Law On Coffee

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.

Order from Larry’s Beans

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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