Newhall Coffee Review and Giveaway...

Cool For School Giveaway #30

Thanks to Newhall Coffee, we recently had the opportunity to review The Taste of California line of coffees.

About Newhall Coffee:"The McMullen Brothers founded Newhall Coffee Roasting Company in beautiful downtown Newhall, California in 1994. 32-year residents Kyle and Mitch were born and raised in Newhall. The older brother, Mitch, had lived in the south of France in the early 90's, and brought his love of great European espresso home to open a coffeehouse called "Mitch's Java 'n Jazz" in Newhall. The nightspot quickly became a local favorite for coffee lovers all over the Santa Clarita Valley, which prompted Kyle to open a second coffeehouse only 3 miles away in the neighboring Valencia. Mitch, and his younger brother Kyle, were not satisfied with the quality of coffee they were getting from other roasters, so they decided to roast their own. Initially, the roasting company was only intended to provide great coffee for their two coffeehouses, but the local love for fresh roasted coffee created a demand that reached well beyond the coffeehouses; and Newhall Coffee Roasting Company is now considered to be one of the premier coffees on the West Coast. Now owned solely by Mitch, Newhall Coffee Roasting Company continues to be devoted to much more than great coffee. Leukemia took the life of Mitch's beloved older brother Corey several years ago, and the company remains dedicated to his honor. Whether you buy our coffee at Costco 'wholesale, Pavilions, Ralphs, Costco Business Center, on our web site NewhallCoffee.com, or any number of businesses throughout California, you will be helping us save lives through our contributions. In fact, a portion of every dollar we earn through our loyal corporate and consumer customers will be given to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America to help fight and cure these cancers of the blood. For more information please visit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society web site, or to contribute to the fund, just purchase any of our coffees from any retailer and you will have contributed with your purchase."

There are 6 blends in The Taste of California line:

Beatnik Espresso

A combination of 3 beans from Indonesia, South America, and Central America brings this espresso roast to a diverse and complex body, while producing a very mild and clean finish.The South American bean of the 'Typica' Varietal is wet processed and sun dried. The Central American bean of the 'bourbon' varietal is semi-washed and sun dried to bring out its nutty and floral notes. The Indonesian is semi-washed and sun dried, bringing out the earthy and spicy notes

Organic California Blend

Roasted to a full city roast to bring out the earthy and citrus notes of the Sumatra bean, while developing the Peru bean to give it that chocolate finish. This blend works amazing as an espresso shot as well!Features organic Sumatra Mandheling Double Picked, from the Aceh region of Sumatra, these are semi-washed arabicas and organic Peru, which has the standard body, brightness and depth for South Americans. Grown in very high elevations on the eastern slopes of the Andes mountain range.

Earthquake Blend

Wake-up California-style with a high impact blend.A Central American bean with a very strong bite but with a rolling mild finish. You will find nutty and chocolaty notes with this bean mixed with a strong and crisp body. A Guatemala from the Antigua Region, located between 3 volcanoes and grown on volcanic forested soil. This is a Caturra type of bean grown on an elevation between 4,500 – 5,500 feet

Surf & Snow

Begins as a Brazilian bean and is inspired by the ideal California day – surfing and skiing or snowboarding the same day. The beans are roasted to a city roast to enhance the caramel vanilla flavor.

Bow Chicka Pow-Pow

Inspired by Southern California’s Mammoth Mountain winter culture, this is a double picked Grade 1 Sumatra Mandheling bean roasted using a "long roast' method to bring out the full characteristics of what the bean was meant for.This Sumatra is grown inland from the southern coast in the Aceh Region, known for its earthy and spicy notes. These have low acidity.

Sunset Blvd.

Inspired by the culturally, historically, and aesthetically significance of Hollywood’s Sunset Blvd.The combination of cinnamon and vanilla brings out the bright taste and body of this bean. Perfect for those early mornings on the go!

What we thought: B is the coffee drinker in our family and he gave this line of coffees rave reviews. He actually used the word "DIVINE" which kinda cracked me up:) He was not the biggest fan of the flavored varieties(he never is:) but he really enjoyed every other blend, especially the Earthquake and Beatnik coffees. He said Newhall Coffee is some of the best tasting coffee he has had in a long time and he can't wait to try their other coffees. He also mentioned that it tasted super fresh...I guess Newhall's micro-roasting process can be credited for that:) I thought it was really neat how they captured many of the defining themes of California to give you an awesome "taste" of the state and it would be neat to see this done for other states. The packaging was cool; I really liked the colorful and descriptive labels and the stories on the bag. I think it is wonderful of the company to give so much back to the community and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America. ABCD Diaries gives Newhall Coffee and the Taste of California line an A+ and our Cool For School Seal of Approval for those busy back to school mornings!!

Buy It: You can find The Taste of California line at Costco, Ralph's Pavilions and at NewhallCoffee.com. If you buy online, Newhall is offering a code for 10% off any purchase...just use QZ742 during checkout:)
Win It: Newhall Coffee has generously offered one ABCD Diaries reader the entire line of The Taste of California coffees...that is 6 full size bags of gourmet coffee!!! To enter, visit the website and leave a comment below mentioning a flavor you'd like to try.
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Giveaway ends Sunday, August 29, 2010 at 11:59cst. Winner will be chosen via random.org and emailed. They will have 48 hours to reply. Open to US residents 18+:)
Disclosure: ABCD Diaries was given a selection of coffees for review purposes only. We were in no other way compensated. The opinions expressed in this post are ours and ours alone.