teege and I united in our quest for the truth -- and our initial agreement was that in order to entice the best from the blend, Aroma's coffee is to be made strong and potent. Indeed, although other artisan coffees will strike the palate with a cluster of vivid sensations, the Guatemala Coban Beans represent a smooth, at times even understated, soothing of the mouth and throat. Vivid discussion between Mr White and Mr Mason ensued, as we smacked our lips and furrowed our brows in pensive contemplation, pursuing a caffeinated consensus.

The Guatemalan Coban Beans are smooth in nature, and even smoother after five minutes resting in the cafetiere. Its dark nature and lustful undertones require a degree of nurturing in order to realise its finer taste. After some alteration of the strength of the concoction, and the heat of the water, I found it to be a rather floral note to begin with, the smoothness never leaving the palate as it follows into a dark, ashen finish. The overall darkness brought out an interesting note of chocolate, but I felt that something was missing.

Maybe it was the different character of this particular coffee, but there was no punch, no finishing flavour bursting through the palate leaving you mesmerised -- as would some of the single bean bags available from Strangers. Nonetheless, Aroma's is a good, well-rounded coffee. If I were to drink it regularly, it would be as a post-meal delight, with a leaf of mint in the beverage to lift the darkness and round off the taste -- but as this was blended by a fellow Tom, I cannot besmirch the hours of meticulousness clearly spent in honing this!

This is indeed a smooth and relaxing coffee -- a companion to a hectic lifestyle, rather than an
aggressive urge to wake up by exploding amid the tastebuds. Comfortingly dusky, Aroma's Guatemala Coban Beans represent the ethos of the coffee shop and cocktail bar perfectly -- charming, unique, and a home from home.

What I appreciate most of all about the bag o' beans I've acquired in pursuing this review is the consistency of the blend. Even those of us without the skill of Aroma's jocular staff can entice the velvety smoothness and subtle succulence of the beverage to the fore, and it is a blend that rewards patience in both percolation and partaking of its results. Black, with milk, or in any other roster of combinations, the same flavour resounds always, a lingering taste of relaxation and rejuvenation alike.

Taking into account the points as discussed, and thinking of the fun and jovial times I have spent with Mr White in Aroma's upper echelons, I have an undeniable fondness for the place. If you're in need of a coffee on the fly, or have some time to kill, stop by -- be it after work, or after a night on the town, enjoy the serenity that Aroma offers before your trip home. You won't regret doing this.

My honest review of this coffee alone, though? I'd say 3.5 / 5 stands for this blend. Tom? Mercedes? If you're reading, STEP UP YOUR GAME. I have tried numerous of your wonders and I know you're able to produce a stunning variety of textures and flavours. I will await the next blend with anticipation of grandeur and with heightened expectations!

My outlook on the Guatemala Coban Beans is 4 / 5 -- I've an appreciation for its enduring consistency, twilit charm and smokey throat-whirls. That said, I join The Teege in anticipation of what's to come -- and indeed, Aroma's own Tom frequently enthuses that a host of new bagged blends for all and any to take home and try shall soon be gracing the building's shelves.

Aroma's ambition is consistent -- Mercedes pursues an eternal evolution of the bar's cocktails menu, while Tom tweaks, tempers and tinkers with every coffee that the business produces under his gaze, determined to refine, refine, refine. That Aroma continues to strive to innovate and improve is admirable, given that the business is now well-established -- understandable, then, is our excitement at what's to come.

As for the current take-home offering of coffee and courage? Outclasses the majority of the city's peers, in terms of both chains (easily!) and independent artisan coffeehouses. Let the Guatemala Coban Beans grace your pantry, gentle reader -- let those dulcet flavours, relaxing and smooth, welcome you in after a challenging day, time and time again.

Strangers Norwich Roastery - Mr White's Coffee Contrast

Caffeine in Norwich is never in scant supply -- the streets of the Fine City burgeon with a smorgasbord of both titans of the double grande supremo lite whipped pumpkin spice cheese & onion soya monkeyccino (or whatever the hipsters are drinking these days), as well as the plucky independents honing the coffeehouse craft in avenues, lanes and thoroughfares galore.



Ah, my little compadre... you finally accepted my invitation to understand the quality that can be produced when the labour of love is put into an art form over something as simple as a coffee bean!

Alex Sargent and his band of merry coffee baristas have created a wonderful establishment just a moment away from the beating heart of Norwich. The coffee shop situated in Pottergate, opposite the ever-so-popular Grovesnor Fish Bar (which has a review to come I might add), serves a complete range of speciality coffee!

