Review: Downshift Coffee Sumatra
Sumatra beans use a wet-hulling process to provide a distinct flavor profile, lending itself perfectly to the dark roasting techniques. When roasted with care, the earthy, dark chocolate tasting notes are emphasized. Recently, one of our Maine correspondents passed through Belfast and stopped at Downshift Coffee and the former shared location of CG Bikes. Their one-pound bags are available to purchase online, so consider a bag of Downshift Coffee beans for the upcoming ‘cross season.
Called Sumatra beans because of the region they are grown and harvested, farmers use a wet-hulling process. Gathered in the Sumatra region's high humidity climate, the still-damp beans are selected from the volcanic soil in which they excel. The wet-hulling process removes the parchment layer and, combined with these factors, produce a low acidic cup with a heavy body. It contains roasting notes of dark chocolate mixed with the brightness of citrus. The morning cup is the perfect perk to any day.
We at creakybottombracket.com will never turn away a suggested bag of coffee, and Downshift Coffee has graced our coffee bar before. Once located inside CG Bikes in downtown Belfast, the mixture of a cafe and bike shop is absolutely our idea of a good time. Downshift Coffee recently acquired the bike shop retail space and has now made it a full-time roaster and cafe. CG Bikes moved down the street to its own location, but we will still mention them together.
Once the beans arrived in the office, coffee fans gathered to experience Sumatra excellence. The whole beans ground a lovely copper color which continued straight through the brew cycle. Sipping the dark roast, notes of flowery herbs, cedar, and chocolate came to mind. The nose of the tasting came in heavy but left with a sweet, syrupy enjoyment. A full mug of Sumatra can set a day up for success with a heavy planner book followed by a sweet finish. No wonder the bag that traveled hundreds of miles was polished off in a few short days.
Getting Belfast, ME, is not on our weekend to-do list. A quick plug into Mapquest showed the coffee and bike shop is a precise 500 miles from our office door. Not that the destination isn’t worth the effort, but Downshift makes things slightly easier by offering a rotating online roast store. Downshift offers a less-precise quantity of “5-6 bag” orders that qualify for free shipping.
What makes Downshift Coffee great is their business model. Being a proper cafe within a short distances of a bike shop creates a one-stop-town for our culture. Drop the road rig off for some quick repairs and trot over to the cafe for a black cup of coffee or espresso. Coming back to pick up the improved bike is less of a chore when a cafe is nearby. It might be in our best interest to order Downshift Coffee beans online. Having a nearby bike shop is a quick place to sink money; having a coffee shop down the road to it is even harder to avoid. It’s probably best to remain five hundred miles away and order Downshift Coffee online.
