Kohana Antigua Bella Carmona
August 29, 2009 by Marye Audet
Filed under Coffee
Antigua Bella Carmona….Just fun to say, isn’t it?
This is the first coffee that Marc and I tried from Kohana Coffee. The beans have a strong traditional coffee scent, with a very faint but pleasant tobacco aroma. When I smell this particular combination in coffee it reminds me of misty country mornings and percolated coffee.
By the way, if you ever want to make my husband very..very…VERY nervous..just set a cup of coffee on the edge of a laptop while it is on the bed. And look how pathetic my keyboard it..about fifteen of the keys have worn off and it isn’t even a year old yet.
The coffee is fragrant when brewed, and very shiny in the cup. It reflects like a mirror. I have heard that is a sign of good coffee and I am not going to argue. The aroma from the hot coffee is like nougat and citrus at the same time. Antigua Bella Carmona is a medium roast coffee, by the way. It is bright and has a medium acidity. It is what I like to call a “perky” coffee. Sort of like a cheerleader on mood enhancers.
The flavor is citrus and walnut and the body was less rich than I usually like . Remember, I am a fan of dark, sultry Italian type roasts. I like my coffee to wink at me from the cup with a “hey, how you doin’?”
This was not that type of coffee. With cream and sugar added the citrus notes held up well and the cream added the body and richness that I crave.
I am giving this a 3.75 out of 5. It is above average for a medium roast coffee. If you are a fan of dark roasts you probably will not be thrilled with this but if you like a medium roast with a bright, bubbly personality I think you will love it. Great afternoon coffee with a Fig Newton cookie or simple cake.
Dear Lord, I just realized I like my coffee emo.
Image:Marye Audet
Marye, thanks for the review of the Bella Carmona. We found it at a blind cupping in Berkeley last year and everyone fell hard. My favorite part is the buttery, rich aroma that filters through to my taste buds – when it’s brewing I know it from far away. This is part of a brand new crop from Hacienda Carmona in Antigua – still determining if it meets the mark of last years remarkable crop – it’s certainly close.
I should have sent more dark roast samples – I now remember you saying it was your pref. Next sultry, italian roast we do I’m forwarding!
Piper
Let me tell you, for a medium roast that got nearly perfect marks. I am drinking the Rockin Ausin now…like it a lot.
“Dear Lord, I just realized I like my coffee emo.”
I had something else I wanted to comment about, but when I read this coffee, I laughed so hard that I forgot everything else. Quoted Of The Day!
You still have a way! But I do hope you’re back to feeling 100 percent soon!