Coffee Reviews

Welcome to the coffee review section of my web site. My site differs in a few ways from other sites, my rating scale consists of only three markings and if a coffee does not rate at least three stars I do not put it on my site. By doing so I accomplish two things; first, if a coffee is reviewed on my site it is a very drinkable coffee and second, I do not have to bad mouth coffee brewers.

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Name Country Of Origin Rating

			An extraordinary coffee, significant in body, enticing aroma and full of complex flavors. This coffee deserves true distinction and borders on java perfection. Put this coffee on your 'must try' list.
			A very good balanced coffee, rich with a range of flavors and a satisfying finish.
			A coffee worthy of everyday drinking, balanced body and flavor, pleasant finish and one that will not blemish any food accompaniments.
	NOTES		My marks are based purely on taste and quality, not on price or availability. If you'd like, I suggest you try one of my 5 star coffees and you will know that I do not give out this rating very easily or very often. As I have nothing to sell you. Taste and quality is the only mark that matters.

JavaBerry Black Estate Reserve Web Site: www.javaberry.com Country of Origin: U.S. Hawaii, Kona If my mark chart had 6 stars, I would easily rate this coffee higher but since I made the chart and 5 is my highest score, I must stick to it. Simply put the JavaBerry Black Estate Reserve is one of the best coffees I have had the pleasure of tasting. The JavaBerry Coffee Company roasts all orders immediately prior to shipping which is of paramount importance. It is well known that coffee beans over two weeks old lose a significant amount of their flavor. This is true no matter how well they are packaged. But I digress.on to the coffee review. The Black is a 100% Kona coffee, a blend of Kona Peaberry and Kona Extra Fancy which are the two highest grades of Kona beans. This coffee is a true coffee masterpiece, full of flavor, smooth and with a balanced finish. Kona Black is suitable for drinking in the morning or evening depending on your taste. As you probably know I drink my coffee black via a French Press and my wife has hers with milk brewed drip with a gold cone filter. Guess what? This is one of the few coffees that she is able to drink black and still enjoy herself doing so. The JavaBerry Coffee Co. is a true micro-roaster that produces some of the best coffee on the planet. The price may turn a few people away from this great coffee, but please take my advice on this one and try this coffee at least once. You will undoubtedly be extremely pleased with their coffee. Panama Don Pachi Estate Geisha Web Site: www.stumptowncoffee.com Country of Origin: Panama Stumptown Coffee Roasters is a small roasting company in Portland, Oregon. They mainly sell wholesale and also serve their coffee in French press style in their 3 cafe’s in Portland. This coffee comes from the Geisha trees of Arabica grown in the Boquete region of Panama. There is also some Ethiopian parentage to throw into the mix and confuse things further so I’ll cut it short and says it’s some fine coffee from Panama. It starts with a very nice aroma of flowers and fruit with a hint of vanilla. The taste was smooth and acidic with hints of flower and a rich chocolate finish. I like this coffee and think it is worth every bit of the $18.50 per pound that they charge. In addition, it is a coffee with a fun history and supplied by a very good small roaster. Espresso Roast Web Site: www.tullys.com Tully’s is a specialty roasting company and cafe. They are concentrated on the West coast particularly in California and Washington and seem to be about the only chain left to compete with Starbucks in Seattle which is where they are headquartered. For that reason alone, I will root them on. I tend to like their espresso for when I am in a hurry and don’t have time to make my own. It has a nice floral aroma with a smooth taste and a pleasant finish. When drank with milk it has a more carmel flavor with hints of smoke and fruit. Their espresso roast can be purchased for $7.75 for a 12 ounce package. They have teamed up with Amazon.com for online ordering which makes me a bit skeptical as to the freshness of the roast when ordering online. Beanery Blend Web Site: www.coffeebeanery.com The Coffee Beanery is a coffee shop chain located through out the county with a heavy concentration in Michigan. Usually I am skeptical of the large coffee chains and try to stay away from them myself. The fact of life though is that people are busy and they are convenient so I wanted to include some so people could at least know which chains are better than the others. The Coffee Beanery seems to have done a decent job with their Beanery Blend. It was between a medium and light roast but had a good strength to it despite the roast. The aroma was also intense and acidic. Despite the roast again, the coffee was very full bodied with hints of acidity which became much stronger at the finish. So for those in a hurry to work or if your home grinder is on the fritz, this is a decent coffee to fill the void. In addition it can be purchased by the pound. Currently at $10.99 per pound. Fair Trade Blend Web Site: www.peets.com Country of Origin: Costa Rica All the coffees that make up this blend are certified Fair Trade which means small farmers have been paid a “fair” or economically sustainable price for these coffees. While I never like to see the small farmer be dealt a raw deal, I am not sure I can fully endorse the fair trade program. On the surface is sounds good but deep down it smells a bit like price fixing and in the long run could hurt the economies of supply and demand. The jury is still out on it and my mind is open so we will keep an eye on it. On to the coffee. Peet’s is famous for their deep dark roasts and this is no exception. The aroma on this blend is big and bold with a burnt characteristic. The taste is thick with a smooth finish and some hints of sweetness for such a dark roast. From Pete’s website this coffee retails for $11.95 per pound and might be worth a try as an after dinner coffee. Organic Sumatran Reserve Web Site: www.gmcr.com Country of Origin: Indonesia In general, I like most of Green Mountains coffees. I will have to say that I think they overdue it a bit with the natural mountain mist and wildlife theme. You can check out their website to see what I mean. This particular coffee is organic which means it is certified but an international agency to be grown to meet organic standards. Usually that means it is gown without contact to pesticides and other chemicals and fertilizers. For obvious reasons this can be a good thing but I think most coffee farmers are good about limiting the amount of chemicals they use. The Organic Sumatran Reserve is from The tsunami devastated region of Sumatra Indonesia. I awarded this coffee 3 stars because there is a difference in flavor from cup to cup on Sumatran coffee. The better of the cups would normally get 4 stars but to average everything out, I have to go with 3. In general the coffees have a fruity and musty aroma with hints of chocolate. The flavor I get most is a tartness similar to grapefruit. It has a medium body and a sweet finish. At $7.39 for a 10 ounce bag (per green mountain’s website) I think it is worth a try.