Vista Hermosa - Barefoot Coffee - San Jose, California

Preparation:  French Press

Scores:  Scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being excellent

Aroma:   8
Balance:  6
Flavor:   7
Smoothness:  8

Likes:
    Tangerine
    Chocolate
    Tea like
    Spice

Dislikes:
    Acidy
    Too Sour


Summary:  These coffee beans are from Guatemala and are a medium roast.  They are not only Fair Trade, but also Direct Trade and are organic, pesticide-free and a sustainable coffee. The aroma smells like sweet spicy chocolate, but the flavor has very strong tones of tangerine and citrus with a lasting tangy bite.  The coffee is not bitter, but it is sour on the palate.  It is acidy, but not overwhelmingly so.  The flavor is unique and reminds me a little of Kona coffee.  If you want a change of pace and want to try something that will definitely get your taste buds perking, than give this coffee a try.  It came to my door from GoCoffeeGo within a couple days of roasting.  
 
Overall score:  7

Alligator French - Equator Coffees - San Rafael, California

Preparation:  French Press

Scores:  Scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being excellent

Aroma:   9
Balance:  8
Flavor:   9
Smoothness:   8

Likes:
    Nutty
    Intense
    Dark
    Sweet
    Toffee

Dislikes:
   

Summary:  Finally, the coffee beans I have been waiting for arrived via UPS to my front door.  I was extremely excited to see the two packages.  I swear that when I opened the door the aroma of the freshly roasted beans caught an air current and swirled up to my nostrils.  Seriously, I could smell the beans through the brown cardboard boxes.  I bet the UPS man was salivating as the smell engulfed his truck.

I ordered these coffee beans online from the site GoCoffeeGo.  The bag is stamped clearly with the roasting date April 11, 2011.  Awesome!  Today is April 14 (the beans came yesterday) and that is super fresh!  I am very impressed.  Now lets hope the beans themselves will reach my expectations.

Alligator French is a fair trade organic coffee that is dark roasted with Ecuador, Ethiopia and Sumatra beans.  The profile on the bag says "robust earth tones, smoky tropical wood, prunes and walnuts".  Now I don't know what smoky tropical wood tastes like, but I do know about prunes and this is not my first thought as I swirl the coffee in my mouth.  There is definitely a smoky flavor that is not overwhelming.  It is pleasant and unique on my palate.  I note almonds with a toffee like sweetness in the aroma and in the flavor.  This coffee is well balanced robust and ends with a bite of blueberries.  I like it a lot.  Since I made three cups I am going to save the rest for iced coffee.  See ya later _______?



Overall score:   9

Mind The Gap - Online Coffee Orders

I am dreaming of waking up and finding myself with some fresh roasted coffee beans.  I don't mean Peet's Coffee that promises freshness guaranteed within 90 days (that will be a future post).  I  mean right out of the roaster fresh.  Bold, beautiful and fragrant whole beans.  Scrumptiously aromatic and intensely bursting with exotic flavors.  I can see them now shining in the bright morning sun.   And then the doorbell rings.  A barista appears with beans that were roasted yesterday and......

Yes, I am all out of coffee.  But, never fear, I found a website that I like a lot.  It is called GoCoffeeGo and is web based out of San Francisco.  It is an online one stop shop that features micro roasters sourced from all over the world.  They directly contract with the roasters who ship fresh roasted beans to your door.  The shipping is a little spendy, but I am intrigued and as I said before........I am all out of coffee!

So, I just placed my order and I can't wait for the beans to come knocking.  It was fun to read about the different roasters.  Let me tell you what I decided to buy.

Barefoot Coffee
Vista Hermosa - Guatemala  and Equator Alligator French

 I have not heard of either of these coffees, but that is why GoCoffeeGo is such a great site.  It helps a person like me get coffee from little known awesome roasters.  I should receive the coffee shortly as each order is roasted just for the buyer.  Yeah!  My dreams are about to come true!  STAY POSTED!  And.....don't let the bed bugs bite!

P.S. Danny and Doug, I think you should visit your mom and bring her some beans.

GULP! Flavored Coffee Beans?

Warning!  After reading this post you may never want to drink coffee made with flavored coffee beans again.  I know I am biased, but after my research I have decided that a flavored coffee bean will never touch my discriminating lips!  Or make its way into my grocery buggy!

There are very few flavored coffee beans that are flavored with natural flavors.  Alert!  Yes, that means that a lot of chemicals are a part of the flavoring process.  To be exact, have you heard of...... 2, 4-Dimethyl-5-acetylthiazole or  2,5-Dimethylpyrazine?  These particular chemicals are used to add an earthy, peanut flavor to your coffee bean.  Have you heard of  Ethyl Alcohol, Dimethylamine-D1, Formamidiniumacetate, Propylene Glycol, alpha Methyl Benzyl Alcohol, and Heliotropin?  That is one yummy concoction to flavor a coffee bean to taste like Irish Creme!  If that doesn't get your salivary glands working overtime then maybe realizing that coffee flavors may require up to 80 different compounds to achieve a certain flavor, will.  It is thought that flavoring beans will also extend the shelf life by disquising oxidation and the aging process. I learned that any taste can be reproduced. One site boasts that the ideal flavor should mask some of the harsh notes of the coffee.  My question is......where did that coffee bean your masking come from??  (Hmmm........I just read that some manufacturers will use the cheapest beans possible. The worst case scenario I read about said floor sweepings and blown roasts were used)  Alright, lets move on.  It's time for a real cuppa Joe!

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