To start, I do wish the sample size were a tad bigger. I made a 5-cup pot, and the coffee itself is a bit thin. For a medium roast, it drinks on the lighter side. Med-light might be more appropriate to say.
The nose is very powerful, but not in a way that over takes the senses. Whatever flavorings they're using seem to be part of the roasting process rather than just a tossed in flavoring, so I do appreciate that there appears to be well application of the science there.
The pour when black is still effervescent of the flavor notes, which only furthers my previous point about roasting in the flavors. With a sip, I get the cinnamon for sure. It's a warm, gentle palette that I think again suffers from the sample size. It could be a bit more full-bodied had I ground more beans.
Then finally, when adding milk and sugar (my usual MO) the flavors shift to something more akin to what I think this coffee is pushing to be. The sweetness mixed into the warming spices gives me a sense of cinnamon pie. This very clearly was intended to be a fall coffee, one that harkens to what you find normally on a Starbucks seasonal menu.
All and all, I like it! Would I drink this as my usual morning coffee? Probably not. But I would say this brew makes for a nice treat to break things up and add a little fun to the routine.
