Blind Assessment

Deep, rather richly roasty aroma: charred cedar, dark chocolate, hints of flowers and raisins. In the cup thin-bodied and shallow, almost watery, with continued charred cedar notes hinting at dark chocolate together with a little additional tickle of flowers and perhaps menthol. The finish is sweet and rich in the short, mildly astringent in the long.

Notes

Available at $8.49 per valve-topped 13-ounce fiberboard can, an equivalent of $10.45 per pound, at most Trader Joe's outlets. Certified organically grown and Fair Trade, meaning this coffee was purchased from small-holding farmers at a "fair" or economically sustainable price. By industry standards this is not the "Medium-Dark" roast as described on the can; it is a very dark roast. Trader Joe's is an innovative discount gourmet supermarket chain currently with stores in over twenty states but with no mail order. Visit www.traderjoes.com for more information.

Who Should Drink It

Those who so enjoy extreme dark-roasted coffees that they will put up with a rather listless rendition of one at a good price with excellent social and environmental credentials.

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