The grocery aisle: Twenty indistinguishable varieties of canned tomato sauce, a hundred wine labels with more design than vine, thirty different brands of coffee—how do we discern which one is the best taste? At Late for the Train, we created our Tasty Flavor Matrix to make it easy to choose, and lose “the tyranny of choice”. Here’s how it works: choose from one of two roasts (medium or dark), then from one of three taste profiles (Comfort, Iconic, or Adventure), each curated to be clearly differentiated. All that’s left is to start enjoying your brew!
The grocery aisle: Twenty indistinguishable varieties of canned tomato sauce, a hundred wine labels with more design than vine, thirty different brands of coffee—how do we discern which one is the best taste? At Late for the Train, we created our Tasty Flavor Matrix to make it easy to choose, and lose “the tyranny of choice”. Here’s how it works: choose from one of two roasts (medium or dark), then from one of three taste profiles (Comfort, Iconic, or Adventure), each curated to be clearly differentiated. All that’s left is to start enjoying your brew!
OUR TASTY FLAVOR MATRIX MAKES IT EASY TO FIND YOUR PERFECT TASTE. CHOOSE A ROAST. CHOOSE A TASTE. START SAVORING. IT’S THAT EASY.
A coffee’s flavor characteristics are largely dependent on its origin but the overall taste is greatly influenced by it’s roast. Medium roasts are notably smoother and balanced with caramel overtones. Dark roasts are aromatic and bold tasting with syrupy spice notes. At 7000’ we make dark roasts delicious. Read more about our roastery here.
DARK ROAST
A good dark roast is a smoky little gem with a distinct taste — bold and free of flat, scorched or unwanted woody flavors. By keeping our initial roast temperature low and controlling the structural expansion of the bean, our dark roasts aren’t bitter. In fact, they come out sweeter with bolder chocolatey, nutty, fruit flavors, making them a great choice for espresso, Moka Pots and Aeropress brewers. Our dark roasts are also especially good with a splash of cream when brewed through a filter.
MEDIUM ROAST
Medium roast coffee is characterized by balance. Our medium roast is typified by a round, soft taste that is often creamy. With medium roasts, aroma is sweet, acidity makes room for roast notes as they commingle with the terroir of the coffee’s origin. It’s well-rounded and makes for an easy drinking cup. Great for filter-drip.
3 EASY CATEGORIES
Most of us don’t make our morning coffee thinking about the nuance of cultivar, extraction ratios, or get bogged down by the scientific details. Here at Late for the Train we’ve learned that coffee is more personal than that. Welcome to the Tasty Flavor Matrix! A clear and easy method for discovering your favorite cuppa joe.
1. COMFORT
Flagstaff, Happy Camper Blends
Be Here Now: Relaxed, unhurried, grounding.
Drink like a local and cozy up! Our Comfort blends range from mild and sweet to bold and smokey. Their origin’s taste characteristics and roast notes are well-balanced. They make for an easy drinking cup from sunrise to sunset and local’s say they’re damn good.
2. ICONIC
Portofino, French Roast Blends
Standing the test of time: Nostalgic, reliable yet dreamy.
Our Iconic blends are those quintessential, crowd-pleasing, stand-the-test-of-time coffee blends. They’re versatile and forgiving making them perfect for espresso or a pour-over without the need for a gram scale or stopwatch. Whether it’s for you or a friend, these make the perfect gifts.
3. ADVENTURE
North Rim, Daybreak
Put some spark in your step: Bold, bright, on-the-go.
Do you like your coffee bold? With cream? One you can’t share because it tastes so good? If yes, then our Adventure blends are for you! They’re sweeter, roastier and pack a punch. Get ready for a ride filled with fruitloops of flavor, squeezes of citrus, and that perfect type of acidity that makes you know the coffee is fresh. This is the adventure that will leave you saying, “let’s do that again!”
EARTHY • RICH • CHOCOLATE Rustic mocha taste with hints of stone fruit. Best enjoyed in flip-flops, [...]
BOLD • BALANCED Just right roastiness. Blended and roasted for pour-overs and French press. BUY NOW [...]
SMOKEY • BRISK • MOLASSES Almost coal black. Hardy, aromatic and glistening with oil. Deep roast notes [...]
SOFT • VIBRANT • JUICY Our house blend. A smooth, easy-drinking and flavorful cup. Just like our [...]
SMOOTH • AROMATIC • FULL-BODIED Our classic espresso experience. Enchanting flavor nuances and intense aromas with a [...]
TROPICAL • BRIGHT • CREAMY Get ready for your rise and shine or midday refresh! This cup [...]
Brew Guide
DRIP
Brewing Drip
Grind beans: Course sand
Measure: 2 tbsp per 6oz of finished brew • 4tbsp/12oz mug
Extraction: 3-4 minutes
Recommended blends: French Roast, Day Break
Auto Drip coffee is usually made using a paper filter with the infusion happening automatically over ground coffee. Shoot for a grind that gives you a cup, or pot as it may be, within four minutes. Finer grinds will slow down the brew time. Metal filters usually like a coarse grind akin to ground sea salt.
ESPRESSO
Brewing Espresso
Grind beans: A little finer than table salt but not as fine as flour
Measure: 2 oz = 1 double shot
Extraction: 20-30 seconds
Recommended blends: French Roast, Portofino
Espresso is a short concentrated extraction of coffee made by infusing very fine coffee grounds with very hot water at a high pressure. Technically speaking, any coffee can be made espresso: it’s the brewing process of using pressurized extraction that is making a coffee espresso.
IMMERSION BREWER
BREWING PRESS
Grind beans: Table salt to peppercorns depending on the brewer
Measure: 1:7 to 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio
Extraction: .45 to 4 minutes
Recommended blends: Happy Camper, Flagstaff
French Press 1:15, Clever Dripper 1:16, Aeropress 1:12, and Moka Pot 1:7 are all immersion brewers. Some use a metal filter, some paper. Fans of this brew method don’t mind having some soluble particles from the coffee grinds in the cup. This is what gives French Press coffee its rich and hearty body compared to brewing methods that use a short brew time and paper filter.
MANUAL POUR OVER
Brewing pour over
Grind beans: Coarser than table salt, finer than flaky sea salt
Measure: 2.5 tbsp per 6oz finished brew. Immersion 1-3, 2-3, 3-4…
Recommended blends: Happy Camper, Flagstaff, North Rim
V60, Kalita Wave, Melitta, Chemex, Pour over coffee is a popular brewing process. To brew, hot water is gently poured over freshly ground coffee in a slow, circular motion. As water passes through a filter holding a bed of grounds, nuanced flavors are extracted from the coffee. We invite you to explore the web and geek out on the nuances of brewing. Or just grind and pour and be happy.