Every month, I like to try out a new shade-grown coffee. This month, it was from the Good Coffee Company of South Carolina, which sells only Rainforest Alliance certified coffee. Since their coffees are available in 8 oz. packages, I tried two: El Salvador and their Costa Rica/Brazil blend. I wish more roasters would offer small packages like this for folks to try, especially online vendors. I don’t like to buy several pounds of coffee if I might not like it, not to mention I can’t drink that much in a week and hate to evaluate stale coffee. But just buying one pound and paying shipping is pretty pricing. The option of buying several small bags is really appealing to me.
I ordered these beans as dark roasts. A peek at the beans when they arrived showed a lighter color than what I’m used to seeing in a “dark roast.” Only a few beans with oils barely showing on the surface, and a flat, milk-chocolate brown color. The roast description on the Good Coffee site is a close match to this…I should have read it first! I tried the El Salvador first, noted to be of mild acidity and medium body. I thought it was really nice when prepared as a strong cup in an Aeropress.
The Costa Rica/Brazil blend was described as an “Experimental blend. This product is a blend of our 05-06 crop RA Costa Rican SHB and Brazil NY2 Screen 19 coffees with a dash of RA Guatemalan and Kenya AA for balance.” The beans were roasted to an identical medium, not dark, roast like the El Salvador, but I actually liked it a little better, and it was especially good in the Aeropress. Both of these coffees “aged” better than a dark roast, I must admit, whether cooking in the pot or sitting in a thermal mug. Since I like strong coffees, I actually liked them better a little old. They also made a fine blend with a darker roast.
Revised on November 29, 2020