Law On Coffee

Organic Breakfast Blend – Trader Joe’s December 12, 2008

I wanted to take a step away from the small local roasters and try what “normal” people drink. I remember when coffee wasn’t as important, I’d chop up some beans with a blade grinder the night before, stick them in a drip coffee maker and set the timer. When I did that, I typically used Trader Joe’s beans, and didn’t know any different. Now, since I’m such a coffee connoisseur (ha), would I have the same feelings about Trader Joe’s coffee?

First off, Trader Joe’s, for those of you who don’t have one local, is a natural/organic, granola style grocery store all over California. Picture Whole Foods without the snobbery and high prices. Most of the stuff you’ll find at Trader Joe’s is house branded, so the cheese will be Trader Joe’s Cheddar, there’s Trader Joe’s handsoap, etc. Their coffee aisle is pretty vast, all styles of blends and single origins, all at great prices.

Today I’m trying their Organic Breakfast Blend. I picked up a can for $6.99 for 14oz. To put it in perspective, 14oz of Counter Culture or Larry’s Beans usually sets me back $12 or so. I remember liking this one back in the days, would I still like it now?

The beans are from South America, not sure the region though. I’d imagine there’s some generic Columbian in there. They’re roasted a little darker than Medium, but not a Full City darkness. When I brewed them, I did see some of the tan goodness that floats to the top on fresh beans, but it didn’t last long.

The taste? Pretty bland to be honest. It’s coffee for sure, but I couldn’t taste anything special. I got that fun acrid kick at the end, usually found in break room coffee at work. I’d bet this is more a result of older beans rather than low quality beans. Even though they were “nitrogen flushed” and sealed in a nice container, there’s nothing like freshly roasted beans.

This was a good reality check for me. Honestly, it kinda sucks. Like knowing that the Matrix exists, I can never go back to knowing that there’s good coffee and there’s crap. Most people would be happy drinking this Breakfast Blend, I know I was for years. But now that I have the taste for quality, I can’t drink it without knowing there’s something better.

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Idido Royal Yirgacheffe – Counter Culture December 2, 2008

Another round with Counter Culture, this time with a really unique bean. My first experience with Yirgacheffe was as a “free sample” bag added to my wife’s espresso order. It smelled great, but I put in way too much coffee for the amount of water I used making the strongest coffee ever. I spent the rest of the morning dizzy and decided I didn’t like Yirgacheffe.

Everyone deserves a second chance, so here goes with Yirgacheffe. Counter Culture has a few Yirgacheffe varieties, all from different farms in Ethiopia. This one is their Idido Royal Washed variety. One thing hit me from the first time I opened the bag, these beans are much smaller than normal beans. Here’s a pic of the Yirgacheffe next to a Huehuetenango and a Bean Martin blend. It’s almost like a Peaberry, but I don’t think they are.

The flavor is very unexpected, really fruity. It took my wife having a sip for us to identify the flavors, she has a much better palate than I do. If you didn’t know you were drinking coffee, you could swear it was an herbal or black flavored tea. That’s great if you’re in the mood for fruit, but I really want coffee in the morning, not a lemony-peach.

I’ll finish out the bag, but I don’t think I’ll order this again unless I’m in the mood for a fruity coffee. It’s pretty crazy that coffee can taste like this though, I’m sure learning a lot about beans.

Buy Counter Culture Idido Royal Yirgacheffe