Law On Coffee

Burundi Bwayi Lot No. 8 – Counter Culture June 9, 2009

After a month tasting Trader Joe’s, and going through my local supply of Counter Culture, I was ready for something new. Thankfully I saw this tweet from @coffeegeek raving about a new batch of coffee from the Bwayi community of Kayanza, Burundi that he reviewed. I went right down to Southern Season and picked up a pound, no questions asked.

I’m not usually a fan of coffee from Africa. It’s usually too smoky, too fruity for my taste. This is some really good coffee. It’s still got a smokyness to it, but nothing that will overwhelm you. I don’t taste any fruityness, maybe some chocolate, but nothing too sweet. It’s just a really strong coffee taste, a taste I really enjoy.

I’d go back for another pound of this coffee. While it’s no Huehuetenango or Kuta to me, it’s right up there with the best of them.

Buy Burundi Bwayi Lot No. 8 from Counter Culture

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