Nerd Fuel: Laughing Man – Colombia Huila
Well, my week-long vacation is starting to wind down but it’s been very productive. This week I’ve clocked in a lot of late nights, many of which were fueled by coffee. For these next few coffee reviews, I’m moving away from the holiday offerings and focusing on some more mainstream selections. Recently, my local store started carrying the Laughing Man brand. For those who don’t know, Laughing Man is a popular coffee shop owned by the actor Hugh Jackman. As the story goes, Mr. Jackman went on a trip to Ethiopia, where he met a coffee farmer. The two of them collaborated and Laughing Man Coffee was born. Recently, Laughing Man and Keurig teamed up to offer K-Cup pods. The rest is history.
There are number of Laughing Man options available for Keurig owners. I’ve tried them all, and I’ll be sharing my review in the next few post. For this first review, I’m going to look at the Colombia Huila offering.
Colombian coffee is very popular. Most major brands offer some type of Colombian option. Laughing Man’s offering is a pure, single-origin coffee. It’s a dark roast, but it’s not at all bitter. In fact, this cup is very smooth, almost silky. It does have a semi-sweet and deep wood-smoke aftertaste that I find quite pleasing. However, if you’re simply not a fan of dark roasts, or generally don’t care for Colombian coffee, this might not be a coffee you’ll enjoy
Some people swear by single-origin coffees. They claim that they offer a purity and singular taste that cannot be rivaled by any blend. I generally prefer blends and in fact, usually find single-origin coffee to be a bit bland. But in this case, I have to walk that back. This coffee is absolutely fantastic. It is simply delicious, yet complex and interesting. Laughing Man coffee does sell with a premium price tag. A box of 16 cups, sells for about $12.00 in my local store. But I have to confess, it’s worth the price.
Score: 4 out of 4
Would Purchase again? Yes. This is a great tasting, quality coffee. It makes for a good early morning cup of joe. Some might find the roast to be a little too dark, but I find it very enjoyable.
Did you add the archives tab recently or was it always there? And what type/brand of coffee would you recommend to someone who has never drunk the stuff before?
The archives list has been there since the site went live.
Regarding coffee, this is a tough one. Everybody likes different things. If you’ve never really been much of a coffee drinker, it’s likely that anything you try might taste dirty or bitter. For a new coffee drinker, you might want to start with a latte at some place like McDonalds or Starbucks. These are sweeter and flavorful. If you enjoy them, then try something a little stouter like a mocha or cappuccino. Once you’ve developed a taste for those kinds of drinks, you might find that you like a standard brewed mug of coffee. Alternately, you can start with a standard coffee but just heavy on the cream/milk.
Is it me or is the caffeine level in this higher than others? It is a fantastic cup of coffee – I just seem to be a bit more wired than normal.
To be honest, I’m unsure. Typically, high quality Colombian coffee actually has slightly less caffeine than most others. The trade-off is a much richer flavor. I can attest to this coffee being quite flavorful, but I didn’t personally get the jitters from it. Of course everyone is different.