Equatorial Bold is more my cup of tea than the Southern Cross.  Ummm…cup of coffee I mean.

This is a full city roast, closer to the dark espressos that I love. The beans were dark and oily and very fragrant.  In fact I will say that, although so far, Terra Nova coffees have not been my favorites (I still like Ugly Mug the best), they have been the most aromatic.

The aroma is sharp and almost lemony in the bag.  The lemony scent mellows to a citrussy, almost like Clemintines in the cup.

The flavor is peppery at first  followed by a mellow acidity.  The website states that it has a mild smoky finish but I did not think so.

I like this better than the Southern Cross, although again, I think it is because of my preference for dark roasts.

With cream and stevia it is smooth and rich.  Would be a great afternoon coffee with pie, or an after dinner cup, although the caffeine kick is strong.

On a one to ten rating I would give this coffee a seven, better than many not as good as some.  Definitely worth a try.

This is organic and Fair Trade, two things that would give this coffee and edge over other coffees that I might like a little better.

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Images: Marye Audet

Post from: Kettle and Cup

This is my favorite of the coffees that Green Mountain sent me.  It is a dark roast, and as I have said, I am partial to a dark roast.  The beans are very aromatic, you open the bag and your brain perks up..”coffee? did someone say coffee?”

The color is dark and rich.  When I tasted it there were definite orange flavors.  In fact I was reminded of those orange slice jelly candies that kids love.  It is that pronounced of a sweet orange flavor.   Now, the cupping notes call for chocolate and “dark fruit” in addition to the orange. Again, I think that the chocolate taste label that keeps getting slapped on coffee is one of those things like certain descriptions of wine…it is largely overdone.  If someone says that the coffee has notes of chocolate and nut it better taste like a Hershey’s with almonds, you know?

Green Mountain coffees, at least the ones I have tasted, all have varying degrees of acidity that some other coffees I have had do not.  It is not something I hate but I would not seek it out.

This is a Fair Trade Organic coffee.  That racks up points with me.  All in all an excellent  coffee especially for afternoon with a quick snack. I do think it would compliment a chocolate dessert because of the citrus notes, as well as be a nice go-with to a breakfast croissant with fruit.

Do I recommend it? Oh yeah. Definitely.

Image:MaryeAudet 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

I got Marc some of these beans for Christmas. As a linguist there are just not that many words I have problems saying, so from moment I tried to wrap my tongue around the name I was intrigued.

Like it. Like it alot.

The color was rich and dark and the aroma was good. When I am tasting a coffee to actually review it I drink it black..when I just want to be really, really nice to myself I drink it with stevia and heavy cream. So..the first sip tasted like coffee…really good coffee..o.k…then my mouth was filled with a smoky fig taste. FIGS?

Yep. My son in law tasted it too. It is almost a wine taste but very reminiscent of figs. Very complex.

Did I mention that it was really really good?

Now I want to talk to my roaster to see if she can get it. I was not happy with the dryness of the beans I got, not alot of oil to them and as you all know, I am so very spoiled!

Now, Green Mountain says that theirs has an orange blossom fragrance, and another site said that it had the taste of lavender but trust me, guys, it is smoked fig wine. All the way.

So, some background. First, you say it yur-ga-SHEF. And apparently it is pretty rare to find it. And, haha, it comes from Ethiopia. I can’t help but be amazed at all the flavors that are attributed to it but everyone seems to agree that it is awesome good and that it has some incredible layers of flavor.

If you really want to experience taste sensation, try this coffee with lemon poppy seed bread. Why? The fig flavor is going to go amazingly well and your mouth is going to dance off your face…sort of. In theory.

Later- 

O.k..I am going to write an addendum ONLY because Marc just made another pot of the stuff…and I have to admit that the first sip was….lemon. But to me that is not nearly as prevalent as the fig endnotes. The SMOKY fig endnotes.

So there.

Post from: Kettle and Cup