My gorgeous friend Caroline – valiantly ? volunteered to share what’s she’s discovered about Yorkshire’s North Star Coffee Roasters, for you lovely people (since, sacrilegiously, I’m a self confessed tea fanatic)!
Here’s her brilliant review:
I can’t get through the day without coffee, so when my best friend Lucy asked me to guest review some of North Star Coffee Roasters coffee for her blog I jumped at the chance!
I’m not a coffee connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination and I have to admit that pre-children I rarely went near the stuff but I am loathe to say that I have turned into a bit of a snob when it comes to coffee. It’s amazing what sleep deprivation can do to you and sometimes an instant coffee just doesn’t cut it! Two children later, I’m now a proud member of that ‘club of parents’ who just can’t function in the morning without a good strong cup of coffee inside them to kick start the day.
Who knew coffee could be so complex and come in so many guises? From espressos to cappuccinos, flat whites (my firm favourite) to iced lattes and americanos – anything goes when it comes to coffee!
There’s the coffee that cuts through the unbelievable tiredness you feel after a night with a newborn baby or night of broken sleep with a toddler, then there’s the coffee that cures the dreaded hangover (required after just a couple of glasses of fizz for me these days!) and let’s not forget the midday coffee hit that gets you through till bathtime, stories and bedtime!
I love the variety of fresh coffee that’s on the market and the hubby and I enjoy trying out different brands, blends and strengths just to mix things up a bit – there really is a whole new world out there for coffee lovers and the coffee shop culture seems to be popping up everywhere these days.
North Star Coffee Roasters are certainly making a name for coffee up North. They are a local Yorkshire based company and the first micro-roasters in Leeds. They pride themselves on sourcing, roasting and brewing the best coffee from around the world. I loved reading all about them on their website (www.northstarroast.com). What instantly jumped out at me was their passion for coffee and the ethics behind how they source their coffee so they never have to compromise on quality.
North Star sent me two different types of their specialty coffee to sample – El Savador and Dark Arches. When the box arrived I could tell just from the packaging that it was going to taste good.
We tried El Salvador Finca Bonanza first which is made on a farm in the Santa Ana region of Western Salvador. El Salvador is a land of volcanoes so it is the perfect place for growing high quality coffee with its abundance of fertile soil and high altitudes. The aroma of the ground beans hit me as soon as I opened the packet. It smelt lush and just knowing how far it had travelled to reach my cup made it even more enticing. I wasn’t disappointed with the taste, it was so smooth and packed full of flavour. The honeycomb notes hit me straight away. I have to say that I personally didn’t recognise any of the fruity or floral tones of jasmine and peach straight away, but that’s not to say that they weren’t there, everyone’s taste buds are different, but the after taste of caramel was simply delicious. El Salvador is so easy to drink every day with just a touch of milk, just how I like it.
To me, Dark Arches was dramatically different in every way and not just in flavour. It is a traditional espresso blend made up of hints of chocolate, toasted hazelnuts, caramel and stewed plums. The depth of its flavour was incredible. Just grinding the beans made my whole kitchen smell yummy. Being a flat white, chocolate and praline lover, I have to say Dark Arches was a firm favourite for me, its depth of flavour literally blew me away. I may have found my new morning coffee! Thank you #NorthStarCoffee
North Star Coffee Roasters roast on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. If you place your order by 9am on a Tuesday morning you’d receive it just in time for the weekend and nothing says Saturday or Sunday morning like a cup of fresh coffee.
The gorgeous coffee-loving Caroline–
I hope you enjoyed reading Caroline’s review – as an ignorant tea drinker ?, I never knew there was so much to coffee! I love being able to support local independent businesses on my blog and share with you all what our lovely locals have to offer, they support our families in all sorts of guises, surviving the day with a little help from coffee included!
