Peace Coffee – Nicaraguan

I still have several cola reviews written and ready, but I’m going to try out writing different beverages, starting with one very close to my heart – Coffee.

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Peace Coffee Nicaraguan

This has been my brand of choice for the past two years or so after browsing online looking for a better alternative to the brands our grandparents drank.

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The beans themselves look to be a medium roast – relatively shiny, but nowhere near black; a good solid brown, with darker speckles here and there.  Unground scent is spicy; slightly acrid.  There’s a slight foresty scent to it – exotic wood rather than earth.  Light caramel notes with a very mild soapiness hiding beneath.  The spice blossoms when ground.  The wood opens up a bit as well, and citrus hints are developing.  For reference, I ground just slightly finer than medium, or the normal grind for drip pots.

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My brewing method today is the Moka Pot, an Italian staple that makes near-espresso strength coffee.  I love my Moka Pot – it’s easy to clean, makes brewing bitter coffee difficult, as opposed to French Presses, which I also love but don’t like having to drink the entire pot within twenty minutes to taste peak.  The Moka Pot seems to bring out a lot of sweeter flavours, no matter the bean.  You can also add hot water to the espresso to make an Americano, or at least weaken it to drip-level.  It also looks impressive as it brews!  I definitely recommend it.

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As expected, the brew is thicker than what most coffee drinkers would normally being accustomed to.  Not quite at true espresso density or turkish coffee (which I need to try someday soon.)  Fortunately, the spice made its way to the final product.  Vanilla has also came out of nowhere, seemingly taking the place of the citrus notes, which I can’t seem to locate in the brew.  The woodiness has came through strong as well.

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The first taste reveals a heavy flat smokey flavour at first.  Pleasantly thick, I can’t distinguish the vanilla.  Some earthiness comes out, prancing about the wood that has made it from start to finish.  As assumed, there’s still spiciness at play here.  Not exactly a “smooth” brew, but rather a “jolt.”  Take your pick.  Aftertaste is delectable, with no lingering bitterness.

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My numbering rating is going to be a bit different than my colas, so bear with me until I come up with a standard system.  I would like to include Body/Density & Acidity, but I feel like these are much too dependent on the brewing method.  Maybe I’ll go back and brew this through altrenate methods and update then, but I won’t include these variables in the overall rating for now.  Likewise with caffeiene, this is coffee, not cola!  Unless noted, caffeine content will be 5/5.

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Nose:  4 – There’s plenty here that excites the nose.  I have no doubt that few would hesitate to select after inhaling.  Unfortunately, not all it suggests is carried through to the end.

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Flavour:  4 – Not quite as complex as the aroma, but still extremely firm in what it does.  Seems like a rather masculine and exotic drink.

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Aftertaste:  5 – Perfect, in my opinion.  Completely tolerable and enjoyable.  The perfect balance between making me want to savour it on my tongue, and go back for another sip.

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Overall:  87% or 13/15.

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Conclusion:  If you like your morning nectar strong, spicy, and exotic, this one is for you.

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The website has its own description of the beans, but I write my reviews well after I’ve forgotten what it said.  Here’s their quick description:

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“Robust, sweet & smooth single origin coffee that also works well as an espresso.

Roast Level: Medium
Acidity:Low
Body:Medium-Heavy
Aroma: Spice, jasmine, vanilla & raisin
Flavor Notes: Spice, nutty, cedar, earth & leather”

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So there you have it.