So. last week I bid on and won four pounds of a coffee I had never heard of or tried before. But for $15 (w/ free shipping) it amounted to $3.75/lb and the description of the coffee was so enticing I decided to take a gamble on it. Although, I must admit, a bit hesitant of things (or flavors) to come. The beans are roasted-to-order which is nice. Yesterday they arrived. Picking up the USPS package I could sense a rather sweet scent coming through the package. Opening it up I was greeted by two 2-lb bags of coffee and a smaller, free sampler bag The back of one of the bags: I really do like the idea of this sort of 'elusive' coffee and the description of it having a natural berry flavor. The beans themselves smelled great. There was indeed a sweet, fruity scent mixed in with the coffee: So...I filled up my Hario handgrinder and got to work. The coffee is on the lighter side of a roast than I am used to but not in a bad way. Sip 1-3: Hm, what I have I gotten myself in to. This is very different. Sip 4-6: I can really tell the berry flavor. Not quite sure I'd call this coffee. It's not bad though... Sip 7+ : Different but really good... Oh, the cup is empty [Goes and grinds up some more beans for a second 16oz cup...] So...a very different kind of coffee to me. Fruity, almost sweet. If this had been artificially flavored I may not even had bought it but since it's natural to these beans I was intrigued. Will I finish all these four pounds? I will. I am not sure I will finish it all by myself. I may end up giving away a pound or two. (No not through mail, you'd have to get it out of my hands ). Would I recommend this coffee? I would if you're adventurous about your coffee explorations and open to trying something that I thought was very unique. It also helps if you like berry flavor. I'm not quite sure you should order four pounds of any coffee the first time you try it. Hmm... Would I recommend this company? That I would absolutely do! The guy I dealt with was great and they ship their on-demand roast super fast. They seem to have a lot of other interesting beans on their site as well. Will I re-order? I think it will take some time to get through this lot and after that I may need some time away from it but I can see myself ordering something similar again down the road. Will I shut up and go and have some coffee? Yes.
Nice review! I agree with your observations about the distinct berry flavor. "Different...but good."— I thought the coffee to be certainly different, but I'd qualify it as 'drinkable.' My strong aversion to flavored coffees probably influenced my evaluations on the Harrar. As you stated, "If this had been artificially flavored I may not even had bought it but since it's natural to these beans I was intrigued."—I kept trying to convince myself this flavor was the coffee's natural taste, but with each sip, a voice in my head kept repeating, "Fake! Fake! Fake!" The vendor does sound like a reliable chap with fair pricing and fast service.
Thanks, and yeah, I'm on my second cup now and I enjoy it...but it also doesn't quite feel like drinking coffee. I may have to come back here an update my thoughts about it after I've gone through the first pound
Made an interesting 'discovery' - if I brew this coffee for just one minute longer than I normally do the flavor is greatly improved to the point where I went from 'this is ok...' to 'this is really good' (I normally brew using a manual percolator method in an H2JO as 9 out of 10 times I get my coffee to-go and this allows me to brew straight into my canteen)
But, does it come in a K-cup? I'm glad you're enjoying the coffee, Dark. I tried the same stuff (different distributor) several years ago and it wasn't robust enough for me.
That is exactly what I think is lacking for me. It's not 'substantial' enough in some weird way. I'll be finishing the first 2lb bag I'm sure but am very much considering donating the other 2lbs to a friend.
