My own description of the flavor here
Amount of grounds:
2 tablespoons per 10 oz of water
Brewing time:
8.5 minutes
Additions:
None
Reusing grounds:
Not tested
Using grounds in food:
Not tested
General Thoughts:
General feeling about the roast
While cooling, I noticed the light roast has a very chocolatey aroma. I started with that one when doing the comparison, and I found it also tasted quite chocolatey, with only just enough the Ecuador pungency to notice that it's the same origin. Drinking the french roast after the light roast is like a slap in the face with roast and near-coffee flavor. Going back to light roast after the french roast, I noticed it has that buttery flavor I've found in these dark/light roast comparisons previously. The light roast is the winner here.
I decided to add vanilla almond milk only to the french roast and try them again. The french roast gets very chocolatey when it gets thinned out and the vanilla flavor added, and most of the roast goes away, but oddly, the light roast still tastes buttery, but not quite as chocolatey in comparison. I think I actually like the french roast better here!
Adding the almond milk to the light roast, it gets very washed out quickly. When comparing it side-by-side with the doctored french roast, the french roast picks up some of that roasty and pungent flavor again, but just a little bit. I expected things to be more "even", but in the end I still like the doctored french roast better than the light roast, doctored or not.
I'm becoming convinced that I need a way to track when these doctored comparisons are used, and give them their own entries in the spreadsheet. If I'd drink it doctored and not black, then that needs to be noted and taken into account when ranking.
These should be exactly the same, but are they? No. No, they are not. There is a surprisingly big difference. It all started with taking a whiff of the dry grounds. I could tell right away that the Crio Bru grounds put off a milder and more chocolatey smell. When tasting, the Choffy has that normal strong pungent flavor, but Crio Bru is more chocolatey and less pungent, smoother and milder! The Crio Bru is also slightly lighter in color, both in the dry grounds and in the final brew.
After getting about halfway though each cup, I decided to add a bit of vanilla almond milk. It tames the pungency of Choffy and brings out the chocolate, but still has that coffee-like flavor. But the Crio Bru almost hits "hot chocolate" in flavor! Even more than the Uber Dark did in a previous test.
I definitely like the Crio Bru version of Ecuador French roast more, although it doesn't mean I dislike Choffy. It's going to be interesting to test the Crio Bru version against other things.
I'm doing a rematch on these two because of the changes I noticed with the new batch of Crio Bru being more pungent and closer to the Choffy versions than before.
Most of what I said in the first comparison still holds true. These are not at all the same, and the strong pungency and roast of the Choffy is not to be found in the Crio Bru version. The Crio Bru is quite a bit milder, smoother, and like I noted with the comparison to Choffy Ecuador Dark, it really comes across with a grainy quality not found in the Choffy. The Choffy is, I think, much closer to coffee than the Crio Bru. They're both good, but side by side I prefer the Crio Bru over the Choffy, so that hasn't changed.
For the last half of each cup, I decided to blend them just to see what that's like. It's interesting. The grainy quality of the Crio Bru and the strong pungent quality of the Choffy seem to cancel each other out, which I wouldn't have expected at all. I figured the stronger flavors of the Choffy would have won out, but in the end, I have something where I can pick up on the grainy aroma, but it seems to be missing in the actual flavor. Weird. What I'm left with is a little roasted and somewhat chocolatey. It's not bad at all, but it's really weird to me to not be able to identify this as an Ecuador roast after drinking the separate versions. It's truly bizarre. I may want to consider blending the dry grounds in the french press before adding the water and see if it does the same thing.
Mmmm... I've been away from brewing cocoa for about a week and a half due to the holidays (2021) but I'm back, and my first sips of the Ghana are delicious. Lightly chocolatey, a little grainy. So gooooooood. And the Ecuador with it's strong pungency and deep roasty flavor. Yum. I've missed this.
Ah! There's a flavor in the Ecuador French roast that's been kind of nagging at me, but it just occurred to me what seems familiar. It almost has a slightly meaty quality to it. What I mean is, sometimes when I make bacon, and I get it so crispy that it's almost crumbly. It's not burnt in the "blackened" sense, but it's still overdone but somehow the grease it was frying in is holding it together. Something about the Ecuador reminds me of that. Overdone bacon. Haha!
Going back to the Ghana after the Ecuador, I'm picking up the grainy flavor much more strongly, and even a bit of that buttery flavor I've mentioned before when comparing darker roasts to lighter roasts. The Ghana is the definite winner here.
