Receiving the free “Three Africans” sample from Blue Bottle Coffee was pleasantly surprising in itself. The beans were packaged in an vacuum-sealed container and roasted only two days before receipt. The freshness was abundantly clear upon opening the bag, and the smell was what typically expects from African beans – a floral/fruity smell that would undoubtedly make its usual appearance in the blend.
This blend consists of a Congolese and Two Ethopian beans. I decided to use a medium grind for this bean as I’ve never tried it before. I will try finer and more coarse grounds later. African growers use natural processing, which means leaving the coffee cherries out to dry until reaching a raisin-like status before stripping the beans. I used a warm water mix, again to keep either extreme away for the moment.
This is not a bold roast, which is also typical of Ethiopian blends. It has that “full-yet-light” taste, which is pleasing when you don’t want to be bowled over but also not feel like you’re drinking flavored water. I didn’t take too much time to really fiddle with this – I just wanted the taste pure black at a mid-point. This could easily do quite well as a “go-to” blend. However, the $19/pound price tag may be a touch high for that.
It’s good, but not for the price. I give it four out of five cups for that.