Blue Bottle Coffee Review + Free Coffee Offer – December 2015

Blue Bottle Coffee is a coffee subscription with multiple options to suit your coffee needs. Generally you’ll get 12 oz of beans every other week for $17, or double your bag for an extra $11. They also offer half bag and triple bag subscriptions. The prices vary by a buck or so on your coffee selections. You can try Blue Bottle Coffee free – just look for the “Try It Free” button after you hit subscribe.

Nearly a year ago Blue Bottle announced they have acquired Perfect Coffee, a coffee subscription that has apparently stopped time and has developed a magic method of grinding beans that never get old, but we haven’t heard anything more about that yet except it was supposed to debut this summer. Currently they offer only whole bean subscriptions but we’ll let you know when ground is available!

This month I received Ethiopia Guji Hambela Natura. I have the Origins subscription, but it’s easy to switch between the 3 types (Origins, Blend, Espresso) or one of the 8 specialty subscriptions available, as well as change the frequency and amount of coffee you receive in each shipment. I like that I receive a different single-origin coffee every time with my Origins subscription.  I find you can discover some really fantastic flavor profiles that tend to get lost in a blend.  I’ve had Blue Bottle Coffee blends (and espresso, though I prepared it as normal coffee) before, and they are selected and prepared with the same degree of mindfulness, though you will miss out on some of the delightful “rough edges” of the single-origin brews.

Blue Bottle Coffee‘s Description:

Aman Adinew, formerly the director of quality control for the Ethiopian Coffee Exchange, has an impressive resume. In addition to establishing the first specialty-focused cupping lab in Africa, he was responsible for training more than 60 certified coffee tasters. Hambela, a farm that hosts its own plants and sources cherry from nearby smallholders, is the brainchild of he and his brother Michael. In the Bay Area, where Aman’s extended family owns an Ethiopian restaurant in Berkeley (and where his wife, the celebrated singer Aster Aweke, is one iPod click away), it’s advisable to enjoy an Adinew-jammed afternoon: Start with a cup of Hambela, scarf a plate of Kitfo, then polish it off dancing to “Checheho.”

Blue Bottle Coffee‘s notes:  Cherry cola, dark chocolate, and date.

My Notes:  I concur with the flavor notes provided by Blue Bottle.  Below the distinct cherry cola flavor, this coffee has a superb presence, with a very full midrange and lots of earthy sweetness.  It is my favorite of the the “cherry cola” coffees I have tried.  The chocolate and date notes crate a wonderfully complete flavor profile, and the balance feels right — there is no wild acidity or hollowness in the cup.  This bean surprised me a bit, as I would have taken it as a Kenyan instead of an Ethiopian bean —  due to the datey sweetness and deepness of the chocolate, as well as the lack of a dry, light, floral presence.  I credit the natural processing with the development of the cola liveliness and unique character.

Visit Blue Bottle Coffee to find out more or to subscribe – a free trial offer is available. Visit the site, hit subscribe, and then the white “Try It For Free” button.