Wood-Fire Roasted Coffee in now available in Lake Tahoe. Photo/Provided

By Lake Tahoe News staff

It all started with roasting coffee beans on a stovetop.

Tim Curry of Reno now operates Wood-Fire Roasted Coffee, an independent craft coffee roasting business, using an old-style Italian wood-fired roaster.

He just expanded into the Lake Tahoe market, with beans available at Overland Meats and Grassroots in South Lake Tahoe, and Village Market in Incline Village.

Lake Tahoe News had two tasters rate four beans.

“Overall, I really liked this coffee and would be happy to buy at least two of the beans. I went with the dark first, my preference, but ended up being delighted by the Ethiopian,” Kim said.

Sue said, “Overall, coffee varieties from the Wood-Fire Roasted Co. made me feel like I was sitting in front of a campfire with my mug. The flavors were smooth and not burnt like some I’ve had with mass produced makers, namely Starbucks.”

Both tasted the coffees black. Kim then added cream to hers, while Sue added milk and sweetener.

Kim’s comments:

• Desperado: Deep and smooth with a nice, roasty finish and no bitterness. I’d buy this.
• Peru: It’s not bad. It’s a little thinner than Desperado, nutty with a tinny finish that’s not altogether unpleasant. It’s zippy, but not an experience.
• Ethiopian: Bright and fragrant, has depth, a little spicy. I like dark roasts, but I’d buy this light-to-medium roast for the flavors and aroma and I’d drink it in a silk robe.
• Honduran: Roasty, chocolaty. Mild and delicious. Every day coffee.

Sue’s comments:

• Desperado: My favorite. It has a deep, rich, nutty flavor like a good Merlot with a lingering effect. What’s rare, the milk even complemented the flavor of the coffee when I compared it to drinking it black. Otherwise, drinking it black was like sucking on a coffee bean.
• Peru: It also has a lasting flavor, with a hint of chocolate and slight of nuttiness, much like the former, only milder.
• Honduras: A mixed a sense of nuttiness with vanilla.
• Ethiopian: It had a strong aroma with a dash of nutmeg in the flavor. What’s different with this one is a definite citrus flavor that gave it a spark without compromising its ease of drinking it.