fair trade coffee is great…when it tastes good.
Fighting jetlag and starting new jobs were difficult enough tasks, but the first couple months in Korea were especially hard for one reason in particular: no coffee maker. Both Janice and I worked as baristas for stretches during and after our college years, and our love for good, strong brew runs deep.
After a bit of searching, I was able to come up with a hand grinder and a Panasonic coffee mate. All that remained was findings beans — tricky in a country still in love with Maxwell House. While some cafes here sell their own roasts, they often taste a bit…off (I would guess due to a lack of training). Because of that, we’ve been relying mostly on care packages from home. But I was hopeful after reading about Beautiful Coffee in an article on World Fair Trade Day, and found a 200g bag of their Nepal roast (organic and fair trade) at a small shop near my work.
Neither one of us had tried Nepalese coffee before, and admittedly weren’t even aware it was a coffee-producing region. The beans smelled rich and earthy, and I ground them pretty fine to bring out the flavor.
It was a rainy morning and the mood was right, but this coffee just didn’t deliver. Despite its aroma, it lacked both body and flavor. It wasn’t burnt or bad….just not memorable. I’m hoping their Peruvian will be better, but if not, we’ll have to find another source. (Oh, how I miss Kickapoo.)
