Archer Farms Colombia Rio Magdalena

Archer Farms Colombian Rio Magdalena

Another medium-roast Colombian coffee, this time from the Magdalena region in the Northern tip of the country.

Not that long ago, I was able to get bags of the "Direct Trade" in whole bean, but lately seem scarce. It's a shame, because these coffees in whole bean are really good.

Though this batch is pre-ground, there are still some nice aromas of tangy fruit and sweet wood from the bag. Once brewed it still has glimmers of the flavors found in the aromas, but really becomes nondescript fairly fast.

 I wish this was whole bean, and much fresher, but when it's on sale for less than $6 for the 11 oz bag, I'm not complaining too loudly. It beats the more expensive Charbucks product just down the aisle, and is lightyears better than what's usually in the office coffee pot.

Cultiva Colombia Huila

Cultiva Colombia Huila

I love a local roaster than knows his beans from his bollocks and first crack from his ass crack. Cultiva is a fine roaster from Lincoln Nebraska, and this Colombia Huila is a sweet coffee. The Huila region of Colombia is on the southeastern slopes of the Andes mountain range, and is as rich a coffee-growing situation as any other.

Just opening the bag of medium-roast beans unleashes a delightful aroma of butterscotch and sweet fruit with an Amaretto-like note. Freshly ground, the coffee is a soft brown with blonde flecks and has an even more delightful aroma then the whole beans. Forget sniffing glue, boys; run some of these beans through your burr grinder and huff away.

Don't rush, don't burn your tongue, but it's hard to resist with the aromas coming off this coffee. Sipping brings bright, sweet flavors of coffee, fruit and wood. Not bitter at all, this is good stuff. I wouldn't waste this coffee by pairing it with anything too bold, like a heavy Nicaraguan cigar. Perhaps a Fuente Hemingway or Diplomaticos no. 4.