Shenandoah Joe Coffee Roasters is a Charlottesville, Virginia based coffee roaster. They offer offer over 25 varieties of specialty/boutique/gourmet coffee. They blend and bag everything to order and by hand.
I had never heard of this roaster before seeing their coffee in my local Whole Foods. They have a pretty established presence in Charlottesville but it seems like they don't have cafes further north than that.
From the roaster: A natural processed coffee with fruit tones of blackberry, citrus sparkle that ranges from lemon to orange. A creamy body, with a nice chocolaty finish.
Method: French press
Review and tl;dr after the jump...
Appearance (16/20): The bean is on the darker side but not super glossy like a french roast which isn't surprising given that this bean should be medium-dark roasted. The roast is pretty varied all around from caramel to chocolate shades of brown.
Smell (18/20): Very strong berry/stone fruit aroma, almost Frankenberry or Boo Berry-like :)
Taste (20/20): If you are looking for the epitome of a very berry coffee, this would be the one. Up front there is a very strong blueberry like flavor which melts into a puckering sourness that evokes cherries. On the back end there is a very subtle roasty flavor to finish of the coffee nicely.
Mouthfeel (18/20): Feels heavier on the palette than I'd expect from a medium-dark roast but it plays nicely with the tartness of the coffee.
Overall (19/20): This coffee makes for an excellent first impression from Shenandoah Joe. The flavor is pretty deep and even if you aren't a fan of fruity coffees this should be on your radar.
Score: 91
TL;DR - A very berry coffee that does not disappoint.
