Being originally from NJ, just outside of NYC, we pretty much had access to just about every national food chain, supermarket, store, etc. that you can imagine. So I've been to Trader Joe's many times in the past, but since moving to quaint little Gainesville, FL, access to bigger brand name stores is a bit more limited. Fear not! Trader Joe's opened up a new store right here in Gainesville this past December. My wife had been there a few times, but my first trip was earlier in the month when I realized that I was running low on coffee (AHHHHHHH!) and wanted to venture to some new beans!
The Trader Joe's Costa Rican Tarrazu is an utterly fantastic coffee! For me it's the perfect balance of bite, smoothness, and coffee pleasure. I was debating several different kinds until the coffee guy suggested this one. At only $6.99/13 oz. container it's a great value too! In my last post, I knocked the Fairway Market Indonesia Sumatra a bit for being a little too dark. This is what was contributing to me indecision, luckily the coffee guy was there to help push me over the edge, otherwise I might not have picked up this one!
Check out these beautifully roasted medium dark beans! You can taste the complex flavor just from the scent of the beans! It did take me a day to balance the water/bean ratio. The first pot I made was leaning to the dark, approaching Starbucks mud, than the "well balance and silky smooth finish" promised on the container. Once I figured out that ratio I would completely agree with that description.
Check out the snazzy resealable paper cylinder that their coffee comes in! And a neat little 'history' of the beans on the back of the package.
This was a tough rating to give; by far it's the best cup of coffee I've made out of anything I've posted on this blog. Something is telling me to hold back giving it a 5/5. Maybe because I'm still waiting for some coffee somewhere to completely blow me out of the water? Taking into consideration the very reasonable price of this, as an everyday coffee it is hands down a 5/5, but I am still going to leave room for that near-angelic cup in the future.
Bottom Line Rating:4.5/5
We got this about 2 weeks ago. I'm making the rounds with TJ's coffees. Funny thing is I was leaning toward the Peaberry, when Jake grabbed this one. Perhaps it was the volcano or butterfly. But safe to say he made a good choice.
ReplyDeleteSmart kid.
DeleteHi! So what is the right coffee to water ratio to get the silky finish?
ReplyDeleteI generally use 32 ounces of water and 2.5 scoops of beans (then grind it). This isn't the small scoop that comes with most coffee makers. It's the larger scoop that's in powered iced tea/lemonade. Those scoops are about twice as big as the coffee scoop. I could be wrong, but the silky finish might be more of a product of the coffee than actual water/beans ratio. Try some variations out and see what you like. Thanks for reading!
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