It’s no secret that the Royals won the World Series this year after coming so close and missing the taste of victory in last years’ season. It had been 30 years since they won a pennant and the city was bursting with pride for our time. The entire city shut down and took a day off for their victory parade and rally on Tuesday Nov. 3. I didn’t, I watched it all from bed because you couldn’t pay me to brave crowds like that! But it was still fun and everyone in KC wanted to show their version of pride, too.
The good folks at Broadway Roasting Company roasted a nice blend for the occasion and were kind enough to hook me up with a bag to share with you. Broadway made the national news a year after I moved here as, “the local cafe that closed down Starbucks.” I’m not sure how much of the New York Times’ story focusing on Starbucks had to do with Broadway, but it’s true that both cafes had co-existed for years just a couple doors down from one another and, today, only one is left standing there!
This coffee is a blend of Brazilian and natural Ethiopia Sidamo coffees with a label profile that reads, “Blueberry & Chocolate, Heavy Body, Hints of Victory.” Another nice touch on the label is that it says it was “Yosted on 11.02” in honor of Royals manager, Ned Yost. Even the label itself is reminiscent of the team’s uniform color.
I drop into Broadway fairly regularly for their espresso, but it has been a pretty long time since I had their brewed coffee. My recollection is that they lean toward darker roast profiles and I assumed that would be the case with this coffee, too. Broadway is successful because they know their market and they roast coffee that’s going to taste good not just from a fussy pourover setup but also from a Mr. Coffee machine!
The blend had a lot of roast in the aroma as well as the promised chocolate and blueberries. I got something buttery that reminded me immediately of butterscotch, too. In the flavor, there was significant roast bitterness, especially when the coffee was still warm, but as it cooled down the blueberry was a little more apparent and there was a nice base of caramel sweetness and a dry cocoa finish.
This is a really accessible and very easy-to-drink coffee. My guess is that they sold out quickly and it was probably a one-off coffee but if you’re in town drop by the shop and pick up a bag or call them on the phone to look into getting it shipped to you! It may be another 30 years before this is available again!