It’s been another week of exciting times here at Foxen Coffee!
We just had our first coffee tasting event with a group of new customers and friends. Coffee tasting is a tradition among many roasters in the industry, and I was excited to get my first swing at it.
In this event we tasted 5 different coffees that are part of our core rotation:
- Guatemala Fraijanes, Medium Roast / Guatemala Coffee
- Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Natural Misty Valley Grade 1, Light Roast / Ethiopian Coffee
- Peruvian Atahualpa, Certified Organic, Medium Roast / Peru Organic Coffee
- Mexico Chiapas Terquesa, Dark Roast / Mexico Chiapas Coffee
- Kenya AA Nguvu, Light Roast / Kenya AA Coffee
We had 3 attendees, and the unanimous winner of the taste test was Guatemala. This was of no surprise to me, it’s a crowd pleasure for sure. That’s why the Guatemala is a base bean that we use in all our Blended variations (Lighthouse, Nocturnal, and Espresso).
Also as expected, the Ethiopia was a split decision. Half the room swore by it, and the other half didn’t see it the same. The Ethiopian Misty Valley is really a unique tasting coffee, it has a sweetness to it that can’t be missed – which is often why you will see people either love it or hate it. The coffee drinkers in the room understood one thing though very clearly – this coffee was meant for an espresso. And they are right! Because of the smooth and floral notes in this bean, it really does amazing when concentrated in an Espresso shot.
Another general pleaser was the Kenya AA. This was an obvious winner for a variety of reasons. It’s one of the most smooth and flavorful coffees we have on the catalog. It’s Citris and cherry notes are distinct, incredibly smooth, but also very rich. Therefore I like to call it a “dessert coffee.” It’s one of those coffees you keep for a special occasion – not something you necessarily drink every day (due to the intense richness of the flavor profile). HOWEVER, I can easily drink this one in an espresso each day without a problem. LOVE IT. In most cases people tend to really enjoy the Kenya, it’s the coffee that got us in the door at a lot of retail stores, and our buyer from MaMa Jeans Natural Market said “It’s the best coffee she’s ever had.”
It’s hard to pick your favorite in a tasting of some of the best coffee selections in the market, but our Peruvian and Mexico coffee is equally as appealing. Our peru is great for people looking for an organic selection, and the Mexico is one of our only dark roasted beans that provides an option for those customers looking for a light-bitter tart. Not everyone wants fruity tones in their coffee, you might just want something that’s going to kick you in the butt each morning and widen those sleepy eyes – that’s why we have the Mexico bean!
If you’re interested in doing a coffee tasting with us, please feel free to reach out to me directly to schedule a tasting. We can taste coffee together and you can buy coffee that is roasted right in front of you! It’s truly a fun and unique experience and I can’t wait to get started with the next one.
Nicolas, Co-Founder, Foxen Coffee