Law On Coffee

Guatemala Huehuetenango: Finca Nueva Armenia - Counter Culture November 18, 2008

I wrote a few weeks back that I was interested in retrying the Huehuetenango coffee I first reviewed. As you’ll remember, this was the coffee that started the site. I’ve reviewed 6 coffees since my first cup of Huehuetenango and was curious if it still deserved the high praise I remember it.

Well, yeah it does. This coffee is amazing, a perfect cup. The levels it brings must be tasted to believe. The strong coffee flavor, nice bold hit in your mouth, then the smoky almost-nutty-but-not finish. Very nutty, hazelnut maybe but without that crazy flavored mess that gums up a grinder.

If you have a Counter Culture supplier near you, and are interested in a different experience for your morning cup, you should really give this a try. It’s unlike any of the other coffees I’ve tried and again, is the reason why I started this blog.

Order Guatemala Huehuetenango from Counter Culture

Hatteras Blend - Southern Season November 5, 2008

Taking a break from Larry’s Beans, I’m now enjoying this Hatteras Blend I got from Southern Season. I said I’d give a blend a try, enough of the single origin snobbery, so here goes. You know what, it’s not that bad.

This Hatteras Blend is a slightly more dark than medium roast, light city I think they’d call it. I don’t know a ton about these beans, I had thought it was a Counter Culture blend but I don’t see any mention of it on their website. Maybe it’s a local blend Southern Season had them put together for them. It’s listed on the Southern Season site at least.

Nice and smoky from the start, comes on real strong with that coffee, cocoa, aroma. The finish is nice and smooth, not a party in my mouth but not something I’d pass up. I could see myself drinking this coffee at a diner with some pancakes, scrambled eggs and corned beef and hash. It’s a good drinking coffee, nothing to write home about but it does the job with style.

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Pure Guatemala - Larry’s Beans October 16, 2008

This was my third bag of Larry’s Beans in a row, and by far my favorite. The Pure Guatemala is a lighter roast than the other Larry’s Beans I’ve tried, and I think it did the trick. I didn’t taste that overly smoky coffee flavor I didn’t like in the Bean Martin. This stuff just tasted like good coffee.

I might also be a snob for single origin beans. I like the idea that it’s all the same quality bean, same source, same taste. Maybe I can’t taste the difference and I’m generalizing it, but all my favorite coffees in the past have been single origin. I’m going to try another blend next time with a lighter roast, see what I think.

Regardless, this is some great coffee. Nice and crisp, perfect for a morning cup. There’s different levels of flavor, it really hits hard in the beginning with a strong coffee taste, then a more mellow chocolate flavor lingers. Give it a try if you’re looking for a good way to start your day.

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Bean Martin Blend - Larry’s Beans September 22, 2008

I’m not usually a fan of dark roasted beans. There’s always that burnt smell that takes me off guard first thing in the morning. I also find it masks the flavors of the coffee, turning it into that familiar, homogenous French Roast you’ve been avoiding in the office breakroom.

This Bean Martin Blend I’m currently drinking is a dark roast, real dark. The packaging says “Elegantly Dark” which I’d bet is their way of avoiding the French Roast association, where every dark roast tastes the same. Starbucks made the dark roast popular. I hate Starbucks drip coffee.

I can’t say I’m a fan of this coffee, it’s just not my style. I appreciate the smooth drinkability of what usually would have a sharp acidic taste, but it’s not for me. Maybe it’s because I’m no coffee expert, I haven’t been trained to taste the different levels, like I’d assume most people haven’t. I’m a normal guy, and this coffee just tastes dark to me.

Buy Larry’s Beans - Bean Martin Blend

El Salvador Dali - Larry’s Beans September 8, 2008

I’m having my second bag of Larry’s Beans today, their El Salvador Dali blend. This is my first blend in a while, I’ve been sticking with single origins the last few months. It’s roasted a bit darker than I’m used to, somewhere between a Full City and Vienna I’d say (though I really don’t know this stuff). A darker roast usually brings out a deeper body in the coffee, but can hide some of the subtle flavors.

This is definitely the case with the El Salvador Dali blend, serious body with some hints of dark chocolate. I’m not a chocolate fan, that’s my wife’s addiction, but everything is great in moderation. The hints this coffee pushes are very nice, and linger a while in my mouth. I’m still tasting the chocolate and it’s been 5 minutes since my last sip.

This makes a good morning coffee, it’s strong and bold, started my day off right. It’s a monday too, so I need all the help I can get. I still don’t have that kick I got from the Huehuetenango. Maybe that’s a unique characteristic of Guatemalan coffee, or maybe it’s been so long since I had it I remember it better than it actually was. I think I need to take a trip to buy a 1/2 pound tonight.

Buy Larry’s Beans El Salvador Dali

Larry’s Beans - Great Customer Experience August 29, 2008

Here’s a quick little story about a great experience I had with the team at Larry’s Beans. I was doing some research for my Mountain Sumatra review and browsing around the new online store at the Larry’s Beans website. They just updated it I guess and were asking for feedback. Well, I noticed a brew guide on there which was listed as $1.25 for sale, but had a price of $.75 on the front cover. Take a look at the screenshot I grabbed before they fixed it.