I blended the last half of each cup, and I was surprised how much the Ecuador continued to come through in the aroma at first, but after another swirl to mix it a little better, the Ghana took over and I could pick up the earthiness of it. I still think how it's so weird that the combined flavor doesn't taste very chocolatey to me. It definitely tastes like something, but my brain is having trouble picking out exactly what it tastes like.
The Ecuador is super roasty and brash, but the Ghana is quite a bit milder and smoother. Comparatively there's a little bit of roast to it, but not nearly as much as the Ecuador. The Ghana has a bit of an earthy aroma, but the flavor is slightly less earthy and a little sweeter than that. It also comes across as more chocolatey than the Ecuador, and there's even an almost earthy-yet-spicy aftertaste to it. I like the Ghana quite a bit more than the Ecuador when drinking them black. I'd like to try them both with a little vanilla almond milk, but I'm feeling lazy and don't feel like going downstairs to get any.
Like with the Crio Bru's Uber Dark, by the time I got here to test it against Nicaragua, it's been a long time since I've had it. It's bitter, pungent, smoky, and just a hint of chocolate. It's just not fun to drink black. Sipping the Nicaragua after the Ecuador, I'm almost knocked on my rear with how bready and fermented it tastes in comparison. What's really surprising to me is that going back to the Ecuador, it's really affected by the Nicaragua, and along with the darkness and pungency, I'm also getting a strong hit of that sharp sweetness that shows up in the lighter versions of it. Even thought I'm not a fan of it in this form, the Ecuador wins the comparison.
Like with the Uber Dark vs Nicaragua, I jumped right into adding vanilla almond milk to both at the same time. The Ecuador is heavily tamed by it, and the chocolate flavor comes out a bit, but that sharp sweetness also stands out. It's decent like this, but still not a favorite. The Nicaragua still has pretty strong bready and fermented flavors, and they're particularly strong in the aroma still, but the chocolatey flavor also comes way out to the front. Going back to the Ecuador immediately after, that sharp sweetness is right out in center stage, and it's gone from "decent" to "pretty good". There's still a hint of roast in it, but otherwise it reminds me a lot of the lighter Ecuador roasts. I thought at first the Ecuador was the winner again, but the more I go back and forth, the more I appreciate the "true chocolatey" flavor of the Nicaragua. I think this part may be a tie.
The Ecuador french roast is quite roasty, pungent, and even a little sour, while the Venezuela is lighter, almost creamier, and has quite a bit more of a chocolatey flavor. Next to the Venezuela, the Ecuador has a fairly strong "coffee" quality to it. Between the two, I strongly prefer the Venezuela over the Ecuador.
Like I did with the Uber Dark comparisons, I decided to try blending the last quarter or so of each cup to see what happens. The aroma is strong with Ecuador. The flavor even has a good bit of the Ecuador pungency and roasty quality to it, but it's quite subdued compared to the aroma. It's lightly bitter because I think both roasts carry that quality, and it comes across slightly chocolatey, but it really mostly just comes across as a milder Ecuador. I think that's the first time a blend really tasted more like one over the other.
Just like the description says on the Ecuador French roast, it's more coffee like than the Uber Dark. Per the other times I've tried any of the Ecuador roasts, it's also more pungent and fruity. The Uber Dark is more roasted and slightly more earthy, and smoother. I think I like Uber dark slightly more.
I decided to try adding vanilla almond milk to both when I had about a half a much left of each, and for both of them, it brought out the chocolate flavor a bit more. I almost feel like either one could be a decent hot chocolate replacement if some sugar was added, but with the pungency of the Ecuador, I think the Uber Dark would actually do a better job of it. I'm really liking the Uber dark way more than I thought I would!
The flavor of Uber Dark has changed quite a bit due to being part of a new batch, so it required a rematch.
As I'm going through these rematches with Uber Dark, I'm finding that, in general, I'm just not liking it nearly as much as the first batch. In fact, at this point I'd go so far as to say that, to me, it's not enjoyable unless I add vanilla almond milk to it. But if there's a positive spin to throw on that, it's that it seems to be finally living up to its name.
That being said, the Ecuador French roast is milder, though still quite pungent, but has a hint of chocolate flavor to it. The Uber Dark, on the other hand, is nearly all roast. I'm not picking up much, if any, chocolate flavor from it, and it's just really really dark. In fact, if I sip Uber Dark and the turn around and sip the Ecuador too quickly after, my tongue is still overwhelmed and "flavor blind" to the Ecuador roast, and it doesn't taste like much of anything. The Ecuador is definitely the winner here.
