Disclosure: I was sent samples from the vendor in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.
Is it me, or is January flying by? I can't believe that Saturday will be Feb. 1st already. And, then two weeks later is Valentine's Day. It feels like yesterday I was wrapping up my annual holiday gift guide for December and getting ready to take a few weeks off before diving back into a new year of blogging and my Valentine's Day gift guide. And now we are here. :-) For the next week and half, I will be sharing some great gift ideas for her, him, the both of you, as well as gifts the whole family will enjoy together. I am hoping that you will be introduced to brands and products you have never heard of and make it easier to shop for those hard to shop for people in your life, or find that special gift that will stand out and be talked about for years to come. With that being said, I wanted to kick off my gift guide with some great food and drink products, over the next few days. I scoured the Internet and found some amazing products that I couldn't wait to try and share with you. You are all in for a treat!
Talking about the new year and how the days are flying by, I wanted to start with one brand that has been helping not only me, but also my husband, get a jump start to our days, especially on these bitterly cold winter days here in New England. I am not sure what we would do without our daily cup of coffee from City Boy Coffee, a small batch, artist-founded company based in Brooklyn, NY. They source from farms that take great pride in their products and are Eco-conscious. Usually, my husband is picky with the brands of coffee he drinks, or requests whole bean coffee to grind himself, as he says the flavors come across better and the coffee is fresher when he is able to grind the coffee himself right before making a cup of coffee. But, after smelling the two City Boy Coffee samples sent my way for review, he was eager to help me sample them.
As I mentioned, City Boy Coffee roasts their coffees in small batches for optimal quality, and their focus is on single-origin coffee. Every one of their coffee varieties comes with information on how and where their coffee was sourced, flavor notes, etc., so you understand how each coffee blend is curated and how it will taste when it arrives at your door for brewing and enjoyment. There have been times in the past that I have ordered from online coffee roasters and had no idea the flavor notes of the coffee or if the beans were sourced from various locations to make one blend. And oftentimes I was left disappointed as the flavors fell flat, or the coffee didn't taste fresh when it arrived at my door. But that wasn't the case with City Boy Coffee. Right out of the bag, you could smell that the two samples sent were freshly brewed and they both had my mouth watering and we wanting to make a cup of coffee with their small-batch ground coffee to enjoy and warm up.
"City Boy Coffee is committed to quality, transparency and fair compensation for farmers."
City Boy offers their coffee varieties in various forms, for your brewing pleasure and convenience:
- Whole Bean
- Fine - Espresso
- Medium-Fine -- AeroPress, Pour-Over, or Moka Pot
- Medium -- Drip coffee, Pour-Over
- Medium-Coarse -- Pour-Over
- Coarse - French Press, Cold Brew
This is the first small-batch, ethically sourced coffee company that I have found that offers these types of grind styles. Usually you just choose whole bean or ground. So, I am really liking how they offer grind styles based on how you liked to prepare your coffee.
The kind folks at City Boy Coffee sent along two bags of ground coffee for my husband and I to sample -- their Nicaragua Blend which was included in their recent Sphere Coffee Club -- more on that in a minute -- and June Bug.
We sampled the Nicaraguan coffee sample first, as we were intrigued by it after reading the card insert that was included in the box with the samples, that talked about Nicaragua and Maracaturra, and Luis Valladarez, a Cup of Excellence winner, who has perfected the overnight fermentation process that gives coffee its full-bodied flavors with caramel-like sweetness and notes of chocolate, ginger and lemon-tart. It was really fascinating to read about this coffee grower and how he along with his son champion for quality and sustainability, while making sure farmworkers to processors are fairly compensated, which is one of the many values of City Boy Coffee.
I really wish you could have smelled how amazing this Nicaraguan coffee was when we brewed our first cup. My husband and I both looked at each other and smiled as we knew we were in for a real treat when we sat down to enjoy this freshly brewed coffee together. This full-bodied coffee was sweet without being overpouring, and you could really pick up on the chocolate, ginger and lemon-tart notes, which really made for a well-balanced cup of coffee to start our day.
Usually, I stop at one cup in the AM, but after taking the first few sips of this coffee from City Boy Coffee, I was up for another, and so was my husband. We couldn't get enough of this delicious coffee, and were so happy to have stumbled upon City Boy Coffee. As we sat and drank our coffee, I shared with my husband about the Sphere Coffee Club that is an option for coffee lovers from City Boy Coffee. This monthly subscription coffee club is for coffee drinkers who love to explore different varieties of coffee. At only $22 each month, you can't go wrong with this delivered to your door coffee subscription program. Not only do you receive a bag of coffee to enjoy, but you are provided with tasting notes, the backstory of how the particular coffee originated and more. It is like an at-home learning experience that has you travelling the globe to find the best kept secrets in coffee varieties, while also helping to support farmworkers to processors working hard to grow the best quality coffee. Being a coffee lover, I really like the idea of a coffee club, especially one that is not just affordable, but also explains what I am drinking each month and not just sends a bag of coffee and nothing for me to go on. After experiencing the Nicaraguan coffee with my husband from City Boy Coffee, we both agreed we would have to try the Sphere Coffee Club for 2025.
After going through the Nicaraguan coffee sample bag sent, we moved onto their June Bug coffee.
Buy now in either 12 oz. or 5 lb. bags
Like the Nicaraguan coffee, City Boy Coffee took the time to explain the blend origins (Marco A. Guardabaxo in Mococa, Brazil and Familia Morales in Acatenango, Guatemala), varieties (Acaia), process (pulped natural and washed), altitude (950 m and 1750 m), before explaining the flavor notes and profile of this coffee. This full-bodied coffee has a sweet yet balanced feel, that can be enjoyed black or with milk and also makes for a great shot of espresso. You can expect the following notes, butterscotch, citrus, milk chocolate, molasses and almond, with each sip.
My husband is a black coffee drinker, while I prefer to add milk to my coffee for a creamier feel. I tried the June Bug both ways and really like how this blend was reminiscent of decadent black coffee I would drink back in my college days while cramming for exams and looking for that jolt of caffeine to get me through studying or the school day. It really was a delicious cup of coffee and one I can see myself drinking on a regular basis to kick start my day. If you prefer a classic full-bodied black coffee that can be enjoyed with and without milk without losing its sweetness, then you will love City Boy Coffee's newest blend, June Bug, which is available in 12 oz. and 5 lb. bags. My mouth is watering just thinking about how good this coffee blend tasted and is making me want to go make a cup. So, I better wrap up this post, so I can do just that!
With Valentine's Day right around the corner, why not take the guesswork out of what gift to give your sweetheart. If they love small-batched coffee and trying different blends and varieties, then why not gift them a bag or two of coffee from City Boy Coffee. Or, better yet, sign them up for the Sphere Coffee Club monthly subscription program? Either way, once they brew up and take a sip of their first cup of coffee from City Boy Coffee, they will be amazed at the rich flavor of this coffee and be hooked on the brand like my husband and I are. After sampling two of their coffee blends, other coffee we have drank since just doesn't compare to the delicious flavors of City Boy Coffee. You can tell they put a lot of work into sourcing the best coffee and churn out great tasting blends for coffee lovers to enjoy. You can learn more about City Boy Coffee and their current coffee offering on their website -- https://cityboycoffee.com/. And, while you are there, be sure to check out their monthly subscription program, the Sphere Coffee Club, which is only $22 a month, plus s/h.
Disclosure: I was sent samples from the vendor in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.