So using the feedback link on the main page, I wrote a quick email letting them know about the error, attaching the screenshot for reference. Only a few hours later, I got an email back from the General Manager at Larry’s Beans. He thanked me for catching the error and had already forwarded the error to their web team to fix. Sure enough, it was done by the time I checked the site again.

Also, for helping out, he offered to send me one of the guides, and throw in some goodies for my time. Just an email back would have been more than enough, but this was a really cool gesture. He wanted to send me a bag of beans and asked if I wanted ground or whole bean. Of course I needed whole bean, and also asked which beans he’d recommend as my next purchase. I let him know about my lackluster experience with the Mountain Sumatra and linked him to the post.

Well wouldn’t you know it, yesterday I received a package with not one, but three bags of whole bean coffee, as well as the brew guide, a magnet and a flyer on fair trade. I was blown away, what a cool company. Not sure it was my post that put it over the edge or what, but they really stand behind their product. I’ll be done with the Sumatra in a few days I think, and will be sure to let everyone know what I think of the new beans over the coming weeks.

Mountain Sumatra - Larry’s Beans August 27, 2008

I was excited to try this coffee. I’ve heard a lot about local roaster Larry’s Beans and wanted to give them a good once over. They’re based in Raleigh, maybe 45 minutes from my house, so I’d imagine the beans were as fresh as could be. I also have a thing for small local roasters.

This is from their Single Origin line of coffees, rather than the normal blends that are more popular. I picked up a bag of Mountain Sumatra from Whole Foods. Little pricey at $11.99 for a pound, but not bad for fresh beans.

After a few days of drinking this, one thing is clear. I really don’t like Sumatra.

It’s just too calm, too subtle for me. Especially coming after the wham bang of Huehuetenango, this is a sleeper. Not what I want for my morning cup. I need some fire in the morning, a little pop to get me going. This is like an afternoon *coffee date* coffee, good for sipping and relaxing.

They say on the packaging that there’s subtle caramel and some smokiness. I taste the caramel, it’s really nice and smooth, but the smokiness is less obvious. Most coffee is smoky, this is nothing out of the ordinary. When I hear smokiness, I think of Lapsang Souchung tea, now that’s a smoky drink!

I probably wouldn’t get this again, but I’m interested in trying one of Larry’s blends. It’s another smooth coffee, probably well suited for a cappuccino but not for a morning cup.

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Update: My wife is a serious espresso drinker and I convinced her to try these beans for her morning shot. She loves it, great pull, good crema, awesome caramel taste. If you’re into espresso, this will probably make a great bean for you.

Colombia la Golondrina - Counter Culture August 14, 2008

Another Counter Culture gets a turn, this time their Colombia la Golondrina. I’ve always loved Colombian coffee, the Colombia Supremo is probably the coffee most popular coffee blend in the US. It’s what normal coffee tastes like, usually a medium-dark roast, nice level taste. It’s the one with Juan Valdez on the packaging, the logo of Colombian coffee.

This coffee is from the same region, but from a single farm. I read a bit about it on the Counter Culture site. They say the Colombia Supremo we all know is actually a mix of a bunch of Colombian coffee farms, which together creates the taste we’re used to. However, there’s some really good farms out there which if separated from the rest of the beans, really shine.

First sip I didn’t think anything of it. It’s just normal coffee, nothing to write home about. Then I got a little more into it, and the flavors started coming out. I’m not a professional taster or anything, but I swear I taste some dark chocolate in this. Nothing too overpowering, like the stuff my Mother in law gets from Sam’s Club, just a subtle hint of chocolate.

I’m gonna give this coffee a good rating, but not great. It’s really just a middle of the row, good quality coffee to me. Maybe good for a mid day espresso, it’s got that kind of smoothness. I wouldn’t want this for my breakfast cup during the week, there’s no get up and go here.

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Guatemala Huehuetenango - Counter Culture July 27, 2008

I picked up a pound of this at Southern Season on sale for $9.99. These beans are from Huehuetenango, Guatemala which is a mountainous region in the northwest of the country. As with all of their Counter Culture coffee beans, they’re roasted just up the street a few days before they’re delivered here, so they’re real fresh. 

When my wife asked how to pronounce Huehuetenango the guy behind the counter told us a story about how good this was for a breakfast coffee. The employees at Counter Culture would have a saying “Start your day the Way Way way!” referring to the pronunciation of Huehuetenango. If that isn’t a vote for the quality of these beans, I don’t know what is.

The aroma of the brewed coffee was just what you’d expect, strong coffee smell everywhere in the room. Very bold, this had a very strong coffee taste which hit hard in the beginning and then tapered off after a few seconds. Almost sweet at the start, leading to a smokey, almost nutty flavor. I tasted this coffee on many levels, which is saying a lot for me.

I highly recommend this coffee, it’s my new breakfast coffee of choice and actually the reason for starting this blog.

Order Guatemala Huehuetenango from Counter Culture