Coffee reviews

Blends/Multiple / Coffee reviews

Review: Good Coffee Co.

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.

Coffee reviews / Latin America

Review: Cafe Femenino (Peru)

I first tried Cafe Femenino from Grounds for Change.  I liked it so much that I have a standing monthly order.  Grounds for Change categorizes this as a “medium bodied coffee with a fine acidity, sweet aroma and hints of baker’s chocolate that are accentuated by a slow, dark roast.”  I’ve since turned on several of my dark-roast friends to this coffee, who have become dedicated fans as well.  It is just a superb, complex, flavorful cup.

That Cafe Femenino is a great coffee, as well as certified organic and Fair Trade, and listed as shade-grown, is enough to make this my favorite cup.  However, there is also a fantastic back-story to this bean.  The Cafe Femenino Coffee Project is run entirely by women, who oversee all aspects of the coffee farming as well as marketing and sales, in an area of the world where there are few leadership roles for women and where oppression and abuse are shockingly high.  The project empowers women, and they also receive an additional two cents per pound over the Fair Trade price for their beans.  See the Roast Magazine link below for the full story.

I prefer to buy my Cafe Femenino from Grounds for Change, which donates an additional 25 cents per pound directly back to the women.  However, it is also available from a variety of other roasters, including Birds and Beans (Toronto, American Roast, the lightest I’ve seen available; green beans available, too), Caffe Ibis (Utah, roast not specified), Creemore Coffee Company (Toronto, medium and French roasts), MokaJoe (Washington, roast not specified), and Sacred Grounds (California, full city and French).

More info: