by At Beans and Burrs, we are amateur coffee lovers. We intend to write coffee reviews in a way that makes sense to regular coffee drinkers. All opinions expressed here are our own.
Many thanks to Erica from Black Mark Coffee for contacting us and sending us some delicious and good-looking bags of coffee. We received three of their coffees: Black Mark Espresso blend, Black Mark Breakfast, and a Single Origin Guatemala.
They even provided an exclusive offer to our readers! Buy a delicious coffee bag and enter this coupon code: B&BEXTRABAG at the checkout, and you will receive a complimentary bag of their brand new Roaster’s choice!
From their website and our experience with Black Mark Coffee, three words pop into my head: family, care, and freshness.
Two beautiful families combined their force to create Black Mark Coffee in the state of Texas. Currently, they offer four types of coffee: the breakfast blend, the espresso blend, single-origin Guatemala, and the limited-edition. You can have as well a decaf and k-cups.
In their own words, you order, they roast, and then they deliver.
Black Mark Coffee customs roast beans in small batches according to specific roasting curves that accentuate the natural flavors of the coffee. They use artisan techniques to eliminate the bitterness found in over-roasted, stale, and commercially produced coffee. So they make sure that every cup is smooth and delicious.
Next, they ship according to your needs and build a roasting schedule to ensure you receive each bag at its peak of freshness. Your coffee will be shipped within 72 hours of roast, the first and third week of every month.
Now the fun part, let’s review all three coffees!
#1. Single-origin Guatemala (Huehuetenango)
First, I like their packaging and their design. All the essential information is on the bag, and there is a roasting date, which is always appreciated. It is fresh; I received it less than a week after Black Mark Coffee roasted it. When I open the bag, I am rewarded with a delicious coffee smell, although a little muted. The beans are nice looking and quite large.
In their words, this single Guatemalan origin is one of their favorites. You can expect your cup to have a balanced body with flavor components of minimally refined sugar, roasted almond, and dark cocoa with a molasses finishing note.
French press
First, I tried with the French press, which is perfect for extracting the deep flavors in Guatemalan coffee.
Learn to make the best French press here.
This Guatemalan coffee is a crowd-pleaser! The first sip reveals a smooth cup with round nutty notes and just enough brightness. Later, I detect a pleasant and restrained bitterness. The body is thick, and I suspect it will work well as an espresso. It is not a complex coffee, but it is exceptionally well balanced. I would recommend this coffee to anybody new to craft coffee who wants an excellent introduction to a smooth coffee that is easy to drink. Now, I am curious to know how it behaves with other brewing methods.
Espresso
When I pull my first shot, I immediately see a nice crema and some beautiful tiger stripes. The body seems to be on the medium side. Tasting it, I detect a nice acidity devoid of sourness. It is a lighter roast than I usually drink for espresso, but the expected acidity is well balanced with sweet, nutty, and caramel flavors. There are some faint fruity flavors, but I cannot pinpoint which fruit. Overall it reminds me of fresh croissants, with a lovely and delicate sweetness. It is a bit thinner than I like, but it works. This espresso is at the same level as what they serve at upscale coffee shops, and I am happy with it.
The finish is a little bitter, but it leaves a pleasant aftertaste.
Like the French press, the keyword for this Guatemalan espresso cup is “balanced.”
Pour-Over
The pour-over method should be perfect for brewing Guatemalan coffee. Brewers can get a full-bodied cup of coffee.
Again, it’s smooth, sweet, and coated in a mild acidity. I taste a pleasant caramel sweetness. Here again, “balanced” is the first word that comes to my mind. It sips so effortlessly. I feel that pour-over is the method that captures its delicacy the best. It is a mild coffee, but it is never dull because the quality and the perfect balance shine through. This Guatemalan is an excellent coffee to serve to someone who may be intimidated by black coffee. It is so smooth and easy to drink on its own; they will be back for more.
You get it: it is smooth and balanced. I cannot resist a scotch analogy for those into that other brown liquid: this Guatemalan reminds me of a well-crafted Highland single malt. You may be into bold and rough Islay peaty scotch, but once in a while, you get to enjoy a delicate highland. Black Mark Huehuetenango Guatemala would be the equivalent of a Balvenie in the scotch world.
