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The most common mistake with this pack is reading the name as a sign that the caffeine has gone. It has not: After Dark is a fully caffeinated dark roast, and what the name describes is a cup shaped for the end of a meal.
What a dark roast gives up and gains
Roasting further trades brightness for depth. Once the sugars in the bean have caramelised and the roast keeps going, cocoa, toast and a faint char develop, while most of the fruity acidity is lost. The loss is origin character; the reward is consistency, smoothness and a cup that can be drunk slowly.
In the cup that means intensity without noise: full body, controlled bitterness and acidity so low it barely registers. That is what makes it an after-dinner coffee rather than a breakfast one. It sits comfortably after food, takes cream well and stays round when drunk slowly, which matters more at nine in the evening than at eight in the morning.
Brewing it in a cafetiere
Start at about 8g of coffee to 200ml of water, roughly one heaped tablespoon, and weigh it once so you learn what the spoonful looks like. Expect around 25 mugs from the 200g pack at that strength. An evening pot tends to be drunk slowly, so a slightly heavier dose than your morning one is no bad idea.
Boil the kettle and let it stand for about thirty seconds, roughly 95 degrees, before pouring; a rolling boil scalds a dark roast and drags the bitterness forward. Brew for four minutes and plunge slowly. Dark roasts give up their bitterness faster than pale ones, so going past four minutes adds harshness rather than strength. The grind is for cafetiere and filter, not espresso.
Where it sits in the Taylors range
Taylors, the Yorkshire family firm most people know for tea, sells its coffees as a steady set of named roasts rather than a rotating list of origins, so a household can find the name that suits it and keep buying it. After Dark is the one placed at the end of the day; the other Taylors coffees on our shelf include Brasilia, Flying Start and Hot Lava Java.
If caffeine late in the day is what you are avoiding, the Decaffé Roast Ground in the same range is the pack to buy, and the Decaffe coffee bags do the same job in a mug. After Dark is for the drinker who wants a proper caffeinated cup at the end of a meal and simply prefers depth to brightness.
The packs we stock
- Taylors of Harrogate After Dark Roast Ground Coffee, 200g (barcode 615357752597)
What the label says
The published ingredient list for Taylors of Harrogate After Dark Roast Ground Coffee, 200g names none of the 14 major allergens. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.
Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. The pack in your hands is the final word.
What to eat with it
- McVitie's Digestives Dark Chocolate Biscuits, 433g: Dark chocolate set against the cocoa in a deep roast, for a slow cup at the end of dinner.
- Lotus Biscoff Caramelised Biscuits, 250g: A crisp caramelised biscuit stands up to a strong evening pot without getting lost in it.
- Border Classic Biscuit Sharing Pack, 400g: A mixed sharing pack to put out with the pot when dinner guests stay on for coffee.
Elsewhere in the Taylors of Harrogate range
- Taylors of Harrogate Brasilia Ground Coffee, 200g
- Taylors of Harrogate Decaffe Beans Roast Coffee, 200g
- Taylors of Harrogate Decaffe Ground, 10 Coffee Bags
- Taylors of Harrogate Decaffé Roast Ground Coffee, 200g
- Taylors of Harrogate Decaffeinated Yorkshire, 160 Tea Bags 500g
- Taylors of Harrogate Flying Start 5 Roast Coffee Beans, 700g
The full range is on the Taylors of Harrogate coffee page.
FAQ
Is After Dark decaffeinated? No. It is a normally caffeinated coffee; the name refers to the roast and the time of day it suits.
What does After Dark taste like? Deep and smooth, with cocoa and toast, a full body, controlled bitterness and very little acidity.
Will it work in an espresso machine? No. The grind is set for a cafetiere or a filter machine and is too coarse for espresso.
How much coffee should I use per mug? About 8g to 200ml of water, brewed for four minutes with water just off the boil.
How should I store an opened pack? Roll the bag down tightly and aim to finish it within a month; left open, the aroma fades within a fortnight and the cup turns flat.
Curator's note: Make the pot a touch stronger than the morning one, pour it once the plates are cleared and take your time over it. With a dark chocolate biscuit it does the job of a pudding. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.
In short: Taylors of Harrogate After Dark: The Evening Roast Explained
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Brand | Taylors of Harrogate |
| Packs we stock | 200g |
| Category | Ground Coffee |
| Allergens (as published) | The published ingredient list for this product names none of the 14 major allergens. |
| Caffeine | caffeinated |
| Decaf | No, fully caffeinated |
| Best time | After dinner |
| Brew | Cafetiere, four minutes, just off the boil |
More from the tea wiki
- Yorkshire Tea: Range and Buying Guide
- Tea vs Coffee: Taste, Caffeine and Switching
- Caffeine in Tea
- Tea vs Coffee
- Tea for Coffee Drinkers: Where to Start
- Chai vs Coffee
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