CafeDirect Costa Rica

I'm not getting into this. It's a little weak bodied for me - or perhaps I have been drinking too many dark roast coffees recently. In order to bring up the flavour and body I have been increasing the amount of coffee I use, but that then increases the bitterness and harshness.

I gradually got into it, and found the right way to brew it, but while eventually finding it acceptable, it didn't really impress me.


Score: 5       Date:  April 2015

Reduced to £1.89 as my local Co-op was closing down, I thought I'd give it another go. I discovered the best way to brew is to use two and a half scoops, and to leave to brew for over 4 minutes. That does bring out the flavours which includes some pleasant caramel and a playful acidity. The coffee is fairly robust, and is a little too assertive for my taste. I like the initial flavours, and the complexity, but the acidity is a tad too sharp for me, and the assertiveness grows too much in the finish.

Score: 4-5   Date:  March 2016

Cafedirect

Costa Rican coffee

CafeDirect Machu Picchu

I love this. Full flavoured, rich, yet low in bitterness. Good rounded flavours hinting at honey with an undertone of chocolate. Very enjoyable and easy drinking.

Date: April 2015  Score: 7/10

Before I started this blog I had some Machu Picchu coffee and enjoyed it very much. I think part of the enjoyment is the association with the magical Machu Picchu; I would much prefer my coffee to come from somewhat exotic and mysterious than from some factory in Wolverhampton. Having a warm, positive feeling toward the coffee prepares me to enjoy it more. I am open, willing, and happy. I had this coffee, sold by CafeDirect, in April and really enjoyed it, so when my local Co-op were selling it off at £1.89 I grabbed another bag. This is a robust coffee, full of oily flavour and character. There's little acidity, but also little bitterness, so it seems well suited to me. It's not really a complex or interesting coffee, more of a full bodied coffee that you can drink and enjoy without thinking about.

Over time I have noticed that if left too long, or if a little too much coffee is used it can result in a sludgy and unpleasant coffee. Given that it's a fairly robust coffee anyway, I prefer to under measure and plunge sooner rather than later.

Date: August 2015   Score: 6/10


History of coffee in Peru

Coffee industry of Peru

Coffee Hunters on Peru

Peru - The New Gold of the Andes


CoffeeJudges

Cafedirect

Tchibo Family coffee

Bought cheaply in a Polish supermarket in Southampton. This is very crude and bitter. Not my thing at all. Pretty close to undrinkable.

Tchibo are a German company founded in 1949. They have a chain of coffee shops and are one of the largest shop chains in Germany.

1/10