Review: Lüna Coffee Guatemala Huehuetenango Pedro Villatoro Lychee Glow (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

Denton, Texas was where I used to call home between 2001-2003, while I was a student at the University of North Texas. The city had a quirky, offbeat vibe while I lived there, and that hasn’t changed, but what has changed is the proliferation of craft coffee shops in the area. Granted, I didn’t really grow to appreciate a great cup of coffee until a few years after I moved away, but if these shops had been there while I was a student, maybe I would have started earlier!

One relatively new coffee shop to Denton is Cryptozoology, housed inside the space home to Armadillo Ale Works. Sprudge had a nice write-up on Cryptozoology recently and though the space is cavernous, the vibe was homey and friendly. This shop has a reputation for carrying top-notch roasters, and when I stopped in, they had these beautiful bags from Lüna Coffee from Vancouver. I had just come back from my own trip to Vancouver a few weeks before this, so I had fun discussing coffee roasters with Cryptozoology’s owner, Ben Lytle. I rarely get out to Denton anymore (it’s almost an hour away from where I live now), which is a shame because I would love to visit this coffee shop more regularly!

Lüna Coffee is a roaster that specializes in lightly-roasted coffee, and they believe in respecting everyone in the coffee supply chain with fair and equitable treatment. To that end, they provide the most transparency I’ve ever seen regarding where your dollars go. In addition, their bags are 100% Omnidegradable, with nothing to remove. I’ve seen other coffee bags that are compostable and recyclable, as long as you remove the twist-tab or other similar parts. This design by Lüna is a great touch for anyone that wants to prioritize the environment.

Whole bean: I admit, I picked up this bag almost solely because of the name “Lychee Glow” – I LOVE lychee. Unfortunately, I was bound for disappointment because the name apparently has nothing to do with the flavor of the coffee – this coffee had a gentle scent of matcha tea and spice cake. Lovely but if you’re expecting lychee (which I was hoping for), it’s a little bit of a letdown. However, I got over it!

V60: This is a really complex and interesting coffee. It has the delicate flavor of green tea along with a slight barley nuttiness. Gentle in the mouth with a dry, pleasant finish.

Chemex: This was a sweeter version of the V60 cup, really. Reminiscent of a beautiful green tea in flavor, if not in color. I am always intrigued by coffees that are more like tea in character; if this is the sort of thing that interests you, you’ll like this coffee.

French press: Rich sugary sweetness amidst the delicate flavors of green tea and subtle floral notes. I loved this cup!

AeroPress: Somehow, in my excitement over the French press cup, I completely forgot to taste this brewed in an AeroPress, and by the time I realized this, the coffee was too far past the roast date to make a fair comparison. Sorry, AeroPress fans. However, I really think it would be hard to beat the French press cup for these beans.

Summary: This is a coffee for green tea lovers, as well as people that favor light, delicate coffees. Brewed in a French press, this had some of the flavor qualities that I like in Geisha varietals, without quite as high of a price tag. Worth a try, especially if you enjoy matcha!

From the roaster: Candied and floral, augmented by a fresh green tea flavour

Lüna Coffee Guatemala Huehuetenango Pedro Villatoro “Lychee Glow”

Review conducted 8 days post-roast.

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