#2. Black Mark Espresso Blend
In their words, Black Mark secures only the best beans for their Espresso blend, ensuring a rich, smooth, full-bodied espresso experience in every shot. A combination of Sumatra Gunung Tujuh (Caramel, toffee/ dried apple, tamarind with orange peel / a beautifully clean yet complex coffee) and Guatemala Huehuetenango (Dark cocoa/medium body/caramel & molasses finishing notes).
So, the Black Mark Espresso blend contains a significant portion of the same Guatemala Huehuetenango reviewed above. They added Sumatra Gunung.
How to Select the Best Coffee for Espresso?
Espresso
Let us find out how it compares to the single-origin Guatemalan in an espresso.
When pulling a shot, you can immediately appreciate how fresh it is: excellent texture, beautiful appearance, thick crema.
It is smooth, well-balanced, features a lovely caramel sweetness, and finishes with a pleasant chocolate aftertaste. I find the body on the thin side, not thicker than the Guatemalan. It definitely shares a lot with the latter; there is no denying that it is a core component of that blend. I must say that I liked the Guatemalan a little better on its own, despite that it was brighter. I found it a little more exciting and complex. For me, the blend “dilutes” the character a little. It rounds the profile nicely by removing the sharp edges, but some character gets lost in the process. I am nitpicking here because it is a deliciously smooth, balanced, and well-crafted espresso blend. Very easy to drink. I only wish it had a bit more complexity and a thicker texture.
Other brewing methods
I brewed it with the French press and the Italian Moka pot, and the pour-over. I found it very similar to the Huehuetenango Guatemala. No surprise since it is a core ingredient. Do not let the “Espresso Blend” label mislead you: it works remarkably well in a drip filter coffee machine or any brewing method. I shared some of it with my friend Chris, who reached a similar conclusion and stated that it is not outstanding at a single thing, but it is good at a lot of things. It is a perfect daily coffee that you can brew however you feel at the moment.
#3. Black Mark Breakfast Blend
In their words, the Black Mark Breakfast Blend combines the best of Central and South America with notes from Indonesia. While the origin may change from time to time, this blend will deliver the medium to full-bodied consistency that you look forward to in your morning cup. But don’t let the name fool you- Black Mark’s Breakfast Blend also makes a perfect mid-day pick-me-up and pairs well with after-dinner dessert!
The website does not provide much information about the components of this blend. I reached out to Erica at Black Mark Coffee. She told me that they use some of the Huehuetenango Guatemala, paired with a full-bodied Sumatran and some Colombian Supremo.
French press
This is a delicious cup. Very smooth, there is a nice sweetness combined with balanced acidity. There are nutty round flavors with pleasant fruit tones that I did not detect in the two previous coffees. It is easy to drink but complex at the same time. The aftertaste is sweet and bright at the same time. I like it a lot. Out of the three coffees, this is the one that works the best with the French press.
Espresso
A visual feast: thick, lush crema and tiger stripes. I hope it tastes as good as it looks.
First, I detect some moderate bitterness, immediately followed by a rush of sweetness competing with acidity. It is bright and bold. I like the thick mouthfeel. The aftertaste is a little bitter, but there is a milk chocolate taste that lingers. It works well for espresso.
Moka Pot
It is bright! The balance is not as good as with the other methods since the acidity comes first, almost sour, followed by a sweet caramel taste. Afterward, I taste something sweet like cookies. I preferred it brewed with the French press or as an espresso.
A quick guide on how to brew with a Moka pot, here.
The bottom line: balanced crowd pleasers
There is something to say about good fresh beans at the risk of sounding like a broken record. Black Mark Coffee focuses on freshness and quality and uses its staple Guatemalan on its own or combined with other beans to offer three deliciously balanced coffees that work well with most brewing methods. All three offerings are very approachable and smooth daily drinkers.
Please, visit them at Black Mark Coffee, buy a delicious, fresh coffee bag and enjoy a complimentary bag of their brand new Roaster’s Choice at the check-out by using this coupon code: B&BEXTRABAG .
