Review: La Colombe Corsica Dark Roast
(2016) It is now day nine without our heroic ridekick, Mike. The Beowulf on the Bike has been sunning himself on the other side of the world, amidst a honeymoon. In the meantime, our rides have fallen off pace. There’s no need to keep a wheel’s length ahead to maintain segment leads over Mike. The routes have gotten shorter, too. Soon we’ll be riding in the backyard only to dismount yards later and regard the ride as a success.
So what to do about motivation?
The back of the La Colombe Corsica Box highlighting the travels of its beans.
The winter months have so many nuances about them; there are numerous aspects I like about them. The beers are darker and heavier. The meals are richer and heartier. The novels are thicker and smaller in print. The coffee is best served dark as possible. It’s that final detail that got us out the door today.
In a recent headline, the Evil S coffee empire is possibly losing profits due to the small coffee roasters around the nation. If this is true, I would immediately point to La Colombe Coffee out of Philadelphia as the leader of the giant slayers. They’re kind of a big deal in the city. So much so, then-Mayor Ed Rendell worked out a deal to bring La Colombe’s roasting to Philadelphia, relocating it from New York City.
The company continues to expand with several locations around Philadelphia and its suburbs. It’s one of the reasons we’ve been routing a ride to buzz a La Colombe before or after taking on a cobbled climb near Manyunk.
One part that could benefit from an explanation are the two conflicting worlds in the bean packaging: An earth-counscious message but a thick-as-tarp plastic bag to ensure quality and freshness.
In the meantime, I eagerly opened a new package of La Colombe Corsica dark roast for this morning’s ritual. The wafting of craft roasting filled the air and the Virtuoso grinder as preparations were made for breakfast and the potential for a ride. The outside temperature was hanging around 40 degrees with the typical offseason wind gusts. The Blue Angels call that wind ‘texture.’
Described as dark chocolatey, rich, and beloved, the Corsica blend contains beans from four Latin American countries. What is experienced is a sweet flavored roundness that keeps one coming back for more. The coffee pot at our office is always brewed on the stronger side of things. Sometimes that makes a coffee bitter and sharp around the edges; this blend is not that. It’s enjoyable and vibrant, making it a bit easier to get on the bike when the wind is trifling and the temperature is playing havoc on gear selection. This is one of those cups that would complement a hunk of quality chocolate. Or you can do what we always do: finish off several cups of coffee with whole milk chocolate milk. For some reason dark roast makes chocolate milk taste incredible.
If the crew is meeting up at your house for coffee, some dog petting, and a bike ride, impress them with La Colombe’s Corsica dark roast. As I move into day ten of solo riding, you just may find some Creaky Bottom Bracket personnel simply looking for company. Having La Colombe at the ride’s terminus improves that likelihood. It’s the perfect cup for the winter riding season.
La Colombe Corsica can be purchased at many Philadelphia-area speciality stores or online at lacolombe.com. A subscription feature can be activated to have the coffee delivered regularly to your house.
