Summer Moon - Swinging Lantern Review

When we were perusing Summer Moon for a new coffee experience, Mr. Brew pointed out the Swinging Lantern Tri-Roast Blend and I was immediately intrigued. How did they manage to seamlessly blend light roast, medium roast, and dark roast beans to get a toasted marshmallow flavor?

My mind immediately went to all the strong characteristics of each roast and I was not wholly convinced it could be done, but let’s brew it up and see how it goes!

We brewed Swinging Lantern in our French press to our usual specs: 37g medium-fine grounds, 24 oz of 202℉, steep 4 minutes. With such a complex bill of beans, I wanted to keep the steep time to a strict four minutes so as not to overextract the light roast or underextract the dark roast.

After a very active bloom, I notice a strong sugary sweet aroma, though not yet marshmallow. It is backed by a strong roastiness. From the first sip, I understood why Summer Moon took a risk and mixed three roasts. Swinging Lantern is delicious and complex. The marshmallow takes center stage and is definitely toasted, bringing the dark smoky characteristics and balancing them against sweet light roast flavors. There is a bright finish (kind of lemony) and a lingering smoke that coats the palate.

Swinging Lantern is a complex coffee and is definitely worth a brew. The sweet and smoky notes are beautifully balanced and transport me to a campfire side with a beautifully toasted s’mores, all in the cozy comfort of my mug.

Worth it.

Cheers,

Mrs. Brew