Then I read about Mike having the Maple Bacon coffee and I was intrigued..still waiting to get it but intrigued.  THEN I discovered the Farm Town Ap on Facebook and found out if I ordered a trial amount of their coffee I  got 20,000 or so points fo buy farm animals with.  Who can resist a deal like that?

I now have replace my horses that I had to give away last summer with cyber horses.

My experience was not as quick as Mikes.  It took almost a week for the coffee to arrive, although I was contacted and told that it was shipped the day after I ordered.  I ordered four 1/2 lbs.

The first that I tried is the South Beach Rhythm.  It is described by the company as:

Exotic and smoky, this very full bodied dark roast is made from premium Colombian and Panamanian beans.

O.k.  That isn’t helpful.  I mean really.  Yes that sounds wonderful but it tells me nothing about how the coffee tastes. Not really.  It is like sauying a wine is fruity and full bodied.   These companies should stop hiring writers to write descriptions and start hiring coffee writers..right Mike? Oh, and the words chocolate, nutty, and smoky can’t be used. Ever.

Here are my thoughts.

The beans are very dark and coated with a nice layer of oil.  The sheen is incredible.  They are plump and perfect, not broken or fragmented.  They are on the small side. I don’t know if this really matters but I have noticed that the flavor of the smaller beans seems to be better.

The beans smell spicy. They remind me of something …I can’t quite identify.  There is almost a marzipan scent and an underlying sassafras soda smell.  O.k.  Yes, I am sitting here huffing a bag of coffee beans, and your point is? If you ever had a real A &W Root Beer from the real drive in….you are old…but you will also recognize some of the intriguing scent in this coffee.

The coffee is very dark and glossy.  The fresh brewed aroma is less intense than I would have expected and has a slight herbal scent.  The flavor is smooth with a subtle winey note and a pleasant acidity left on the tongue.  If there are chocolate notes they would be chocolate fudge and not anything less rich.  This is a rich and satisfying cup, aptly named.  It brings to mind the velvet and sensual darkness of a tropical night.  The company says that there are notes of caramel but I did not find them.  I think they are just not experienced enough foodies to know the difference between caramel and marzipan.

I wish it had more aroma while it was being brewed but other than that I can’t fault it. It is definitely a complex brew, revealing layers of flavor as you sip, like an exotic dancer taking off veils.

I could not find answers to my questions on the website so I called.  Their customer service is quite good.  My question was whether or not the coffee was organic/Fair Trade/Rainforest Alliance.  The answer? SOME of the coffee is.  If this is important to you, then read carefully.  The majority of the coffee is not.  So, that is my second disappointment with the coffee.

Now, I have to apologize for my images.  I had a decent camera.  My five year old was carefully bringing it to me when she tripped.  Camera case broke.  Had to buy another.  Sadly, I had only the money for a rather (very) cheap camera that does not do closeups.  Since I primarily do close ups this really stinks.   Even photo editing only helps a little.  Bear with me while I save up. :/

images:marye audet

Post from: Kettle and Cup