This Roast Review is all about one special coffee roaster in New Hampshire’s capital city - Revelstoke!

Revelstoke owners, Alex and Lyndsey, are dedicated to making a positive impact on their community, beyond delicious coffee. For example, teachers drink for free on Teacher Appreciation day and Revelstoke hosts Cars & Coffee on Capitol on the second Sunday of each month. Revelstoke will also host the New England Coffee Festival in May of 2024, which includes educational programming, latte art throwdown, and more!

Though I’ve known about Revelstoke for quite some time, it wasn’t until writing this article that I learned more about the name. Per their website, “Revel means to enjoy oneself. Stoke means to consume for energy.” This is so aligned with wacaco’s mission of helping people enjoy high quality coffee on the go. Find an excuse to swing through Concord, NH and get your hands on a Revelstoke brew, or buy their coffee right here and enjoy it at home. 

Let’s keep the stoke going as we dive in and test two coffees - El Maco from Colombia and the Roadtrip espresso blend.

El Maco 

This first coffee was from Nariño, Colombia. I highly recommend you read the sweet background story about the coffee and the family that’s behind it. I had my coffee tasting assistants James and Kristina help me with this blind taste test. As with all of our roast reviews, we like to take our best guesses at the tasting notes before revealing the notes printed on the bag. It’s always more fun with friends, as everyone has different palates!

First impressions

We had to pause and admire the bright yellow coffee bag before even opening it. Hard not to smile and feel happy with this sunny product in hand, even on the cold day we were having.

Kristina opened the bag, gave it a gentle shake, and inhaled the aroma.

“Oh, it’s very nice! For me, it’s mild and also cozy, like warm socks on a cold winter day. I am getting subdued mocha and something sweet.” She handed the bag off to James to smell the beans next. 

After inhaling the aroma of the beans and taking a pause to consider, James said he noted hints of cherry and chocolate. 

I was delighted by the bright and punchy bouquet. I smelled dried fruit, a certain sweetness, and chocolate to round it all out.

Our contact at Revelstoke recommended we prepare this with a pour over method. We took out our trusty Cuppamoka, boiled water, ground the beans, and brewed! I was impressed by the beautiful bloom of El Maco, indicating how fresh the coffee really was. 

After we each had coffee in hand, we clinked our mugs together and took a sip.

Tasting notes

At first we were all silent, privately considering our individual experiences. 

“I’m now tasting that cherry that I thought I sensed in the smell,” said James. He also noted apricot, date, and sugar. 

Kristina remarked that it was light and easy to drink while also being incredibly satisfying. She isn’t big on super robust, potent coffee and El Maco hit the spot!

I shared that I appreciated the round mouthfeel and layers of flavor. On one hand it was light and sweet but on the other it was smooth and grounding. 

The reveal

Per the notes on the bag, this coffee has notes of milk chocolate, rainier cherry, and maple syrup. If you are craving a single origin coffee to uplift you before your next adventure, look no further than El Maco!

Roadtrip 

Roadtrip is Revelstoke’s signature blend that is loved for its versatility. We looked forward to experiencing how it paired with Wacaco’s Nanopresso. We over-caffeinated ourselves enjoying El Maco, so the Roadtrip taste test happened the day after. James was my coffee tasting assistant once again.

First impressions

The smell of the freshly roasted coffee was absolutely addicting. I noted that the aroma was chocolatey, round, and also uplifting. I wondered if it was a sweet berry or more like a mild, citrusy orange. 

James identified a blueberry-like smell, toasted nuts (he guessed pecan), and dark chocolate.

James ground up the beans and the hypnotizing aroma filled our small kitchen. I prepared the water and pulled out the Nanopresso. At the end of the brewing process, we each had two crema topped espressos just asking to be sipped. 

Tasting notes

I took a slow sip and savored the lovely, light acid and chocolatey body. I noticed hints of milk chocolate, fruit, and toasted nut. It was less citrusy and more smooth than I had gathered from the smell and it was tough to not drink it all in a few seconds.

“Ah, it’s very balanced,” said James. He noted a bit of acid that was smoothed out by notes of roasted nuts, mocha, and some sweet berry.

We finished our first round of espressos and made another, because it was just that good.

The reveal

In their words, this coffee is “Everyday, chocolate, cherry, nutty”. As you can imagine, you cannot go wrong with bringing this to your next family reunion or on a private adventure. It’s a crowd pleaser!