Starbucks Reserve Jamaica Blue Mountain Review
I recently received a surprise package from Starbucks. I opened the box to find an mysterious black box inside. I was intrigued to say the least. When I opened this second box, I discovered a gleaming bag of Starbucks Reserve Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee. I didn’t even know that Starbucks had JBM coffee, and I was excited to give it a try. No matter what my previous experiences have been with Starbucks’ coffee, I can easily detach myself and be objective. Every coffee is different, and it is possible for a company to have an exceptional coffee, while also having less than stellar coffee. The Starbucks JBM retails for $30 for an 8 ounce bag, which is slightly north of the average price of JBM, but still reasonable if it is high quality.
Here is what Starbucks has to say about this coffee… [Read more…]
Say No To Bad #Coffee
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I get coffee sent to me all of the time. I’ve been really fortunate that the great majority of these coffees have been exceptional. I’m really impressed at the number of coffee roasters that do an amazing job. Companies obviously hope that I like their stuff, and feel obliged to blog about it. I don’t think they entertain the thought of what will happen if I do not like it. In the past, I’ve just ignored coffees that were bad and have not shared them with you. I didn’t want to hurt feelings, or seem disrespectful. On the other hand, I think it is more important to let the chips fall where they may, and be honest with my visitors. So here goes nothin’…
Here are a couple of shipments of coffee that I did not really enjoy. This doesn’t mean that these companies don’t have some quality coffees, but the ones they chose to send to me were less than stellar.
First up, is Newhall Coffee. A long time ago, they shipped me a monstrous number of coffees from their California Blends. Whoever is in charge of shipping coffee to bloggers and reviewers really needs to learn a couple of things. First, never ship preground coffee to anyone who really cares about coffee. I tried a cup of each of the blends, and was less than impressed by the bland, thin, and even at times revolting flavors. Their website says they hand pick the top %1 of beans, but that was definitely not reflective in these blends.
I received some coffees from CoffeeAM recently. These coffees were not in the poor state that the Newhall coffees were, but they were decidedly underwhelming. I tasted the Costa Rican Reserve, Kenyan, and Sumatra Black Satin. None of the coffees were terrible, but they didn’t excite me either. The worst of the three was the Sumatran. I like a Sumatran to be roasted full city, but this was charred. It also left me with an upset stomach with each cup. The Costa Rican was palatable, but nothing spectacular. I’ve had Costa Rican coffees that were exceptional, but this wasn’t one of them. I am tempted to order some Ethiopian Sidama from them, before I make my final determination about this company. Perhaps I just got a series of coffees that I personally don’t like.
A couple of suggestions of where to buy coffee online are:
GoCoffeeGo.com – These guys have a collection of coffees from the best roasters in North America, all in one spot! They have frequent deals, and they make it easy to try new stuff with one easy checkout process.
Camano Island Coffee – This company has a few amazing coffees. They could have more, but I’ve only had a few of them and I loved all of them. Most notably was the Papua New Guinea. A company built on sustainable practices. Check out my full review of Camano Island Coffee Roasters.
What do you think?!
What do you think about bad coffee? Is bad coffee better than no coffee? Do you drink coffee for its medicinal properties, or for the total experience? I drink it for the total experience, and will opt for water when faced with the choice between bad coffee, or no coffee. How about you?
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