Chapeau Finest House Blend coffee

Cycling and coffee go tgether like Australian lager and naff advertising, but Chapeau's Finest House Blend coffee doesn't make the case for throwing another shrimp on the barbie.

Things could have turned out so differently. Imagine if cycling and tequila were inextricably linked together, instead of coffee. Each new posh clothing startup would have to send someone over to Mexico to find a boutique producer using only the finest, er, whatever tequila is made of [blue agave - Alcoholic Ed], stick it in a fancy bottle and sell it for about twice the going rate.

Setting such notions aside for the moment, we have here the Chapeau "finest house blend", available as ground coffee ready to pep you up for your rides. Chapeau remind us, rather cutely, that it's "the original energy drink", although the calorific value of coffee being what it is, you might need to pair it with a nice big piece of cake if you're riding far.

The first brew I made was with a french press (or cafetière), and was smooth but pretty weak, leaving me wondering if I'd put too much water in. A resolute espresso-drinker, I have little time for weaker coffee, and the "light/medium" roast used here made it a bit of a challenge to brew a cup strong enough for my tastes.

Successive brews saw me piling ever more coffee in to get the flavour out, and before I knew it, the bag was over. It's rather a small bag, actually - only 125g (the usual size being nearly double that), making the price seem on the high side. So I never got a chance to enlist the help of someone with a proper coffee machine. On the plus side, the softer flavours mean that it never dries your mouth out before the ride, but personally I'd rather a much stronger coffee and a good swig of water.

If you like a smooth, expensive and not particularly strong coffee, there's a good chance you might like this. If you prefer your coffee small, strong and dark, then you'd best look elsewhere - I'd suggest checking out your local roasters.

Verdict

Smooth and not particularly strong coffee. Pleasant enough, but serious coffee-heads will want something with more flavour and a sensible price tag.