Nerd Fuel: Bones Coffee – Jingle Bones

Here is the first of my Bones Coffee holiday reviews! If you read many of my coffee posts, you’ll know that Bones Coffee has become one of my favorite brands. They produce a quality product with a large variety of interesting flavors. Recently, I was browsing their online store and I noticed they were offering a special holiday sample pack. The selection included in this bundle was intriguing and the price was very affordable, so I decided to give it a go.

To start off this special series of reviews, I decided to go with something they call Jingle Bones. This one is a medium roast coffee that features a combination of vanilla, caramel, and coconut flavors. But before I get into the review itself, I need to make a confession. When placing this order, I made a major screw up. Instead of ordering ground coffee, I inadvertently asked for whole bean. I know lots of hardcore coffee snobs actually prefer whole bean coffee. But, historically I’ve always struggled with getting just the grind right. I either grind the beans too fine or too coarse and it always throws off the flavor. However, in light of my mistake I took my wife’s advice and did a little research until I managed to perfect the process.

So, once I got the hang of grinding my own beans, I brewed a mug of Jingle Bones. Like most Bones Coffees, the aroma only gives off a hint of the flavor during the brew process. But once it’s in the mug it does have a very pleasant, sweet scent to it. The coffee itself is smooth and flavorful. The primary flavor is an excellent balance of vanilla and caramel. The coconut is not very prominent at first, but is more of a finish that creeps up after every swallow. It all ends up being an excellent blend of flavors that really does bring to mind a tray of holiday baked goods. As usual with most of the Bones products I’ve tried, there’s no “fake flavor” aftertaste, which is always a good thing.

In the end, this was a very enjoyable cup of coffee that should please just about everyone. I’m not sure that these flavors are what most people think of when they talk about Christmas coffees. But somehow it works.

Score: 3 out of 4

Would buy again?:  Certainly. This is an expertly crafted coffee with a fantastic flavor. It’s not particularly Christmas-y, but it certainly makes for an excellent way to warm up on a cold winter morning.