Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Coffee makes a lot of people happy. I have an office which runs on either coffee, chocolate (or both) and the discussions around the finer points of both food stuffs are both daily and endless. Which is better, filtered or cafetiere coffee? South American or Kenyan? Dark roasted or lightly roasted? (apparently that’s a thing) and more importantly, where do you buy your coffee from?
Pact Coffee, the British coffee roasters have brought out their most extravagant coffee advent calendar to date. Packed with 25 different coffee roasts, I wondered how it was going to arrive with enough coffee included in each day to allow at least one cup of coffee to be made. Surely they weren’t little windows like the chocolate calendars have? Well, last week a box arrived and my questions were answered. Inside the slightly bigger than shoebox sized calendar were 25 filed packets of individually sourced coffees from around the world. If you can’t get your head around how they’re presented, have a look at the photo and it makes sense!
Now you might be wondering why there are 25 packets and not the usual 24? Well Pact Coffee have decided to include their Special Christmas Blend so that you can sit back on Christmas Day and enjoy a coffee, in the knowledge that you have spent the whole of December sampling everything from specialty coffees to luxury and rare coffees. Sourced from 8 countries and all carefully selected, the coffees showcase the best of stock that Pact have to offer. On the inside of the lid is a QR code so that you can access the menu online and choose to buy the coffee at a later date. There’s up to 200 different roasts to choose from online at any time and the menu changes over the year too.
For example, Day 1 is the Kiri coffee. The card has the packet attached, clearly stating that it’s Day 1 (so if they become slightly dislodged in the box, you can still match them up). The card explains that Kiri is grown by a collective of smallholder farmers in Kenya and on the back it gives more of a background – hints of blackcurrant jam, light roast and even the variety. It’s grown in the high altitudes and the cooperative who grow it operates with a luxuriously lengthy washing process.
I tried several of the coffees over the weekend, but there are so many, it’s best to follow them in order and one a day if you want to get the full benefit! The best one out of the handful I tried was Kibirizi Washed. The Rwandan coffee has a hint of orange marmalade and is only lightly roasted with a silky mouthfeel. Divine!
If you’re not into advent calendars then this would make a lovely gift for a family or to create conversation in the office before you purchase a Pact Coffee subscription. It’s really easy to find the roasts online to be able to pick out anything you want from their menu, and the variety of coffees is a great way to sample something other than your usual. Coffee lovers will adore it!
Currently available for £29.95 at: https://www.pactcoffee.com/christmas/ground-pact-coffee-advent-calendar-23
The Review Studio 