This is the last of a trio of awesome coffees sent to me recently by Bold Bean Coffee Roasters out of Jacksonville, FL. To date, I have enjoyed every coffee they’ve sent my way (use the search bar or the “list of review” menu item up top). Unfortunately, they sold out of this coffee before I could post my review, but it’s still worth sharing readers because it adds to why I would buy any coffee from Bold Bean without hesitation based on what I’ve experienced so far!
This coffee was a direct trade acquisition of fourteen 69kg bags of coffee, close to half of what this little 7-hectare farm in Costa Rica’s West Valley produces. Finca Cirri is found at 1800masl in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica. The farm is run by Leon Arrieta and his wife and two children. All the farm operations are run by the four of them and Leon is the fourth generation of his family to manage Finca Cirri.
This coffee is Catuai and Caturra varietals and the beans are semi-washed and sun-dried, so it’s a type of “honey processing” that lands between a traditional dry process/natural and wet-process/washed coffee.
This was such a great cup of coffee to drink. I had it as AeroPress and Gino pourover and it was great both ways, but did better in the notNeutral Gino. This coffee actually has been a “problem” for me because I found myself going back to it over and over again when I should’ve been moving along tasting other coffees to review!
This is a bright yet deep coffee. It has a very orange juicy type of acidity to it with plenty of sweetness that develops some strawberry notes as the acidity dies off in the sip. The mouthfeel is on the light side of medium for me, which is notable because there are a lot of flavors in this coffee that would suggest a denser, heavier coffee on the palate.
As the cup cools I kept getting hints of holiday-time cooking spices. I don’t want to say “ginger” or “cinnamon” or anything specific, but I got notes of “warming” spices reminiscent of those and it made for a very welcoming and delicious cup of coffee.
The acidity coupled with that fruity sweetness also lent a wine-like vibe to this coffee, especially as it cooled down. Despite a lot of complexity in this cup I found it to be an easy drinker and very inviting, which was why it took me so long to develop my review. When I kept going back this bag I was just drinking it for the pleasure of it and not taking notes. That doesn’t happen very often for me, so that is notable in and of itself!
Another fantastic coffee from Bold Bean. I don’t really grade or rate coffees or roasters, but I do keep a running list in my head for when people ask me for recommendations and I put Bold Bean Coffee Roasters on the, “buy without worry or hesitation” list. Great job!
For another perspective on this coffee, see Drew’s review on Corner of the Cafe.