Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsMediocre coffee at an exceptional price
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2019
This coffee in respect to flavor is just okay. Its not that it is bad per se, but I find its flavor profile to be leaning more in the unpleasant side of the spectrum for my tastes. I prefer my espresso to be nutty, sweet, with subtle woody undertones. I don't like event the slightest hint of any dissonant flavors. This coffee goes in the other direction being more earthy, slightly acidic, with strong dark chocolate undertones (like 80+% cacao dark chocolate). I can't stand dark chocolate so I do not care for how this shot finishes for that reason alone. There is also a subtle acrid or burnt undertone which I find unbearable in all foods except barbecue. This may be okay if you plan on adding steamed milk or other flavorings, but in a pure shot comparison, I find this flavor profile to be less desirable and believe you can do MUCH better with other beans. I also found this coffee to be very temperamental and unforgiving as far as dialing in my machine. You must get the dose, grind, tamp, and brew pressure just right to get this in the sweet spot where it is not overwhelmingly bitter or sour. The window is smaller for this coffee than I have experienced with others, although that could be just the product of me trying to limit as much as possible the elements of the flavor profile that I don't care for. Where this really shines is when you take the price into consideration. There is no better deal anywhere than this coffee. This is less than half the price of say Starbucks beans and about 1/3 the price of Illy beans. While Those brands taste much better in my opinion, I'm not ready to say that are 2-3x better. You really do get a stupid amount of espresso for the price. As for freshness, forget it. These are not optimal--as in 1-3 weeks old. They are about as fresh as any beans you could get in a super market. So overall... not great, not terrible, but an exceptional bargain.
