Coffee Review: ‘Howling Giant’s Doomsday Express’ by Frothy Monkey Roasting Co.
Posted in Reviews on January 18th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
I don’t know who between the band and the roasters decided that the ‘Howling Giant’s Doomsday Express’ coffee should be a medium roast, but they weren’t wrong. An all-the-way enjoyable medium roast is tricky, nuanced and clever, and frankly, so is Howling Giant’s music, and if you haven’t heard the Nashville trio’s 19-minute “Masamune” from their 2020 split with Sergeant Thunderhoof on Ripple, well, after you do you’ll probably agree. It’s not aggressive or overbearing. It’s accessible in listening but still complex, and it’s energetic without being cloying. A perfect medium roast band.
Worth mentioning what I think is a particularly American aversion to ‘medium’ as a concept in all things except perhaps t-shirt sizes, where body-shaming (also wonderfully American) comes into play. As though if it’s the biggest or the most expensive, etc., it’s without value. Instead, think of a medium roast coffee like over-medium eggs. It has the strength of presence and depth that borders on a dark roast with none of the burn taste — though don’t get me wrong, I love my greasy beans too — while still leaving room for the fruitiness so often cast in light roasts without letting that dominate. It the Blade of coffees — all the strengths, none of the weaknesses. One does not happen on one every day.
Light roasts are “in” as I understand trends in coffee secondhand, but that’s consistent with a boom in craft roasting. See also beer. Lots of caffeine in light roasts, lots of hops in craft ale. I could go on (and on and on) about this in American creative culture in everything from hip-hop and rock to early US portraiture, but I’ll spare you the massive digression. You’re welcome.
Cleverness kudos to whoever (I’d assume the band, but you never know) sub-tagged the bag o’ beans as a ‘+1 Dexterity Potion.’ In addition to regular live streams playing songs, the band has been hosting regular Dungeons & Dragons sessions on Twitch, so yeah, fair enough there. In taking on the ‘Doomsday Express,’ I emptied the grinder hopper of its former occupant beans as best I could (a couple were stuck down in there) to make room for the clean-looking, dry and uniformly brown Frothy Monkey fare. I’ll admit to being impatient to try it, so the ritual began.
The grind stayed dry and sat well in the filter, a rougher look for the pour-over machine. Certainly smelled like coffee, but not bitingly so. It brewed pleasantly black in the carafe but wasn’t nearly so opaque when held to light, which, yeah, fair enough. Again, not too strong on the nose. All signs boded well for actual tasting, and when I finally got there, letting it cool in my Baltimore mug for a bit — the band was kind enough to send a Howling Giant mug with the beans I bought — but I’m ultimately too compulsive about using the mixing-bowl-sized delivery system I employ.
Proportion aside, the relevant difference is the inside of the Howling Giant mug is white and would probably give a better sense of how the finished product looks brewed, but then, I could also pour it in a glass if inclined. Gotta draw that too-pretentious line somewhere, folks.
At last, the taste. Inviting, full in the mouth without being inherently creamy. Easy going down but not flighty. There’s a sweet undertone but it’s not specifically fruit or beating you over the head with nuttiness. Second cup sat longer on the burner but doesn’t come across overcooked. Bottom line is I dig it — I’m drinking as I write — which is fortunate, because I’ve got two of the 12 oz. bags to make my way through. That should do plenty for my otherwise lagging dexterity over the next week-plus.
Frothy Monkey Roasting Co. have five locations in Nashville and one in Franklin, Tennessee, and do wholesale, baked goods, the whole nine. They’ve been roasting their own coffee since 2014, so it’s not unreasonable to expect they’d have worked out the kinks by now, and ‘Howling Giant’s Doomsday Express’ shows they clearly have. Like the band, they offer a product that has its own niche without coming across as too bizarre or entirely unfamiliar, and earns its repeat visits.
A 12 oz. bag isn’t cheap at $18 on the band’s Bandcamp page (mugs are sold out), but you support the band and an independent roaster by buying, you get good coffee, and the Mega-Man-esque art on the bag rules. You’ve spent far more on far less.
Howling Giant & Sergeant Thunderhoof, Turned to Stone Chapter 2: Masamune & Muramasa (2020)
Howling Giant on Thee Facebooks
