Starbucks Organic Shade Grown Mexico
I was fortunate enough yesterday to have a tasting of Starbucks Organic Shade Grown Mexico blend coffee. This was not an offical tasting, during our great conversation with the partners it came up and we decided to have an unoffical tasting. Yet another reason why that starbucks is way ahead of the rest in the district. Bravo to the manager there for allowing room for this sort of thing to happen. This is why your bucks is the best.
Before I talk about my thoughts on the coffee I thought I would share some background. This is information I have gathered from a friends blog, who is by far a better blogger then I. This is a direct copy and paste from her blog, that can be found here (link)
This coffee is produced using both strict C.A.F.E. practices and Shared Planet Standards as well as certified organic. I definitely recommend reading up on the basics of Starbucks Shared Planet. Shade Grown Mexico was developed in the late 1990s as part of the initial cooperation and agreement between Conservation International and Starbucks. It was through this partnership that Starbucks worked to develop formalized ethical sourcing guidelines.
Thanks Melody :D
Ok, so my thoughts on this blend;
At first sniff it smelled like a latin america coffee. Just from the smell I was able to tell that this is an acidic blend. I personally enjoy that :D +1
The smell of the roast was very crisp to me, it had hints at an earthy nuty sort of undertone and it made me excited to try it.
At first taste I was hit with a very mild taste. I found it to be fitting and refreshing. As is sipped on the blend I started to find a complex undertone. While still mostly in the high notes, I could taste a light fruit undertone to the blend. With every sip I took I was able to taste a little further into the coffee, and by the end I was able to pull out a sort of chocolate like aftertaste. The coffee left my mouth feeling dry, and while that makes the blend stand out it also makes me want to drink more. I didn’t really find anything dark about the taste of this one, and I think that was a good thing.
The partner paired the coffee a cranberry scone, and the pairing worked well for me. The tart of the cranberry combined with the small amounts of sweet icing made the coffee stand out in all the right ways.
This is a blend to put on the likes list for me. It’s simple on the surface but grows with each sip into a complex taste that finishes smooth and keeps me coming back for more.
Good job Starbucks, another home run
*I would like to formally thank Melody of http://www.starbucksmelody.com/ for that little blurb and for inspiring me to write this and many more things like this.
