On a
recent trip to my local Grocery Outlet store here in Elk Grove,
California (yes I seem to be finding some off the wall things here
which is why I keep coming back) just grabbing a couple of things
when I spotted a shiny blue bag towards the bottom shelf of the
coffee area. With my curiosity perked, I found myself lifting this blue sparkling beacon from where it was
nestled and was greeted by a simple Christmas themed picture and
standard text. Off hand, it reminded me of some homemade products
that I'm fond of picking up from some local distributors. Though I
couldn't find the brand or company right away on the label, I thought
I would go ahead and try out Christmas Traditions Ground Coffee. Of
course at 16oz (454g) for only $5.99, the deal was too good to pass
up.
In
appearance, it is honestly fairly simple so it is dependent on the
metallic blue bag to catch your attention which shows that sometimes
simple is the best. Though the sticker on the top isn't meant to be
used as a reseal option, it can certainly be used as such, as long as
you don't rip it while opening the package. The bag itself is also
fairly easy to open which is nice since I highly doubt anyone would
want to spill a bag full of coffee everywhere. The aroma that greeted
my senses as a reward was filled with sweet hints of chocolate and
suggestions of subtle hazelnut and vanilla. Once the coffee has been
brewed, a medley of spices is brought forth. Taking a sip, I could
still taste a tiny bit of the chocolate and vanilla but was surprised
by the flavors of cloves and cinnamon. It took some time while
sipping the coffee for me to realize that it reminded me of a more
mellow and sweeter version of the Trader Joe's Vanilla Chai-Spiced coffee that I had reviewed back in July. This seemingly medium roast
coffee truly is made to enjoy slowly and perhaps with friends.
Looking
at the back label, I finally discovered that the coffee is
distributed by Bay Area Coffee, Inc. which is located down in San
Francisco. The company's website is as simple and straight forward as
the label they put on their bags but easy to navigate. Reading the
About Us page, it was surprising to find that the men in charge of
Bay Area Coffee both worked with Hills Bros. Coffee, Inc. first
before their individual paths led them to work together in creating
and running Bay Area Coffee. They do list what brands they create and
tell customers which area stores you can find their products on their
Where to Buy page. It appears most of their coffee can be found here
in California but there are a few stores in Oregon, Texas, Arizona,
Washington, and one in Vancouver, BC that carries a few of their
brands. With the company still being relatively small, it's
understandable that it is mostly just distributed here on the west
coast of the United States but if you are able to try it at some
point I encourage you to do so.
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