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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