Starbucks Coffee Review: "Sumatra"

Let's take a look at the Starbucks Sumatra blend of coffee. Billing itself as an extra bold offering with earthy and herbal tasting notes. JoJo and I have been drinking this for about two weeks now and would like to offer our opinions and thoughtful observations on this blend. Starbucks is not paying me or JoJo for this, and this makes us sad, write them and tell them to send us more coffee at least. Sorry, shameless, I know.. so let me get on with the review then.

The Red Tiger, read below for JoJo's take!

Taste:  Ok well, JoJo thinks that the earthy and herbal over tones are a bit too strong in this blend. I agreed with him at first, however if you drink this coffee more than just once it seems a little less overpowering and begins to smooth out on the palette. I guess what we are saying here is that it is a bit of an accquired taste kind of coffee and not something for the light-hearted fancy free mild or medium blend lovers. You do pick up(especially the first cup) a lot more of the herbal note than the earthy, then the earthy tends to take over. I rather a darker less herbal roast but the taste overall gets a 3.5 out of 5.


Aroma: JoJo cannot smell, therefore offers no opinion, his nose was rendered unfunctional in ancient combat. I would like to say I enjoy the smell of this brew, but I do not, I don't like the strong smell of herbs. I have to say it can be quite overpowering and if you aren't overly fond of the smell of herbs you are not going to like it either, therefore we give the aroma a 2 out of 5.


Packaging: Jojo would only say that he likes to pet the kitty. I on the other hand think the tiger on the front is a pretty accurate representation of the coffee itself, it has sort of a gypsy cat look and is very suiting to the blend. It does on the other hand look like a fourth grader with minimal artistic skill drew it.. but JoJo overlooks this. We give the packaging a 4.5 out of 5.


Staying power: This is where JoJo and I differ, I think this coffee overall has potential to remain as a staple in my cupboard, JoJo thinks it is a passing fad and we will go back to Casa Cielo or some blend of Eight O'Clock Coffee. I digress JoJo, this one will come back. Overall we give this blend(Starbucks Sumatra) a 3.5 out of 5.


Thanks for tuning in to this review and I hope you find it helpful when deciding on what you would like to drink in the morning, noon, and night, so long as you do it in style like JoJo. Grab a cup, and DRINK UP!