The Ocumare starts out lightly bitter with some chocolate, but Ecuador comes in with the strong pungency that leans a little sweet and a good bit of smokiness. I'm not a huge fan of either one black, but like with the Anakin, they're both "ok" when I drink them side-by-side in the comparison. I think I'd pick the Ocumare as the winner because it's not such an assault on the senses.
With vanilla almond milk in both, the Ocumare comes out with a good bit of chocolate to it, but also keeps a fairly strong bitter component. The Ecuador keeps the strong pungency but the roast mostly goes away. It's better than without the almond milk, but not as good as the Ocumare. I'd still keep the Ocumare as the winner.
It's probably worth mentioning that I thought at first I may have messed this one up. I accidentally brewed ocumare for the entire cooling time, which was about 14 minutes. In the end, I don't think it really mattered much.
Starting off with the Mexico, it's a little tart in both flavor and aroma, leaning a bit towards pungency. There's also some chocolate there in the flavor, and a hair of bitterness. The Ecuador is super smoky and pungent. I thought I picked up just a hint of the sharp sweetness for a brief moment, but it was gone pretty quick. Going back to the Mexico, it's now leaning a tiny bit more towards the fermented side, and still somewhat tart. I'm not a huge fan of either one in this pairing, but the Mexico wins out by virtue of it not being the onslaught that the Ecuador brings to the table.
I added a splash of vanilla almond milk only to the Ecuador to start with, and it's a little more chocolaty, but still has a lot of the pungency and smoke going on. The tartness of the Mexico is coming out much stronger now, too. Going back and forth, neither one is what I'd call "good", and I'd say they're tied at the moment.
Adding almond milk to the Mexico, it's better and much more chocolaty, but there's still a good bit of the tartness and fermentation coming through. But the Ecuador is still such an assault on the senses. Going back and forth, the Mexico is calming down a bit and the tartness is mostly in the background now, and the fermented flavor is mostly gone. Between these two, Mexico is easily the winner.
I was a little surprised to find that the Dark roast is slightly more pungent and bitter than the French roast. The French roast is a little milder, but has another flavor that's a little stronger that I'm not entirely sure how to describe. "Plastic-y" isn't right, but it's what comes to mind.
I had Em try them both, too, and she liked the Dark roast slightly more, and she confirmed that these really are more coffee-like than others she's tried.
I got part way though both cups and decided to try adding vanilla almond milk to them both and do another comparison. It makes them almost indistinguishable, but brings out more of the chocolate flavor, which was another surprise. It does it slightly more so for the Dark roast, I think, but they were so close it was hard to tell. I also didn't measure the almond milk at all, so I could have added more to the French roast. I just thought it was interesting.
I did a quick side-by-side to compare the old sample batch to the new "full sized" batch because there was a slight smell difference between the two. I thought that perhaps there would be a flavor difference like there is with the new batch of the Volta French roast.
I've been away from the non-flavored roasts for a while, and I was really struck by how chocolatey the Ecuador French roast tasted overall. Anyway, it turns out that there is a difference, and the new batch is ever so slightly milder, but it's really not by much. It's not enough to keep me from just adding the last little bit of the old grounds to the top of the new grounds bag.
I did try adding plain cashew milk to one of them because I thought it would be a creamier flavor and texture, but instead I found out that I don't really like cashew milk much. Haha! It made the cup I mixed it in pretty gross. But I added the normal vanilla almond milk to the other one, and that was pretty good. It mellowed out the pungency a bit, and the vanilla enhanced the chocolate flavor a little.
Ivory Coast Medium was one of my favorites for a bit when I first discovered it because of the light and grainy flavor. It's still really good, but it just doesn't have a whole lot of a chocolatey flavor to it like the dark roast has. Next to it, the Ecuador is just so roasty and bitter and kind of hard to drink. Going back to the Ivory Coast right after, rather than tasting grainy, it's now leaning over into buttery with hints of grainy. Ivory Coast is far and away the winner here.
Blending the last third of a cup of each one, I'm surprised at how much the Ivory Coast comes out in the flavor and aroma. I'm still picking up a lot of the grainy flavor with just a little bit of the roast from the Ecuador. The flavor is still enigmatic and hard to define just like a lot of the other blends, but it's different than a number of them I've done before. This is a pretty good combo.
