Readers in the US are probably familiar with the quasi-holiday Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving, when large retailers slash prices on all sorts of merchandise to kick off the Christmas shopping season), but a slightly lesser-known quasi holiday is Small Business Saturday, when consumers are encouraged to do their holiday shopping from small businesses. There are so many great reasons to support small businesses. In the case of coffee, I highly, highly encourage people to regularly seek out and support independent roasters and coffee shops, and to not wait to do it one Saturday a year! In my travels, I’ve gotten to meet and talk with quite a few coffee shop owners and roasters, and it always inspires me to see the level of passion and care they put into their work.
True Coffee Roasters reached out to me via the contact page on my blog about trying several of their coffees, and they are exactly the sort of small business I love to support: passionate about coffee with a strong emphasis on quality and sustainability. Their slogan is “true to the bean,” which refers to their commitment to roasting in a manner to best bring out the essence of each coffee they sell. Their bags are chock-full of information: from the roast date, to the initials of the roaster, to extensive details about where the beans came from. This company clearly believes in transparency and it was kind of perfect that they sell their bags with a clear window, so you can clearly see their product. Fitting!
Whole bean: These washed Ethiopia Guji beans had a surprisingly light and sweet fragrance of pineapple and tropical fruit.
French press: This was a beautifully subtle coffee – more subtle than I expected, given the pineapple scent of the ground beans. Once brewed, the coffee was more like jasmine tea with hints of nectarine, pineapple, and tropical fruit. This was really delicious.
Chemex: I brewed this for 4:00, and it had the sweet jasmine tea scent of the French press cup but with less fruity character. It was a bit dry on the finish like a dry white wine.
AeroPress: What a difference – this method brought out a rich juiciness. Peach and almond flavors dominated this cup, and it had a refreshing acidity without losing its sweetness.
V60: This was pretty similar to the Chemex cup – subtle sweetness with some floral notes.
Summary: This coffee, depending on the brewing method, can either be like a whisper of jasmine tea + fruit, or it can be a much more assertive, juicy, and nutty cup to make your eyes open wide. Either way, it’s a lovely coffee.
From the roaster: chocolate, peach, jasmine
True Coffee Roasters Ethiopia Guji, washed, Grade 1
Note: True Coffee Roasters sells their beans in 1-pound (16-ounce) bags.
Review conducted 8-10 days post-roast.
Disclaimer: I received this product gratis in exchange for a fair and honest review. Even though I received this for free, I treat and test it the same way as if I had paid for it out of my own pocket.