Due to the Kopi Luwak incident, I found myself wanting some good coffee. Normally I try to keep only one bag around but, given the flavor profile of the Kopi Luwak, I needed my good coffee fix.

Today’s coffee comes from Mexico. I think this is the first time I’ve had a Mexican coffee. Similar to a lot of the previous coffee’s I’ve tried from Aomi, the main flavor profile they list is “Refreshing”. It’s described as, unsurprisingly, a very honey like coffee.

The background of the coffee is interesting. Grown near Oaxaca, the beans are selected, refined, and blended over the course of various tests. They check and re-check each level of the process in order to try and create the perfect blend of beans. The beans are then dried on Petate sheets. Petate sheets are made from the key thatch palm and are used for a variety of things in South America, including sleeping pads and drying of various grains, fruit, and other perishables. It is said that some of the flavor profile of the beans is due to this very traditional drying method.

The Beans:

Smell – Very interesting smell. Strong wheat and grass notes to the beans. Quite pleasant on the nose. Gives me high hopes for the coffee.

Taste – These are some good beans to eat. The front is very mellow and soft, with a roasted wheat taste coming out. The flavor transforms after the initial bite to a slight bitterness then some good wild berry-like flavors come through. I would not mind eating these on their own just as a snack. Here’s hoping the actual coffee matches the beans in deliciousness.

Minor update, I ended up doing something I normally don’t do. I ended up sucking on one of the beans just because I had a few in front of me. The honey flavor is really strong when just sucking on the bean instead of biting down on it. Very interesting indeed.

The Brewing:

Ah, this coffee had a very satisfactory level of bloom. Basically doubled in size from the off gassing. I love to see and hear it.

Drinking

No real strong smell to the coffee itself. Not surprising. It’s only now that I am chronicling my coffee journey that I’ve noticed how generic the main coffee smell is. The actual smell I associate with coffee is the roasted bean smell. I wonder if they make a coffee bean cologne or similar?

The taste is very much roasted or caramelized nuts. There is an acidic and pungent twinge in the background that helps give it a more fuller flavor profile. Really smooth in the mouth. As with most light roast specialty coffees, it is lacking the more earthy, darker tones some might expect. This particular bean may benefit from a a medium roast to help pull out the toffee like flavors that are hovering in the background.

When allowed to cool to a warm, not quite hot temperature, some of the more nutty flavors come out with a lot less sweetness to the edges. A very standard, good coffee flavor. It loses some of its specific traits but it also comes through as a nice, good, solid coffee. I put it that way because sometimes I don’t want to think about the very specific, delicate tastes or analyze a coffee to death. Going too far can ruin the fun. That’s partially why I stopped measuring and go by eye/gut when making coffee.

When cooled to a more lukewarm temperature, the bitterness intensifies quite a bit. The tang of metal is also present. Not bad to be honest. For those who don’t mind the sharper taste, letting the coffee “age” a little is not a problem.

All in all thought, this is a very good cup of coffee, especially coming off of the Kopi Luwak. The cost of these beans was 810 yen for 100 grams, roughly 7-8ish US dollars. As such, from both a taste point of view and a price-performance ratio, I can definitely say I enjoyed this cup of coffee. It may become one of my regulars once I finish going through all of Aomi’s selection.

9/10