Starting with the Ivory Coast, it has a good chocolate flavor and is only slightly roasty in flavor. Like with the french roast version, it's very good. Switching over to the Ecuador, it's very strong and has a high coffee-like quality to it, comparatively. It doesn't taste like chocolate to me, and just has an almost sour roasty flavor. Each time I have it, I like it less and less. Going back to the Ivory Coast right after really brings out the earthy and grainy flavor, and the chocolatey flavor kind of takes a back seat. But I like it much more than the Ecuador. It's becoming quickly clear that, when drinking black, the Ecuador French roast is becoming on of my least favorite varieties.
Blending the last third of each cup, the end result still has quite a bit of the roast and pungency of the Ecuador, but without being overpowering like it is on its own. I don't know that I'd necessarily be able to identify it as having Ecuador in the blend if I didn't already know, but I can definitely pick it out for now. I don't really taste the earthiness of the Ivory Coast at all. But I will say that the aroma is quite chocolatey, which is nice.
Sipping first from the Ivory Coast, I'm struck by how chocolatey it actually tastes. There's a slight earthiness and it's really good. Going over to the Ecuador, I'm really struck by the coffee-like flavor. The sharp pungency and in-your-face roast just really stand out over everything. Going back to the Ivory Coast, the earthy side really comes out even more, and the chocolatey flavor takes a back seat, although it still has a fairly chocolatey aroma. The Ivory Coast is the definite winner here.
Blending the last quarter of each cup, the result has a bit of the aroma of the Ivory Coast, earthy and a little smoky. The pungency of the Ecuador is pretty much wiped out, which is really interesting because it's such a strong aroma and flavor normally.
The Ecuador surprised me a little this morning. Often times I find it to be nearly undrinkable without some vanilla almond milk in it, but starting off with it this morning, it's actually not too bad. It's smoky and has the Ecuador pungency to it, and even just the tiniest bit of the sweetness that I find in the lighter Ecuador roasts. It will be interesting to see if that keeps going. Going over to the Nigeria, it's very different this time around. The nuttiness that I normally expect is gone, there's just a hint of fermentation, but there's also an interesting sweetness behind it all that I don't think I have picked up on before. Going back to the Ecuador, it may be just a little more smoky tasting now, and the hint of the sweetness is gone, but it's still not too bad. I wouldn't call it good, though. I definitely like the Nigeria way more than the Ecuador, but that tiny bit of fermented aroma does hold it back just a little.
Adding some vanilla almond milk only to the Ecuador for now, there's still a bit of a smoky flavor to it, but it's lighter, and there's a tiny bit of a chocolaty flavor coming in. Next to it, the Nigeria has a stronger fermented flavor and aroma, but it's still fairly chocolaty, and oddly, still missing the nutty flavor. But I do still like it more than the Ecuador.
With just the tiniest splash of vanilla almond milk in the Nigeria, the fermented flavor goes away and is replaced by being mostly chocolaty and just a hint of nuttiness. The Ecuador, in comparison, still has a lot of smoky flavor to it, and the little bit of chocolaty flavor I was picking up seems to be mostly gone now and is replaced more by the pungency I'm normally familiar with. The Nigeria is, unsurprisingly, the winner here, too.
Starting off with the Nigeria, there's an ok chocolate aroma to it, but the flavor is mostly smoky, with the nutty flavor leaning towards "burnt", kind of like the french roast version, but not nearly as strong. The Ecuador, in comparison, isn't as smoky, and has a strange flavor do it that I haven't noticed before. I don't quite know how to describe it. Oh! Banana! There's an ever so slight banana flavor to it! That's a new and weird one. Going back to the Nigeria, there's actually a bit more chocolate in the flavor now. That's interesting. I think that the Nigeria wins here, by just a hair.
With just a splash of vanilla almond milk in both, the Nigeria actually gets a nice chocolaty flavor, but with the nutty flavor in it, it ever so vaguely reminds me of chocolate peanut butter. The burnt flavor of the nuttiness seems to be mostly gone. For the Ecuador, the aroma is a little more chocolaty, and the roasty flavor is tamed quite a bit, but the flavor seems a little one dimensional compared to the Nigeria. There's a hint of the pungency and that "sharp sweetness" flavor that pops up in some of the Ecuador roasts, but not enough to get excited about it. The Nigeria wins again!
Starting off with the Nigeria, it's super smoky and tastes like burnt nut. The Ecuador is also really smoky and roasted, but there's just an undertone of the sharp sweetness that's in the lighter roasts. I'm really not a fan of either one black, but I suppose if I were going to stick with one for long term drinking (Lord help me!) it would be the Ecuador, but just barely.
