Law On Coffee

El Salvador Pasa – Counter Culture January 30, 2009

This Counter Culture, El Salvador Pasa was a tough coffee to review. I first bought it during the Winter break, and drank it out of a drip system every morning with the wife. It was good, but it was drip. I really wanted to taste it with a press pot so I could compare to the rest of the coffees I’ve reviewed. Not to mention, it’s the right way to drink it.

So now a few coffees later, I picked up another bag of the Pasa and can finally appreciate it for what it is, a pretty great cup. Very smooth, no beginning or end, just coffee. It’s hard to explain, but picture that point in taking a sip when you know the coffee is past your tongue and you get that aftertaste. This coffee didn’t have any of that. Like a hot Krispy Kreme glazed donut, it just melted.

There’s a nice crisp fruit flavor, but nothing overpowering like a Yiracheiffe. I get a little smokyness, but not a ton. Just a good coffee taste with a hint of fruit, very little acid and no bite. Really great cup.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see this coffee available on the Counter Culture site. Maybe I grabbed some of the last they had, or maybe it’s just not listed.

Peru Valle del Santuario – Counter Culture January 16, 2009

Back to the office after a nice 2 week break, and back to Counter Culture to start the new year off right. My friend John roasted some Peruvian greens from Counter Culture over the holidays and was raving about them, so I figured it was worth trying some pre-roasted.

I’ve never had coffee from Peru before, but I would imagine it’ll taste like most South American coffees, bright and crisp. This coffee comes from a few farms in the San Ignacio area of Peru, so while it’s not a single farm, it’s definitely single origin by my book.

This coffee doesn’t disappoint. It’s extremely smooth with subtle vanilla and chocolate flavors. There’s no crazy finish, what you get from the first sip stays with you, but the flavor lingers a bit in your mouth. It’s really nice for a breakfast cup, I would totally get this again.

Buy Peru Valle del Santuario from Counter Culture

Costa Rica Tarrazu – Uber Geek Coffee Roasters January 2, 2009

This is a weird one. My wife is big into cloth diapering for our daughter. So much so that she makes her own sometimes, knits covers and posts of message boards. The most popular way to sell your diapers or covers is using hyena cart, which is a web service that lets you set up your own store, stock it, etc. Once day cruising Hyena Cart’s site, she found the Uber Geek Coffee Roasters and got me a bag.

Talk about local roasters, these guys are as local as you can get. Not to me of course, they’re in Montana somewhere, but this is what I think of when I hear “small local roaster.” They literally roast in their backyard, and close down the business when it’s too cold to go out. Awesome.

I got a bag of their Costa Rica Tarrazu beans. It’s rated a full city but I felt it was a little lighter than that. Great aroma and color from the bag. Since I was at home for the winter break, we made drip as well as french press. I think these beans made a great drip coffee, strong coffee taste with a mellow ending. The french press however, nothing special to report. Just tasted like Costa Rican coffee, bold and rich.

I’d like to try some of their other coffees, especially their Huehuetenango since I liked Counter Culture’s so much although it is listed as decaf, so I dunno. I like the idea of helping out the little guys, and these guys are definitely little.

Learn More About Uber Geek Coffee Roasters

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

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.

Buy Larry’s Beans – Pure Guatemala

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

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