Mardi Gras King Cake - Community Coffee Review

Though it began as a raucous Roman festival in ancient days, Mardi Gras has morphed into a day of feasting, drinking, and merry-making before the somber period of Lent, leading up to Easter. Mardi Gras marks the end of Carnival in Southeastern, USA, especially in Louisiana, and is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, also known as “Fat Tuesday.”

With so much enthusiasm associated with this unique holiday, we were curious about the flavors Community Coffee (a Louisiana local) would blend with their Mardi Gras King Cake coffee.

A King Cake is a yeasted, ring-shaped sweet bread eaten during Carnival and is similar to a coffee cake or a cinnamon roll, icing included. The tradition is to hide a tiny plastic baby in the cake – representing the baby Jesus, a result of the influence of the Catholic Church on the once paganistic celebration – and whoever finds the baby will find good luck!

When we consider the flavors of a King Cake (or cinnamon roll or coffee cake) there are a few key ingredients that stand out: cinnamon, vanilla, and an icing sugar. Let’s see if those same flavors are present in Community Coffee’s Mardi Gras King Cake.

We brewed this blend to our usual specs in the French press: 50g of grounds, ~32 oz of 202℉ water, steep for 4-5 minutes. This coffee has a moderately active bloom and a strong vanilla aroma. From the bag, the cinnamon is the stronger aroma, but becomes much more subdued once brewed. The vanilla continues to be a forward dominating flavor and the cinnamon is nearly lost, but instead warms the palate. The cinnamon is less spice forward than I expected but the warming effect is still pleasing. Mardi Gras King Cake is brewed with a medium roast base, which perfectly complements the vanilla and cinnamon flavors as it is not too light or acidic, nor too dark and smoky. 

Overall, this coffee is pleasant. The vanilla is the dominating flavor, as I suppose it might be in the cake as well. If you are a fan of vanilla coffees and enjoy the warmth of cinnamon, definitely snag a bag of Mardi Gras King Cake. You can enjoy the luck of the season in your morning brew, no plastic babies required.

Cheers,

Mrs. Brew