With vanilla almond milk in both, the Nigeria is easier to drink, but still not great. That burnt nut flavor and aroma is weakened, but persists. For the Ecuador, the smoky flavor is weakened, but also persists. I'm not sure if I'm just having a bad morning or if these two really are so bad, but while they're improved slightly with the almond milk, they're still not good. I think it's a tie.
When I start with the Volta Medium roast, I'm almost always reminded of when I first started this journey because it was one of the first ones that I was using as a basis to compare against everything else. It has that dark chocolate and lightly bitter flavor, and it's just really good, even if it often loses to other roasts just because they offer something more interesting. Comparing to the Ecuador, the Ecuador has that sharp and sour and roasty flavor that almost comes across as "fried" in this context. I've had that happen before where I went "ah! it's like bacon!" This is another time where I get a little hint of that. Moving back to the Volta after the Ecuador, it starts taking on that grainy and buttery flavor. It's not quite as intense as the Ivory Coast medium, but it's there. This is definitely more chocolatey. Volta is the winner by quite a margin here.
Blending the last quarter of each cup, this is one of the more "snap to the middle" instances in terms of aroma and flavor. I may be able to pick out a tiny bit of the roasty or pungent quality of the Ecuador, but I feel like I'm also getting a little bit of the chocolatey or earthy flavor and aroma of the Volta. It's an ok blend, and definitely makes the Ecuador more drinkable.
Sometimes when I try the Volta Dark roast, I feel like it's the closest flavor to dark chocolate out of most of the varieties. It's a little bitter, somewhat chocolatey, and the smokiness adds to the darkness of it, but without taking over the flavor. The Ecuador has that sour, bitter, and pungent flavor that just doesn't taste very chocolatey at all. Drinking the Volta immediately after the Ecuador, the earthy flavor of it stands out quite a bit. Between the Ivory Coast and the Volta both tasting chocolatey and then earthy in comparison to the Ecuador, I'm starting to think it's the earthy flavor that lends itself more to being a traditional chocolate flavor.
Blending the last third of each cup, the result has a that slightly earthy aroma from the Volta and the slightly roasty aroma from the Ecuador, and the flavor is that nondescript yet somewhat chocolatey flavor that many of the blends take on. Given how the Ivory Coast Dark blend with Ecuador seemed to keep so much of the Ecuador properties, even if subdued, I'm surprised at how much the Volta really flattens it out.
Starting with the Volta, it's quite roasty but has a decent chocolate flavor and finishes with a bitter aftertaste. When switching over to the Ecuador, it's almost like the strong roasty flavor of the Volta tames the roast and pungency of the Ecuador a bit, but going back to the Volta after the Ecuador brings out the earthy tones of the Volta a surprising amount, unveiling the similarity of it to Ivory Coast and Ghana roasts. I mean, it is from there, but usually I mostly taste the roast when drinking the Volta French roast. This may be the first time I've really picked up on that earthy or grainy quality. The Ecuador tastes almost sour in comparison. The Volta is is the big winner in comparison.
Blending the last third of each cup, the end result is very similar to when I blended the Ecuador with the Ivory Coast French roast. The grainy aroma of the Volta kind of sticks out, as well as a little bit of a smoky and roasty flavor and aroma, but the pungency of the Ecuador is mostly tamed. It's a good combo.
I'm really surprised that I haven't don't this comparison before. This feels like one I would have done pretty early on, but I have no record of it.
Drinking them black, I actually like Anakin better! I didn't expect that because I've mostly felt that Anakin is mostly undrinkable black. The Ecuador is mostly roast and pungent and bitter, but Anakin actually has some chocolate to it, and the roast flavor on Anakin is more like smoky campfire.
Adding vanilla almond milk to both of them, I still like Anakin better with its toasted marshmallow flavor, but Ecuador is MUCH better this way. The roast and pungent flavors are calmed way down, and there's actually some chocolate to it, especially in the aroma. But the Anakin with that toasty flavor accentuated by the almond milk is just so good.
I blended the last third of each cup, and the end result is decently chocolatey, a bit toasty, and overall good. I feel like the Anakin is stronger in the mix, with the pungency and bitterness of the Ecuador pretty much wiped out.
Update: I did another round with the grounds blended up front so I could try the blend "black", but I really didn't like it. It's very bitter, and is probably the most coffee like I've had so far. But! Adding vanilla almond milk, it's really good! It's toasty, with just a hint of the toasted marshmallow coming through, but the Ecuador puts out a good but of chocolate into the mix. I'm not sure how this compares to the blend with Ecuador dark instead, but I'd assume it's not quite as strong. I may have to compare them sometime, but I'm pretty happy with these results.
