This coffee is incredible. It’s easily the best coffee I’ve had from a Dallas-area roaster, and it rivals some of the most enjoyable coffee I’ve ever experienced anywhere in the world. Let’s dive in!
From the Native Coffee Company‘s website:
NATIVE is the exclusive roastery + showroom of Diego Bermudez (Co-Owner of NATIVE). Diego is a world renowned coffee producer and physicist who is at the forefront of pushing innovation in coffee.
Our menu features some of the highest-end coffees in the world – both from Diego and our other favorite producers globally (as well as anything new that Diego is cooking up)
Farm to cup – like never before.
I’ve visited the Native café in North Dallas twice, and they stand out for their interesting rotating selection of roasters (I’ve noticed roasters from Europe on the brew bar!). I’ve not been there in many months, but last fall, I saw them teasing these gorgeous Rothko-esque bags via their Instagram account. Turns out that these bags are from their own line. I finally got a chance to order a bag online in early February, but I was a bit surprised by these instructions re: how long to wait to open the bag:
This was an education for me, as I had previously been under the impression that fresher is better for nearly all beans, and I was aiming to drink coffees within 2-3 weeks of roasting. But, a bit of googling confirmed that lighter-roasted coffees benefit from a longer rest, so I put a Post-It on my bag, with the instruction “do not open until at least March 4th” (which marked 4 weeks from roast date). I made it to March 8th, and based on my last tasting of a different light-roasted bean, I think the wait was VERY worthwhile.
I’ve only sporadically reviewed coffees from the end to 2019 to the present, so I hadn’t been paying much attention to current roasting/processing trends, but if this coffee is anything to go by, I’ve been missing out! Most coffees I was familiar with up until this point were pretty minimally processed – at most, perhaps washed, dried, and then roasted. Today’s cutting-edge roasters are finding new and inventive ways of treating the coffee cherries to bring out unexpected flavors, including fermentation and chilling with liquid nitrogen. Caffeinated mad scientists, if you will!
Whole bean: When I opened the bag of these Colombian beans, I drank in the scent – and then immediately ran to the bedroom to make Shutterbug take a whiff. It smelled like an intense strawberry jam and Taiwanese pineapple cake. Shockingly fruity, fragrant, sweet aroma. I was SO excited to taste this brewed.
French press: Vibrant, flavorful coffee that tasted of fruit punch, with major strawberry notes. Tropical. Sweet, not cloying or acidic or sour. As it cooled it tasted more and more like juice! Delicious.
Chemex: Very similar to the French press coffee, but with a lighter body (as can be expected due to the filter). Refreshing. Complex yet really approachable flavors. I couldn’t get over how delicious this was.
Clever Dripper: For some reason, this was the absolute wrong method for these beans. The coffee itself came out strangely pale, muted in color and in flavor. Everything distinctive and special about the coffee was removed and I was left with a disappointing cup of blandness. Perhaps it could have used a longer brew time (total brew time was 3:15 with a 30-second draw down), but I wouldn’t recommend this method for these beans if you have another method available to you.
Hario V60: Virtually the same as the Chemex cup; juicy, fruity, refreshing yet gentle. I loved everything about this.
Summary: Wow, wow, wow. I haven’t been this excited about a coffee in a long time. Whatever these mad scientists are doing in their labs, I am on board! If you’re local to Dallas and enjoy light-roasted coffee, check out Native. I don’t know if the café sells their branded beans in-store, but it ships quite fast when you order online (no free shipping though unless you order over 40 pounds worth!).
(Update: They do sell beans in store: I picked up a bag today that was about 5 days post-roast).
Whatever you do, be patient and wait a least a month to break into the bag… you’ll be rewarded with astoundingly good flavors and aromas. I think Golden Hour is best in the Chemex and Hario V60 because the cleaner mouthfeel and lighter body complement the coffee’s character best in my opinion, but it’s also very good in a French press/cafetière. Just avoid making this in a Clever.
From the roaster: Lychee, peach, yellow fruits, apple
Golden Hour is currently listed on their online store along with around 15 other intriguing blends and single-origins.
Native Coffee Company Online Store
Review conducted 32 days post-roast.
Wow, this review absolutely captures the essence of what makes a coffee experience truly unforgettable. I love how you took the time to detail the flavor evolution through different brewing methods. especially the comparison between the Chemex and French press. The notes of strawberry jam, pineapple cake, and even lychee sound like a dream for anyone who enjoys a vibrant, fruit-forward profile.
It’s also refreshing to read about the innovative approach Native Coffee Company takes, especially with Diego Bermudez at the helm. Your tip about letting the beans rest for a month is super helpful—I never realized the difference it could make with lighter roasts. Adding Golden Hour and a trip to their café to my coffee bucket list!
Thanks for the kind words! Yeah, the longer rest for ultra-light roast was a revelation. Medium-roast and up, the bags inflate within days due to the beans degassing (and I love to squeeze the bags to be able to smell the aroma through the one-way valve!). However, I’ve noticed that with ultra-light roasts, the degassing doesn’t kick in for quite a long time, so it was no wonder that I found the flavor bland when brewed too early. These things take time 🙂