More coffee from Taiwan’s OKLAO roaster.

I’ve been neglecting on posting biweekly updates of the various coffee roasters I’ve received. To be honest, I put a short pause an all my coffee subscriptions after receiving coffee beans from Taiwan (2 bags) and Hawaii (1 bag).

Below is a list of Drink Trade and Atlas Coffee Club selections from the past 5 months. I didn’t get pics of the coffee beans from Taiwan and Hawaii.

Additionally, I’ve cancelled the Atlas Coffee Club subscription and have decided to stick with Drink Trade only. I’ll need to remember to every so often switch up the roast levels from light to medium to dark to maintain the variety received beans.

June’s Trade Coffee comes from Caffe Vita Coffee Roasting Company. I recieved a medium blend from Guatemala, Ethiopia and Brazil. Making my latte, I taste a wonderful chocolate and caramel flavor

One of the more interesting direct to consumer coffe ideas I’ve come across is Cometeer Coffee. They flash freeze an espresso amount of liquid so that the eventual coffee drinker can melt the espresso and make their coffee or latte.

I ended up ordering a starter box to try out what this flash freezing concept was about. Over the course of a little over 1 month (each box holds 10 cofee pods assuming 1 serving a day), I tried these four diferent roasters generally making a latte from a coffee pod. Overall, I the flavors were excellent. I expeically enjoyed Birch Dark and Mocha Java. Both exhibited a rich chocolate and carmel flavor. Some days, I would actually have two of the coffee pods because they were delicious.

Final thoughts, I think subscribing to Cometeer is an easier alternative to making lattes and other espresso based drinks (flat white, affogatos, etc…). Although each box is roughly priced similarly to a bag of coffee beans, they are slightly more expensive if you consider on a per serving basis. I generally am able to make 13-15 servings of latte/espresso drinks with 1 bag of beans whereas Cometeer coffee pods comes in boxes of 10 (where each pod is 1 serving). For a person who loves coffe but doesn’t have the space for any coffee making items (scale, grinder, espresso maker, etc…), Cometeer Coffee might actually be a good option.

February’s DrinkTrade coffee comes from Feast Coffe & Culture. The bag of coffee comes from Guatemala. Reading the description of this coffee, I think it’s pretty respectable that the Feast Coffee is sourcing beans from “women owned farms.”

Making my latte, I’m suprised at how subtle these beans are compared to the last bag which came from Ethiopia. Nonetheless, I taste a sweet smooth milk chocolate flavors with each sip of the latte. I also taste a distinct nutty after taste. I really enjoy drinking my lattes from these beans. Drink Trade sends outstanding bags of coffee.

February’s Trade Coffee comes from Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. Bird Rock sent a bag of coffee from Ethiopian’s Guji region. The last Trade Coffee was also from Ethiopia. But the different between the two bags are pretty clear. This one has a much fruitier and floral aroma.

Making my latte, I get a nice familiar fruity and nutty flavor burst that rounds out with a pleasant chocolate aftertaste. Each sip is smooth and very enjoyable. The floral aromas have an nice calming effect with each sip. I’ve occaissionally made a 2nd cup to continue the bliss from the 1st cup.

January’s Atlas Coffe Club comes from Peru. I don’t recall the last time I received beans from Peru. But coffee fans don’t discriminate! The postcard that they sent is from the iconic Inca citadel of Machu Pichu. It’s a well known tourist destination.

Coming back and opening the bag, I’m greeted with sweet floral aromas. Making my latte, I taste a subtle nutty flavor on the first sip the melts into a sweet, nutty and berry(?) flavor. To be honest, there are some days that I make two cups to drink because I realy craved that sweet nutty flavor.

January’s Trade Coffee comes from Panther’s Eye Roasting Company aka PERC. Per their origin story, PERC is a much better shorter name. PERC sent a bag of Ethiopian coffee from an area called Dimtu. Unfortunately, I can’t find any other info on the PERC website.

Making my latte, I’m amazed at the smooth and subdued fruity flavors. Normally, I expected Ethiopian beans to be more vibrant and loud with their flavors. But no matter how I make the latte (more milk/less milk, less hot water (more concentrated) / more hot water, longer steep time), the latte always has this subdued fruity flavor.

December’s Atlas Coffee Club comes from Mexico. Although still part of the coffee belt, it’s a little rare to see coffee from Mexico. I think most of the coffee from Central American originates more further south like Nicaragua, Guatemala and Costa Rica.
Making my latte, I find the taste to be very balanced. Upon first sip, I dont’ taste anything that skews floral, fruity or earthy. It just has a very balanced profile that doesn’t make it stand out… and maybe that’s what makes these beans special. Compared to the fruit forward flavors of Ethiopian coffee beans, these Mexican beans are much subtle. I think I’m going to enjoy the subtle balance of flavors.

November’s Trade Coffee comes from Kuma Coffee. The bag is a single origin from Ethiopia’s Guji region. Coming from one of the popular coffee regions, these beans did not disappoint.
Making my latte, I initially get a big burst of floral aromas followed by a subtle sweet fruity flavors that linger on the tongue. Somedays, I made a second cup immediately after finishing the first because I really enjoyed the subtle fruit flavors that ended with a hint of milk chocolate aftertaste.