Coffee Break Review of Solar Roast Coffee's Single Origin Papua New Guinea Roast

Solar Roast Coffee is exactly what it sounds like. Back in 2004 brothers Mike and David Harktop built a Solar powered Coffee roaster in their parents' garage from an old satellite dish and a bunch of plastic mirrors. Using that concept, they created a commercial-sized solar-powered coffee roaster called the Helios IV, capable of roasting up to thirty pounds of coffee at a time. They currently roast out of Pablo, CO where they get over 300 days of sunlight in a year.

I absolutely loved this unique and eco-friendly roasting idea so I had to try it out. They also use organic coffee beans - read my post here if you aren’t familiar with why buying organic coffee is so important.

Now on to the real question… Does solar-roasted coffee taste good?

I ended up trying their Single Origin Papua New Guinea roast.

From the first sip, it was clear that it was an incredibly smooth and mellow cup of coffee. It seemed to be more of a medium roast. I noticed subtle notes of dark chocolate and molasses with a light smokiness. If you’re looking for a great coffee to replace your normal breakfast blend with, this would be perfect for that. It’s one of those blends that almost everyone would love.

For me, I would pair this one with an almond-stuffed croissant. This coffee doesn’t have any overwhelming notes, so it would be ideal with something light and delicate.

I’m not sure if the unique solar roasting process has anything to do with how perfectly smooth this coffee was, but it certainly didn’t hurt it. What I am sure of, though, is that supporting brands with innovative ideas that create a smaller carbon footprint is always a great idea.

If you want to check out Solar Roast Coffee for yourself, just click here.