My sample of Tully’s Kona Blend was provided by Qwowi’s friends at Keurig.  While it was kind of them to send some samples to thank me for enthusiasm for their magical brewing machines, and of course the magical beans that one puts in them, the truth is I should probably be thanking them.  I quite honestly can’t remember the last time my day didn’t start with a K-Cup.

Kona Blend presents the first opportunity for me to sample Tully’s Coffee.  Having downed a few cups thus far, my prevailing line of thought is; if the Kona Blend is representative of the entire Tully’s lineup, then I beg you (I’m seriously begging here), please send more.

It’s always interesting when we get a new sample in.  While I’m trying to work through somewhat of a backlog of reviews, my wife tends to dig right in.  When she finds something she likes, she’ll drink it for days without trying anything else.  While she seldom talks about why she likes a particular blend, given how quickly our box of Tully’s Kona has dwindled, I’m fairly certain she likes it a lot.

Before we get to the review itself, here’s some background on Tully’s (right off the box):

HANDCRAFTED COFFEE FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Prior to opening the first Tully’s store in Seattle, Washington back in 1992, we made a promise to offer the finest coffees available by sourcing only Arabica beans from the world’s best coffee-growing regions.  We’re obsessed with our trade and that’s why we craft all of our coffees by hand in small batches using vintage cast iron roasters from the 1950′s.  While many other coffee companies have turned to an automated process, we firmly believe it takes all five senses of a highly-skilled artisan to achieve the perfect flavor profile.  It’s this commitment to quality that has helped us become the Pacific Northwest’s largest fully handcrafted coffee roaster.

As an East Coast guy it’s a welcome lesson that the Pacific Northwest offers more than just Starbuck’s and Seattle’s best.  Anyway…on to the review.

What it says on the box

Floral * Cocoa * Smooth (short and simple, I like it)

Other Description (lifted from the website)

Kona Blend

This fragrant, lightly roasted blend is renown for its smooth taste and floral aroma.

Origin: Hawaii, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Uganda

The Aroma

Truthfully, I didn’t get much out of the aroma. If Tully’s says it’s floral I’m not going to argue with them, but comparatively speaking, I’ll call it pleasantly unassuming.

Drinking it Black

Oh sweet velvety mother! Smooth with cocoa and fruit notes, Tully’s Kona has a natural sweetness that is reminiscent of Green Mountain’s Kenyan AA, although less winy.

Tully’s Kona is perfectly blended medium-roast with just the right amount of acidity and not the slightest trace of bitterness.  I’m going to put cream and sugar into it, because, that’s what we do here at the K-Cup Challenge, by believe me when I tell you, it certainly isn’t a requirement.

From a flavor and drinkability standpoint, it sits right next to the previously mentioned GMCR Kenyan AA as one of the two easiest drinking (not to mention delicious) blacks I’ve encountered thus far.

With Cream and Sugar

With Tully’s Kona I added only a very small amount of cream and sugar since there’s no justifiable reason to risk ruining the flavor.  While it does cut it a bit (that’s what cream and sugar does), it doesn’t really add much to the flavor, nor does it need to.

If you need cream and sugar to feel better about things, by all means add it, but for Tully’s Kona it certainly isn’t a requirement.

Final Thoughts

Left in its natural state, or with cream and sugar added, it’s an undeniable fact that Tully’s Kona blend is just good coffee; damn good coffee actually.  As I mentioned earlier, it has quickly become my wife’s current favorite, and the first that I’ve been as enthusiastic about as she.  Quite frankly, I’m contemplating hoarding what few Tully’s Kona K-Cups we have left for myself.  I write the reviews, right?  Why should I have to share?

Personal K-Cup wars aside, Tully’s Kona blend is simply outstanding, and I’m eagerly awaiting the opportunity to try more from this fantastic little Seattle coffee company.

Shameless Plug

I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that if you’re reading this review you either have a Keurig Brewer (good for you), or you’re contemplating getting one?  Those of you who already have one, feel free to skip ahead to the part about the K-Cup Challenge.  To the rest of you:

You have a stove right?  I mean it’s not like you have to rub a couple of sticks together, or bang rocks before you can cook dinner, right?  It’s 2008, get with the times.  You’ve seen Keurig Brewers in your doctor’s office, your car dealership, and of course on supermarket and big box store shelves.  Don’t you think it’s about time you saw one on your kitchen counter?  Trust me, it will look great next to your toaster.

To quote Ben Stiller in Starsky and Hutch, “Do it, do it”, click over to the Keurig website and treat yourself to one of their home brewers, and a few boxes of K-Cups from their incredible selection.  If you do, for my part, I’ll promise never to quote Ben Stiller again.

While you’re here at Qwowi, check out the growing list of reviews in the K-Cup Challenge.