If you read through our reviews, you will notice the same words keep showing up. Smooth. No acid. No bitterness. Customers wrote them on their own, over and over, from their kitchens, campers, and espresso machines.
Every quote in this article is a real review from a real customer. We collect reviews from our website, Facebook, and Google, and you can read all of them on our reviews page. Here is what people actually say about how our coffee tastes, and a plain explanation of why it tastes that way.
The word that comes up over and over: smooth
We sell our coffee at farmers markets all over Wisconsin, and the most common thing we hear after someone takes their first sip is some version of the same sentence. The reviews say it the same way.
“Probably the smoothest coffee I’ve ever had.”
β Felix D.
“Smoothest coffee I’ve ever had. My husband won’t believe it.”
β Susan
“Best coffee I’ve ever had! It’s so smooth! Der Hoffskeller definitely knows how to roast a coffee bean.”
β Sara C.
“Best coffee ever. Super smooth, worth the cost. Locally sourced. Never going back!”
β Ryan B.
“I absolutely love this coffee. This is probably the best I’ve ever had. It is great in my little mokapot and I’ll be ordering again. It is smooth and comforting.”
β Megan
One customer, Pete C., tried a free sample at a festival in Cedarburg and described it better than we ever could:
“No kidding, this was some of the best coffee I’ve had. It wasn’t bitter. It wasn’t tart. It just felt like a warm hug in my mouth.”
β Pete C.
No acid and no bitter aftertaste
Most coffee drinkers are used to a sour or burnt edge in their cup. Many people assume that is just what coffee tastes like. It is not. It is what industrial roasting tastes like. When customers try coffee roasted slowly in cast iron, the first thing they notice is what is missing.
“Der Hoffskeller coffee is smooth and fresh. There is none of that acidic, bitter aftertaste.”
β Mark G.
“It doesn’t have any of the acidity or bitter aftertaste that the other coffees have.”
β Mark B.
“Just brewed my first batch of Hoffskeller. Wow! Smooth, with a nice aroma, no acid⦔
β Pete M.
“Just purchased a jar at Cedarburg Oktoberfest and having my first cup. The best coffee ever!! Smooth, not acidic-it’s perfect! Will definitely buy more!”
β Kathy
“Ordered a quart of ground coffee. Wow what a amazing roast. GREAT flavor. Not acidity or bitter. Every description is spot on.”
β Richard F.
“This is great roasted coffee, very smooth and not bitter.”
β Brenda W.
“Got it quick and we love it! Very flavorful without being bitter!”
β Lecia H.
“LOVE LOVE LOVE their coffee! Smooth and no acid burn after!”
β Penny S.
Dale Z. had our coffee shipped to his vacation place in Florida and compared it to the big grocery store brands:
“Smooth, mellow, non-acidic perfect medium roast! It was such a fresh flavor for us daily coffee drinkers of the standard brands.”
β Dale Z.
What people with sensitive stomachs say
We are coffee roasters, not doctors, so we will not make any health claims. We will just let two customers speak for themselves. Adam D. told us he is an iced coffee drinker with reflux issues that run in his family:
“Hey, I’ll absolutely vouch for this stuff! I’m iced-coffee guy w hereditary reflux issues. This is the best coffee I have ever had. No acid burns/burps, no bitterness, no bite. I’m sold.”
β Adam D.
And Wozy, who got hooked on coffee working third shift, drinks a lot of it:
“I drink a lot of coffee; having worked 3rd shift it has become necessary. I enjoy this brewed coffee because it is not acidic and tastes fantastic without adding anything to it. I drink it straight up a cup at a time.”
β Wozy
The black coffee test
Here is our favorite category of review. People who have never liked black coffee in their lives try ours and put down the cream. We did not expect this when we started roasting, but it has become the clearest sign that the coffee is doing its job. If a coffee needs cream and sugar to be drinkable, that usually means it is covering something up.
“First time I drank coffee without cream and liked it. Ever.”
β Anonymous
“We were there Sunday. Brothers are great guys with delicious coffee. Never drank a full cup of black coffee till now.”
