How does the Cliff Hanger Espresso Medium compare to Starbucks Espresso roast. I like SB espresso strength, is this similar?
597385
I used to buy exclusively nothing but Starbucks coffee. Premium coffee beans and worth the expense. However, I have found equal beans and roasts on Amazon. I no longer purchase bean from SB.
597386
This coffee is very similar, though a bit stronger and darker. Kicking Horse is more adventurous. A great coffee for blending with lesser arabica to create a softer flavor. It may not be for the faint of heart. Great for sipping.
2045667
I like Americanos, so I use the large cup size. I adjusted the water settings to add more, and I adjusted the strength setting to be as strong as possible. I am experimenting with beans.. I've used Peet's French Roast, Espresso, and Major Dickason. I will probably settle on Espresso Roast at the end. I haven't yet adjusted the grind; the default seems to work fine.
1545369
I am looking at their coffee booklet right now and it looks like they are caffeinated... But they have a decaf selection. I have had their decaffeinato Lungo and the straight decaffeinato and they are both very good. Otherwise I like the intense dark coffees.
802415
way better my friend, this is real italian espresso coffee.the best you can ask if you are an espresso lover.starbucks is just a copy of a copy of a copy
2129114
The coffee is flavorful, but I wouldn't say bold. I prefer a medium blend and this is the best I ever tasted. Will definitely stick with it . You might like the SF Bay French Roast Decaf(same company,I believe) although I tried it at one time and found it to be awful.very strong and odd flavor. Many of the reviews agreed. Maybe they changed it. Not too many good decafs out there. I wish you luck.
1426489
Before I found this Italian Roast, I was a French Roast drinker. I prefer the Italian Roast. It's worth a try!
1699511
Oh dear, the answer by Adrienne Douke is completely wrong. Espresso is a method of brewing very concentrated coffee by using a high pressure to force a small amount of water through finely ground coffee. A french press CANNOT make true espresso. You can improvise and use finely ground coffee and a little bit of water and steep together in the french press, but it will not be the same. Espresso is NOT a type of roast, unless your talking about the trademarked 'roast' that companies like Starbucks sell. This creates an unfortunate misconception that 'espresso' is a type of roast. Starbucks has chosen a particular blend of beans that when pulled as espresso shots, gives the flavor of a dark caramelized roast, hence 'espresso roast'. Starbucks has deemed that this is the best flavor profile for their espresso drinks. HOWEVER, this IS NOT a universal expression of espresso. Actually, many flavor profiles can be created by the espresso method and they tend to taste so much better than the starbucks 'espresso' roast. In conclusion, a french press is a method of brewing coffee, just like drip, pour-over, and espresso. And just like how each brewing method changes the dynamics of the brewed coffee drastically, the french press takes on its own profile. It's one of the simplest and best methods for brewing regular coffee. The key is to use coarsely ground (using a burr or conicial grinder) quality beans (not folgers or the like), and the proper ratio of grounds to water. If its too dark, just dilute with more water AFTER the brew process.
1911594
My neighbor works at Starbucks and he says lighter is stronger. Their blond coffee is very yummy and strong. I expected death wish to be amazing strong. It tasted OK and woke me up but it is not worth the money and wait in my book.
85295
It is VERY good. I find Starbucks tasts burnt. The decaf is similar to the regular, but may be a tad more mild.I was using it in my cuisinart espresso machine and it was fantastic. It is not ground fine enough for my rancilio silvia machine... And I am upset because I do like it a lot!
637944
I use the delonghi ec702 and The coffee has a good taste. I use two for double expresso but I am Italian and I like strong expressos. Lol you can get good coffee with 1 too.
1446824
I returned the machine. I love the small one and thought I'd trade up. I do remember the soupy basket was mentioned as "normal". My issue with it was it produced decidedly weak and inferior espresso despite the fact I tried 3 different grinds. Each time the cream was fine but the coffee strength wouldn't even pass muster in auto drip. I spoke with the company hoping I was doing it incorrectly. They didn't seem to know very much so I returned it and went back to the smaller one.
983106
I disagree with first two answers. Just had a CBTL Continental Espresso that i made in my Verismo Machine-worked fine and tasted great. The SB K-Fee pods are same size and form as the CBTL Caffitaly pods. They are made differently inside, the CBTL pods have plastic filters top and bottom, and the SB pods only have paper filter on the bottom. Maybe the different filters, or the way the coffee is packed, would make a difference in the way the water/steam goes through the pod. I haven't seen a noticeable difference yet--just got my verismo machine before Christmas--working on my first box of CBTL pods. Here is a link with more info and a good place to ask more questions. http://www.singleservecoffeeforums.com/new-verismo-single-serve-machine-from-starbucks-t9286-105.html
742164
Both are very good. I would not not use the Super Crema for espresso but it's my favorite for milk based drinks. I use the Lavazza Grand Bar for espresso. Mainly, all of the Lavazza's are great coffees and it's cheaper than Illy.
1771409
Major Dickinson is not Double Black Diamond Bold (Green Mountain), but close. A wonderful coffee though. I am also drinking the San Francisco Bay French Roast. New fave.
2045665
I prefer dark italian or espresso beans, so that is what I use. I use the middle grind setting since I've owned the machine, and that has worked well to produce a nice double shot with great crema. Have not needed to adjust water sizes as they are right for me. Also understand that you can always stop water delivery during the process, so if a setting normally produces too much water for someone's tastes, you can always stop it. I prefer this method, since if there are people that want a weaker coffee, and not espresso, then the right amount of water is delivered for them. All in all its been a very reliable machine to date, and gets used very frequently in my house. It's easy to clean and refill water and beans. As for me, espresso is my thing, and there was a keurig in the kitchen for the other "coffee" drinkers. But that was quickly replaced by this system as the beans are fresh ground, easier to use than the others in my opinion, and if the machine holds up, will be cheaper and better than any kcup system. Even though I used to buy my own coffee and refillable kcup pods. But what a pain that was. This jura is well with it for me.
1168762
The Italian roast is awesome and oily. In comparison to Starbucks this is less expensive and not as burnt tasting. In all I would say you can't beat the price
802416
To be completely honest I tried that once and was unsatisfied with the taste and overall idea of that being accepted as an expresso roast. Lavazza is completely superior in all aspects of a coffee the flavor profile is simply complex and one try will prove my opinion of this.