When I was a kid, I hated coffee. Thankfully, I outgrew that because Fire Dept. Coffee’s Vanilla Bean Bourbon Infused Coffee and Skull-Crushing Espresso are to die for delicious!
I could just write a simple review saying how good they taste but that doesn’t do them justice. Plus, I’ve kind of become a coffee addict. So I want to give you all the details on this so you know why you need to get these flavors.
Let me tell you why I chose these flavors, how I brewed them, and then what I thought of their flavors.
How I chose these flavors
My review is of two flavors: the Vanilla Bean Bourbon Infused Coffee and the Skull-Crushing Espresso.
I chose the Vanilla Bean Bourbon Infused flavor as my “fun” coffee. I love trying new fun flavors to give my coffee a little something “extra.” Flavored creamers are great and all, but most of the time, I like my coffee strong and black. So I like to find those fun flavors infused into the coffee itself so I don’t need to add creamer. I love a good bourbon, and vanilla bean ice cream is a favorite of mine. I felt like this coffee was blending all of my favorite things: bourbon, yummy ice cream, and coffee.
Now, why did I choose Skull-Crushing Espresso? I’m a busy working, single mom with a young child who gets up multiple times at night. Need I say more? Many, if not most days, regular coffee is enough. But sometimes, when my kid has gotten me up half a dozen times and I feel like I barely slept at all, I need something super-strong to slap me awake and keep me there. The name itself told me this espresso might do the trick. Then I read the description, which said it would wake the dead, and knew it was exactly what I needed.
How I brewed these coffees
I bought both coffees in their whole bean form. I prefer to grind the beans fresh myself right before I brew my coffee, using my Bodum Bistro Electric Burr Coffee Grinder. It turns my morning coffee into a little bit of self-care.
After I ground the beans, I used my Bonavita BV1901TS to brew the coffees. When I brewed them, I did each one twice: once with the normal brewing method that I use every day and once with the pre-infusion mode that pauses the water flow so the grounds have time to bloom before it finishes brewing. I don’t use the pre-infusion mode all the time because most days, I just want my coffee. But it does seem to add a little something “extra,” so I do use it sometimes.
Vanilla Bean Bourbon Infused Coffee
As promised in the description, this coffee has a smooth, subtle flavor of vanilla bean and bourbon. The flavor is just strong enough to taste and enjoy it, but not so much that it overwhelms the flavor of coffee itself. Whether I brewed it the normal way or using the pre-infusion mode, it was full, rich, and absolutely delicious. And I really love how it gave me the flavor of drinking coffee with bourbon in it without having to actually have any bourbon. It allowed me to enjoy the flavor at work and when I needed to drive without worrying about someone thinking I was drinking.
I definitely felt like blooming the coffee made it even better, but it was crazy good even when I made it the regular way.
When this one said it would wake the dead, it wasn’t kidding! I brewed this one the first time after a night when my kid was sick, so I was up pretty much all night. This coffee kept my eyes wide open with no problem. And the flavor? The description said it was dark and smooth with hints of citrus and dark chocolate – and that was spot on! I caught just a little hint of citrus and dark chocolate, just enough to be interesting. It added a different dimension to the espresso.
When I bloomed the espresso, I felt like the flavor was much more pronounced and richer. I definitely preferred it bloomed. But most days, since I’m just trying to wake up and get moving, I just brew it the usual way and it’s delicious that way too.
One final thing I want to add: I love that Fire Dept. Coffee is a veteran-owned business and that the coffee is roasted by firefighters and first responders. It makes me feel really good to know that my money (and coffee addiction) is supporting heroes. I can’t wait to add some of their other flavors to my coffee cabinet!
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