The following Detroid Bold Coffee review was completed by Big Sky Pedro, one of our resident coffee reviewers. Detroit Bold agreed to send us some of their coffee in exchange for an authentic and honest review of their coffee.
Detroit Bold Coffee Review
It’s interesting how the underlying traits of certain things impact our perception of how we enjoy those things. In terms of coffee, there is outright flavor, and logically, that should be the most prominent feature. Yet my journey with coffee has involved so many other aspects, many of which I discuss here in these reviews. I truly believe where a coffee comes from and what it represents (in addition to great flavor) really contributes to a higher level of enjoyment. Maybe its all this gibberish that hooked me on Detroit BOLD coffee. Maybe I see coffee as a part of me, part of how I spend every single day…the simple thing Detroit BOLD represents.
Brief History of Detroit Bold
Detroit BOLD’s Chief Bean Officer AJ O’Neil used to be a construction worker. I believe he started everyday like I do, with a cup of coffee. Perhaps his journey was like mine. One where we both know life is full of work, chores and some unpleasantries, but one that always finds a moment for a cup of dark-brewed positivity. The difference is O’Neil had the skill and talent to create Detroit BOLD. He turned a side passion into something big and meaningful. And I think that's an example all of us can be inspired by.
Let me stop these rambling thoughts for a moment and put down some details about Detroit BOLD. Detroit BOLD coffee is sold in regional stores in and around Michigan. Anyone outside the area can opt for a subscription service. Detroit BOLD offers several varieties of bagged whole bean and ground, as well as single serve cups.
Detroit BOLD uses Arabica beans roasted from light to deep and dark. I tasted several flavors and enjoyed them all. There is certainly an expert hand in the roasting process. However, I was drawn to two particular roasts, 8-Mile Baseline and Colombian Café Signature. Mrs. Big Sky Pedro seemed to prefer Detroit BOLD’s Traditions light roast and Woodward Ave. medium roast, but I’ll leave her to her own review.
I took the Colombian Café on a recent trip near Yellowstone Park. I brewed this in my own pour-over apparatus and a real basic drip machine. Suffice to say I did not always measure the correct water to grounds ratio. It didn’t really matter though and maybe that’s what I liked about this coffee the best. It was never bitter, the flavor was consistent, it gave off a great aroma and simply helped me get each day off to the right start.
Back home I’ve been drinking the 8-Mile Baseline. It came in whole bean form and I easily found my preferred medium-fine grind. The beans were visibly oily, almost dripping with flavor in testimony to the Deep Dark Roast designation on the bag. O’Neil describes this Arabica bean blend as “… strong as coffee gets, never burnt, always BOLD.” Simply put, I would agree. I messed with my ground to water ratio and it’s true, 8-Mile Baseline never tasted burnt or bitter. It is the coffee you must have when you only have time for one cup. It is good.
I am going to swing back around to how I started this Detroit Bold coffee review. You may have noticed how Detroit BOLD has named their flavors after certain locations in Detroit. O’Neil recognized how his city, the Motor City, became synonymous with the hard working economy that started the auto industry. In the same sense, he recognized how those traits of hard work and perseverance are what grew the auto industry and asks, ‘why not coffee?'. That resonates with me.
I’ve written in the past how coffee is truly cross-cultural, the common thing so many of us start our day with. So when Detroit BOLD sets out to make great coffee for that hard working tradition we all share in, I have one response. Move over Seattle, there’s a new brew in town!
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