β Robert G.
“Best coffee and I never drink blackβ¦ But I can drink your’s black! Great job!”
β Jeffrey H.
“I just bought this coffee this weekend and it is the best coffee I have ever had in my life. I always put cream in my coffee, but I don’t have to with this coffee and there’s no acidity. Thank you.”
β Kimberly S.
“Drank it black -which for anyone who knows me is saying something!”
β Lori S.
“Their coffee is THE only coffee I can drink black. Love it.”
β Tania P.
“I’ve always had coffee with cream. Just tried a sample of their coffee, black, at a craft fair. Wow, it was quite good and I’ve never liked black coffee!”
β Judy G.
“The coffee was so good, I almost wanted to drink it black, when I normally love creamer and sugar in mine.”
β Jayne K.
“Most amazing plain black coffee around!”
β Roni A.
It even works on spouses. James B. visited our barn with his wife:
“My wife usually doesn’t drink her coffee black, but said it was delicious just black.”
β James B.
And Kaela’s husband became a full convert:
“Went from having to mix 3 different coffee to only using Der Hoffskeller. My husband loves it as he now knows the joy of just drink black coffee.”
β Kaela
Why our coffee is smooth: the plain explanation
There is no secret ingredient. There are three simple reasons our coffee tastes this way.
1. We only roast in cast iron
We roast every batch in cast iron, the way coffee was roasted for hundreds of years before industrialization. Big commercial roasters push beans through hot stainless steel drums at high temperatures, which can scorch the outside of the bean before the inside is done. That scorching is where a lot of bitterness comes from. Cast iron holds a lower, steadier heat. The roast takes longer and the bean develops its natural sugars without burning. You can read more about our method on our page about what makes Der Hoffskeller coffee different.
2. We start with the best beans
We roast Colombian Supremo Arabica beans, the highest grade of Colombian coffee. Supremo beans are the largest, most flawless beans selected from the harvest. There are no cheap Robusta fillers in our jars. Good beans roasted gently do not need anything to hide behind.
3. We sell it fresh
Our coffee goes into Mason jars, the same way Wisconsin settlers stored their coffee to keep it fresh. Stale coffee turns flat and harsh. Fresh coffee in a sealed glass jar stays smooth. Customers notice the freshness the moment they open the lid.
Smooth does not mean weak
Some people hear “smooth” and “low acid” and assume the coffee must be light or watery. The reviews say otherwise. Our German Norwegian style roast is a full-bodied, medium-dark cup with plenty of strength behind it.
“This coffee is awesome, strong but not bitter, very smooth. I will be ordering more.”
β Lisa H.
“Awesome bold coffee flavor while still being smooth. It’s great for hot or iced coffee.”
β Justin S.
“The coffee is a nice mix of smooth and bold.”
β Bret C.
“Rich, deep flavorful taste.”
β Tony L.
“Great strong yet low acid coffee, the best I’ve had since being stationed in Germany! Highly recommended!”
β Jason T.
Jeff M. put it through his espresso machine the day his order arrived:
“I pulled a double shot in the espresso machine and was completely blown away! Bold, flavorfulβeverything I love in my coffee.”
β Jeff M.
And Daniel G. summed up the whole thing in one line:
“I don’t drink this coffee to wake up, I wake up to drink this coffee.”
β Daniel G.
Taste it for yourself
We could keep quoting reviews all day, but the only opinion that matters is yours. There are three easy ways to try our coffee:
- Visit the barn. Our shop is in the bottom of a barn on our family farm in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, and every visitor gets a free cup of fresh brewed coffee. Find us with our hours and directions.
- Find us at a farmers market. We have sold coffee at more than 250 farmers markets across Wisconsin. Check the farmers market schedule to see where we will be this week. Samples are free.
- Order online. We ship fresh roasted coffee in Mason jars anywhere in the country, with free shipping. Order a jar here, whole bean or ground.
If it is not the smoothest coffee you have ever had, the free cup was still free. But based on what everyone keeps telling us, we like our odds.