My buddy Kevin (who I’ve mentioned before) insists that he can’t tell the difference between one cup of coffee or another.  Every now and again I’ll give him a sample of something new, and pretty much without exception he tells me it tastes like everything else.  For all intents and purposes we’re talking about a man completely incapable of discerning the nuances of a cup (any cup) of coffee.

So when Kevin told me that the only blend he’s able to distinguish from all the others is Tully’s Breakfast Blend, I wanted to see if I could figure out what makes the blend stand out…at least to Kevin.  As I often do when I want to check out a specific K-Cup variety, I asked my friends at Shoffee to send me a sample.  My thinking was that if Tully’s Breakfast Blend appeals to my largely indifferent friend, then in all probability, I would enjoy it too.

The Description

This aromatic masterpiece wakes the senses with vibrant floral and delicate sweet tones.
Origin: Colombia, Uganda

The Aroma

The aroma is light and muted.  There’s not a lot of potency here, which isn’t unexpected in a breakfast blend.  I might have to call shenanigans on the “aromatic masterpiece” thing.  Actually, it does smell good, really good, but allowing for the fact that I might have a bit of morning congestion, you’ve really got to stick your nose into the cup to get a sense of things.  It’s not what you might call a room filler.

Drinking it Black

Light is going to be the theme of the day when it comes to Tully’s Breakfast Blend.  It’s actually quite sweet naturally; in fact too sweet for my personal tastes.  It’s also substantially more light bodied that I would normally drink.  From purely a flavor-based perspective, I can understand why Kevin finds it so easily identifiable.  Like Evergreen Blend, Tully’s Breakfast blend offers a very unique taste (which I admittedly struggle to pinpoint or describe).  Regardless, unlike Tully’s Kona Blend, it’s not one I particularly enjoy.

With Cream and Sugar

With just cream, I find Tully’s Breakfast Blend to be actually palatable.  The cream cuts a bit of whatever it is about the flavor I don’t otherwise like.  As I mentioned before, we’re talking about an exceptionally sweet coffee (perhaps the most naturally sweet of any blend I’ve tried thus far), so I’m thinking that adding sugar will border on the superfluous, nevertheless, I’m adding it (for testing purposes of course).

I added about half my standard amount of sugar and while I certainly wouldn’t add any more, I wouldn’t say I’m a fan of the taste either.

Final Thoughts

Tully’s Breakfast Blend is an exceptionally light (not watery, however) cup of coffee.  I’m guessing light roast drinkers might really enjoy it, however; I make no secret for the fact that I’m more of a dark roast guy, so it’s reasonable to think that breakfast blends in generally aren’t likely to be my thing.  The flavor is definitely unique, and reminds me a bit of Tully’s Evergreen Blend, insomuch as the flavor itself is totally incomparable to anything else I’ve tried.

At best Tully’s Breakfast Blend will be a weekend cup of coffee; something I’ll drink after I’ve woken up on my own terms.  If I need an alarm clock, and need coffee to jump start my day, there’s simply no way this is going to get the job done.

Shameless Plug

As is so often the case, this installment of the K-Cup Challenge was sponsored by Shoffee.com – The Web’s Favorite Coffee Shop.  Shoffee offers great pricing and the best selection of K-Cups, Brewers, and accessories anywhere on the internet.

Check out Shoffee’s Cup of the Week blog for a new great deal on K-Cups by the box each and every week.

Just like we are, our friends at Shoffee are now on Facebook.  Check ‘em out.

While you’re here, check out all of the reviews in The K-Cup Challenge.