In short, competition for your coffee-cash is as high as your energy levels after imbibing just such lavish libations, and as such, it's tricky to fathom which establishment best befits your fine attention. The Teege™ heartily advocates the magnificent mochas and peerless percolations of Strangers, situated in the quaint Norwich Lanes. Indeed, said hub of happy beverages teems with custom at all hours, and the method behind such madness is simple -- the coffee is artfully crafted, meticulously roasted, tuned to your individual palate. In short, it's a business model evocative of the fact that the goliath chains consistently forget -- customers care about your business when your business cares about them.

Strangers, like many independent coffeehouses in Norwich and beyond, proudly sells a variety of specialised coffee blends in bags, allowing the customer the privilege of savouring the flavour at home. Yet this year, Strangers opened its roastery in a discreet backstreet close to its well-established bustle, and it is within this hallowed hall that coffee craftsmen conduct their fine works. Beans hailing from every corner of the world arrive in bulbous sacks of hessian hope, and from such beautiful brown bounty an array of aromas, flavours and sensations are conjured by experts equipped with a dazzling cornucopia of contrivances, contraptions and craftsmanship.

Yet even as a beating heart of industry, Strangers' new roastery retains warmth in its soul -- patrons are free to enter from the street to purchase coffee to go, as they would in any other establishment, and in quieter times the masters of the machine are known to cheerfully proffer free samples of the latest creations to curious visitors.

This is a place you must see to believe. Right in front of your very eyes, you get to see all the masters at work, from the procuring of such beans to the flavours that are to come. The knowledge-base centred here brings the coffee to life! If you have never tried coffee in its purest form, spend 10 minutes in here -- talk to the Dave behind the counter. He will open your eyes to what you could never imagine! 

Through such means, your humble White and Mason each were introduced to two fine flavours, concocted by Strangers in just this very roastery, diverse and delicious in very different ways. These were the Rocko Mountain beans from Ethiopia, and the Colombian crowning glory that is Augustino Forest. At £8.50 per bag o' purest percolating brilliance, both Rocko Mountain and Augustino Forest lean towards the premium end of Strangers' in-house spectrum, yet the flavours evoked by both are well worth the investment. Let's be honest -- you'll be lucky if you live on this planet a century. Life is short. So why waste time on lousy coffee?

Me gusta mucho.

Your humble writer's latest purchase from Strangers' hotbed of java jollities was, indeed, Augustino Forest, and said bean is enjoyable for its crisp, almost tart finish. Though a fine, smooth, rich and luxuriant coffee can be conscripted from the beans, each sip crescendoes on the palate with a saccharine, yet not overbearing, flavour of citrus-like zeal, flecked with the notion of orange chocolate. Sublime.

Equivocally, the Colombian delight is perfect for an autumnal afternoon with a book. It warms you with its gentle brilliance -- flavours that don't smother your mouth with a bitterness. The little hints of citrus sweetness complements the sharp. invigorating beans.

Yet for today's Coffee Contrast? The victor is undoubtedly Strangers' Rocko Mountain  -- simply for the fact that it alters significantly depending on how long it's been in the cup. Immediately after pouring? Earthy. Rich. Lustrous. Left for a few minutes? Hints of berries, notes of darkness, a tastebud tapestry that lingers in the throat and teases down the gullet. Whilst your humble writer knew that coffee could be diverse in flavour depending on origin -- even if the forays to Strangers' roastery have compounded such a fact in manners both stunning and enlightening -- I have never before the Rocko Mountain blend tasted a coffee that evolves.

I too have tempted my palate with the delights of these two very fine beans, and I must say I back my companion on this one. The Rocko mountain just nudges a nose ahead of the Augustino Forest, though this is not besmirching the delight from Colombia at all.

The Rocko Mountain's strong and vibrant dark tones harmonise well with the lustful fruity captivation. If you want a cup of a beautiful perfection-making morning-juice, then this is the bean for you. Don't stand around reading this! Go! Now! Find Strangers! Drink the black gold they have created and thank us later! ...Okay, maybe read the rest of this review give us a like and a share, but GO GO GO!

Ergo, betwixt both beverages, it's a resounding recommendation indeed for the Rocko Mountain. Hale, hearty and heaped with surprises, it also packs a powerful kick that will keep you buzzing beyond the norm. Nevertheless! There's plenty more caffeine to be had -- trust me, I'm a writer -- so rest assured that The Teege™ and I will continue to quest for the finest beans known to man. If you've recommendations of your own for Coffee Contrast, don't hesitate to get in touch... presuming we've not dashed across town, abjectly wired, to go stare in fascination at some tables.

(...You'd had to have been there....)