Coffee Review: Ethical Bean Bold

I first tried this coffee last year when I received it as a Christmas gift and I was very impressed. After coming home from school and being rather burned out I made a cup of this. It kept me going for about 3 hours. Being fair trade, and organic you cant go wrong.

Roast:

Dark

Origin:

Peru (Monte Verde)

Price:

$13.00/1 Pound

Aroma

When I First opened the bag I smelled rich notes of dark chocolate, spice, cedar, a bit of smoke and vanilla sweetness. The aroma of the beans gets stronger and opens up a bit more when ground producing stronger notes of smoke and chocolate. In the glass the aroma changes to a sweet roasted malt, lots of chocolate, smoke and a bit of vanilla. Overall a very interesting and wonderful nose.

Taste

Very and I mean very smooth, silky, and full body mouthfeel. Very rich and complex flavours of dark chocolate and spice. Hints of vanilla, roasted sweet malt, and molasses are also present  The smoke element is very subtle but is still there adding complexity to the overall coffee. Very gentle acidity and a long, flavour-saturated finish.

Buzz

For a dark roast there is a decent amount of buzz to this coffee. The brewing method I have used was drip and the caffeine content will depend on what method you use. After a rather long day at school and still having about 3 hours of code to write, I made a cup of this hopping it would get me through my work, and boy it did. I was able to stay focused and alert while working and got my work done in about 1 1/2 hours instead of 3. The total buzz lasted for about 4 hours.

Conclusion

Overall this is one of  my top 3 favourite coffees. Very affordable and very high quality, it tastes like it needs to be more expensive. After a long day at school or work its very nice to come home to a cup of this. Total mark is 95/100.