Roast Reviews - Pueblo 57: Dark Roast

Roast Reviews brought to you by coffee connoisseurs Beth & George.

Pueblo 57: Dark Roast

For our most recent espresso tasting, we were joined by none other than Wacaco ambassadors Dan and Nicole! The four of us enjoyed a hearty breakfast before the duo set off on the next leg of their road trip. Pueblo 57’s Dark Roast served as the perfect fuel for our respective journeys.

Pueblo 57 is based in the city of Santiago de Cali, better known as Cali, the capital of Colombia’s Valle de Cauca region. What began as a simple agricultural endeavor has transformed into a company that harvests, roasts, and ships their own product, enabling these farmers to earn better wages and invest in their communities. Currently, Pueblo 57 offers four different roast profiles available as whole beans and compostable capsules compatible with Wacaco Minipresso NS and Nanopresso NS Adapter.  With direct shipping from Colombia to the USA and Canada, you’re guaranteed the freshest roast possible.

Dark Roast:

Single origin Arabica Castillo beans from a single harvest at one single farm in Sevilla, Valle del Cauca, Colombia.  We used pods for this tasting.

Pod Sense

If it’s possible for an espresso to have “manly” qualities, the Dark Roast – with strong notes of pipe tobacco, leather, licorice, and hickory smoke – certainly does. Yet, like masculinity itself, this espresso proved more complex in nature. Beth and Nicole picked up hints of blueberry muffin, while George and Dan noticed chocolate fudge and raisins.

Analyzing the Espresso Pour

Our party oohed and ahhed over the smooth-as-butter crema. Dan grew nostalgic as he inhaled scents of a well-oiled baseball mitt and pyrography tools burning fresh wood. Beth was torn in two directions as one whiff reminded her of a rugged Islay scotch and the next suggested a sweet vanilla latte.

Taste Test

Of the varied and distinct qualities we mentioned, we wondered what flavor would be the star of the show? Surprisingly, each taste tester came to different conclusions. “You can definitely taste the blueberries!” said Nicole, yet Dan could not… however, he perceived raw cacao bitterness in his espresso. Beth tasted a peaty Scotch (figuratively, although coffee lovers have been known to pair it with espresso on occasion). As a seasoned espresso reviewer, George pondered over his experience for a while. “[The taste] starts smooth, becomes more intense, lingers on the tongue, before coming to a bitter finish,” he said, finally grasping at the flavor of sugar-coated fennel seed candy like the kind offered at Indian restaurants after a meal.