HIGHLAND VILLAGE RESERVE Whole Bean Coffee, Mexican Chiapas, Medium Roast, 40 Ounce Bag | USDA Organic, Fair Trade, 100% Arabica Coffee Beans

This coffee is terrible. I purchased due to it being certified Organic and Mexican Chiapas beans. After brewing multiple cups there is no punch with minimal caffeine levels. This product is not as described. Buyer beware. DO NOT PURCHASE. I am highly dissatisfied.

This coffee has a light, slightly creamy flavor that will not survive cream or sugar but if you drink your coffee black (I do) and like your coffee to have a very subtle flavor (I don't, particularly) then this is worth sampling. The flavor is light and slightly sweet with traces of berry. The problem for me personally is that I prefer iced coffee and the delicate taste here does not really survive being iced. It also won't survive pretty much anything else that you might choose to add so the only way to appreciate this specific coffee blend is hot and black. The flavor does more or less survive refrigeration as long as ice isn't added but aroma is a fairly crucial component of subtle flavor and coffee needs to be hot to experience that.This Mexican Chiapas does actually make a respectable enough pot of iced coffee but dark roast blends are a much better choice if that's what you like--iced this is a little bland and you lose the subtle flavors that blended into the beans. Ultimately a coffee drinker with a rich and subtle palette will enjoy this blend much more than a regular Joe is likely to.

First of all, be aware of the 40oz size; it's massive! It's the size of a small chihuahua.Upon opening the bag, the coffee has a very good aroma. Does not smell over-roasted nor does it taste burnt like many coffees you'd typically pick up from your supermarket including Peet's Major Dickason's (my personal choice for supermarket coffee espresso, but not for brewing).Really nice, thick bloom as you can see from the photos, indicating that it's pretty fresh.The label describes the notes as "slightly sweet berry note" and "ripened peaches". I did not get that from this coffee; but it does have an interesting note: a smokiness to it that I'd describe more like bacon. Yeah, that's right. The aroma is more apparent once you finish the cup -- like a smokiness you would get from a hardwood fire.If you're looking for a sweet, fruity, floral coffee like a yirgacheffe or peaberry, this is not it. It is a an above average bean and roast with a very unique flavor profile.

The coffee has very very nice aroma. It smells like coffee should smell. I used it in espresso machine, and it smelled great, but I didn't really like how acidic it was. It says medium acidity on the bag, but it was all the way up. Even with tons of cream it was still not very enjoyable mostly because of acidity.

Comparing this to our favored Colombian coffee, this has a slightly bitter taste and doesn't seem to have the sweetness or smoothness of the Colombian. The flavor is not bad overall. Also develops more static in our grinder which means it is dryer than our other blends.

I do like this Mexican Chiapas medium roast.It has a very good flavor profile with low acidity and bitterness.I tend to like a medium roast most of the time and this is a very good one.I didn't give it 5 stars because I reserve that for an amazing and outstanding coffee which is typically much more expensive.I do think this one is a good value for 2.5 lbs of beans and of good quality. No complaints here. Makes a pretty good cappuccino and latte as well.4 solid stars for a very good rating.

The Mexican Chiapas Whole Bean Coffee is an enjoyable medium roast coffee. The whole beans emit a very fragrant aroma as is and after you brew them up into a cup.My husband and I hand grind our coffee and use a french press or an espresso machine as our preferred method of making coffee. However, during the warmer seasons of the year we also grind coffee beans to be enjoyed cold brew style as well. We found that this coffee lends to either of our favored methods quite well with tweaking of the grind and ratio per water.The taste truly does have a berry note to it. I had a hard time picking up the ripened peaches but the floral is certainly there. It's creamy but not overly rich and has a hint of bitterness to it from the medium acidity. It doesn't taste stale or artificial in any way.Other things I love is that it is Organic and fair trade certified Arabica coffee. And the fact it's available in a bean format so one can grind it up and make it in any way they please.The bag has a lot of information including brewing instructions, post brewing options, suggestions, the story behind the coffee, and a bit about why fair trade. Note the bag is easy to open and has a closure top so you don't have to store the beans elsewhere while using.I'm typically sensitive to some coffees getting a too much of a buzz and having heartburn but had no issue with this one.I feel for the quality and benefits this 40 ounce bag of coffee is priced quite well. I am pleased and certainly do recommend giving it a try.

We brew our coffee in a super-automatic and have tried different grinder settings. Tastes are subjective.. while my wife enjoys lighter roasts, she finds this Mexican arabica to not compare well to her favorites. For myself, it's much too far from my preference of dark roasts, as I steer towards fuller bodied Peet's Major D and Starbucks French Roast. On the other hand, my sister likes it a lot, so we gave her the rest of the bag.