I have to admit, I'm kind of dreading this pairing.
Starting with the Ecuador, it's the usual very smoky and roasty and pungent sort of flavor and aroma. At the moment it's not quite as strong as usual, so it's tolerable, but not great. Shot in the Dark, on the other hand, is almost pure char next to the Ecuador. I'm picking up no chocolate in the aroma or flavor, and in fact it really tastes a lot like coffee to me. Which is kind of the goal of that one, so, uh, good job to Chocolate Alchemy for that. But yeah, it's definitely not my thing. Going back to the Ecuador after that, and it actually brings out a lot of the natural flavors of the Ecuador. I'm picking up on that sharp sweetness behind the smoke and pungency. Again, it's not great, and I'm still not a fan, but for me it's drinkable compared to the Shot in the Dark. I'd be really curious what my wife, the coffee drinker of the household, thinks of Shot in the Dark.
With vanilla almond milk in both of them, which I may have gone a hair heavy on this time, I started again with the Ecuador. The roast is mostly gone, and there's a decent amount of chocolate in it. I can still pick up the roast in the aroma, but the flavor is pretty decent. The Shot in the Dark still has a lot of roast and char to the flavor, but I definitely picked up on something else in the aroma. Something darkly fruity and sharp. Not sweet, but not chocolatey, either. Hmm. I wonder if I really overdid it with the almond milk and I'm just mostly tasting the smoke in that. Eh, that's part of it, but that's not all of it. There's definitely something else in there. I wouldn't say I dislike it, but I'm also not sure that I like it, either. There's also a good bit of bitterness in there. In fact, I'm also picking that up in the Ecuador, but not to the same degree, and it's almost a different sort of bitterness. I guess if I really think about it, the smoky flavor of the Shot in the Dark with enough of the almond milk yields something a tiny bit like the toasty marshmallow of Anakin, but it's so far removed from it that it's hardly worth calling it out. Yet, here we are. Either way, I think I'd call the Ecuador the winner here, too.
Long Dark Tea Time is way more roasted than Choffy's Ecuador French roast. The aroma of Long Dark is very pungent, but the roast overpowers it when it comes to flavor. It's not a "just ash" sort of darkness because it has that pungency to it, but it's still super dark and a bit bitter. The Ecuador French smells and tastes sweeter and is overall more chocolatey than Long Dark, which I was a little surprised by. I definitely wouldn't say the roast is non-existent, but when comparing it to Long Dark, it almost tastes like it's not there. Between the two, I prefer the Ecuador French roast by quite a bit.
After adding a little bit of vanilla almond milk, Long Dark almost gets a little of the toasted marshmallow flavor of Anakin. The Ecuador gets less pungent, a little sweeter, and the chocolate flavor comes out more. Also smells way more chocolatey. Adding the almond milk is definitely my preferred way to drink Long Dark, but the Ecuador's flavor comes out a little muddied this way. It's still really good, and I still prefer the Ecuador French over Long Dark, but it's a closer race this way.
I thought this was going to use up the very last of Long Dark Tea Time that I had, but it didn't. I still have one serving left, and I think I'm going to run that last one again Crio Bru's Uber Dark.
The Shadow's Silhouette starts off with that aroma that's a little bit like brownies, and the flavor is fairly chocolatey, but a little tart. The Ecuador, in comparison, is super strong, pungent, and roasty, but it has just a hint of that sharp sweetness that pops up sometimes in the Ecuador roasts. For me, it's hard to drink black, but it's not as bad as other times I've had it. Going back to the Shadow's Silhouette after the Ecuador, and I'm surprised to find that it now has a little bit of that bready and fermented flavor that I sometimes notice with lighter roasts. A lot of the chocolatey flavor and aroma seems to be gone. Not all of it, but a lot of it. But even with that being the case, and while neither are great in this context, I prefer the Shadow's Silhouette over the Ecuador here.
Adding vanilla almond milk to both of them and starting again with the Shadow's Silhouette, that super strong chocolate flavor comes out and is delicious. The aroma still has a tiny bit of that fermentation in it, but it's not in the flavor. As for the Ecuador, the flavor is tamed a lot, and definitely improved by the addition of the almond milk, but the pungency and roast still come through quite a bit. It's much more drinkable, but I still really strongly prefer the Shadow's Silhouette over it.