January’s Angels Cup comes from Free Space Coffee. The bag is a blend of beans from Ethiopia. I didn’t get to it untl February since I had the OKLAO Taiwan beans that I brought back.
To be honest, this is smells and tastes like classic Ethiopian grown coffee beans. I’m constantly amazed that the Ethiopian beans have consistently provided the same kind of taste and irrespective of the roasters. The flowery earthy aroma mixed with a fruity, chocolatey taste in my latte.

Coffee from Taiwan? Taiwan is located at the border of the Coffee Belt. These beans were grown in the famous mountainous regions of Taiwan’s “Ali Shan” which also grows quite a number of teas too. They are roasted by a Taiwanese roaster close to where I stayed called OKLAO Specialty Coffee.

Upon opening the bag, I’m greeted with this chocolate, nutty aroma with a faint fermentation smell as well. Grinding and making my latte, the full aroma of that faint fermentation comes back with a vengeance. Though I don’t taste anything “fermented,” the aroma itself gives the fruity and chocolate flavors a different taste making it feel a little more tangy (for lack of a better word). It’s kind of like the after taste from drinking those Yakult priobiotic drink.

January’s Trade Coffee comes from ReAnimator Coffee Roasters. The coffee bags have these pretty cool designs giving these beans a sense of individuality. These beans are actually from Chiapas, Mexico which from a Google Map search is apparently right next door to Guatemala. To be honest, I didn’t know Mexico grew coffee beans but seing how the southern tip of Mexico lines up along the top edges of the “Coffe Belt“, I shouldn’t be surprised.

Now the beans themselves have a very subdued aroma. However, there’s this pleaseant subtle aroma of chocolate and berries every time I open the bag to start making my latte. Grinding the beans and making my latte, the first sip has this wonderful honey, sweet, fruity flavor. There is also this pleaseant chocolate after taste that lingers in the mouth making me want to drink more. The latte is smooth and extremely drinkable (gulpable) that I had to make a 2nd cup.

November’s Angels Cup comes from Black Oak Coffee Roasters. It’s a blend of dark roasted beans. I’m a little disappointed that the past four Angels Cup deliveries have been blends. I was hoping that some intrepid roaster would create a dark roast single origin. I suppose it might be a waste to dark roast single origin beans.

Upon opening the bag, I first smell the strong ashy/smoky aroma followed by hints of chocolate and nuts. Subsequent sniffs brings a nice balanced aroma of smoky and chocolate. Making my latte, I taste this sweet chocolate flavor on the first sip. It tastes very much like a dark chocolate milk. What’s surprising is that there’s no bitterness that normally comes with dark roasts. With the lack of bitterness and the sweet chocolate flavor, I ended up making a second cup.

To be honest, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed these beans. The previous blends have been average flavor-wise. They are good but didn’t “wow” me like some of the single origins. I know it’s not a fair comparison (single origin vs blends) but after drinking so many single origin, it’s inevitable to make certain comparisons. I think this dark roast blend stands out because of the lack of bitterness while maintaining some of the sweetness tasted in light/medium roast beans.

November’s Trade Coffee comes from Congregation Coffee Roasters. The beans come from the Guji, Ethiopia. Upong receiving the bag, beans from Ethiopia tend to have a distinctive aroma… flowery, fruity and yet somewhat nutty.

From the aroma and past experiences with Ethiopian beans to make my latte, the flavor profile so far has been very similar across multiple roasters. These beans continue with the fruity, berry flavor profile in the latte. The flavors have a more berry/fruit forward taste and also tasted sweeter than the previous beans (an espresso blend). The after taste after each sip was a nice refreshing milk chocolate flavor that lingered at the back of the tongue. Ethiopian beans do not disappoint.

Octobers Angels Cup comes from “Whats Brewing” Coffee Roaster. The Vienna Roast is a blend that they roast for use to make espresso. I’m surprised that they claim it is versatile as a drip. I regret not trying this out on pourovers.

Upon first opening this, I’m greeted with a strong ashy aroma. Making my latte, I’m greeted by subtle fruit and nutty flavors. I also taste a slight roasted flavor as part of the after taste. To be honest, this doesn’t stand out as amazing but I can see why the roasters claim this as a “good work horse” for regular espressos.

The October Trade Coffee comes from Equator Coffee. It’s a single origin from Ethiopia’s Guji Zone. The consistency of the beans from this region is always top notch and these beans are the same. Roasted in the hands of one of my favorite roasters (Equator Coffee), it was bound to be really delicious latte.

Opening the bag, I smell a wonderful nutty floral aroma typical of Ethiopian beans. Making my latte, I initially tasted this fruity sweet berry flavor that shifts into a subtle nutty chocolate after taste. Every sip was like this and it was really enjoyable. I really like Equator coffee roasted beans. They consistently put out good quality roasted beans.