Coffee Bean Direct Dark Brazilian Santos, Whole Bean Coffee, Dark Roast, 5 Pound Bag (Pack of 1)

SUMMARYThe City Roast is a medium to moderately-dark roast, rich coffee, which I would grade as A- (typical American coffee being C). I drink my coffee strong, and City Roast makes a good strong cup. It is full flavored without being bitter. Unlike darker roasts, it is not glazed with sugar (which melts and sticks, like a turd, in your coffee grinder). In short, it is not the very best coffee I have drank, but a very good coffee and the best combination of quality and value that I have found.Normally a coffee called "City Roast" would not have caught my attention, and I would avoid anything called "supremo", but the City Roast was included with the "sampler" I purchased Coffee Bean Direct Assorted Whole Bean Coffee Sampler, 9-Pound Box, and it was by far the best---the only coffee in the sampler which impressed me. I'm now working on my second 5 pound bag.COFFEE BEAN DIRECTCoffee Bean Direct concentrates on flavored coffee (which I loath), decaffeinated coffee (what's the point?) and dark roasts (which I usually avoid). I normally prefer light roasts, but CBD's light roasts (and least those in the sampler) were mediocre, barely up to "Maxwell House" or "Folger's" standards. As a generalization dark roast coffee is analogous to red wine as compared to white wine. Some dark roasts are exceptionally rich and flavorful, but it is harder to find a good dark roast than a good light roast. Intense roasting either enhances the flavor, or destroys it, more often the latter.COFFEE SERVICESThe great advantage of Coffee Bean Direct (and other services such as Boca Java {highly recommended} and Gevalia) is that you are assured of fresh beans, whereas you never know how long coffee has been setting on a grocery shelf or in a warehouse. Fresh beans make a huge difference. Of course, that means that if you buy 5-pound bags for home use, you need to refrigerate it and keep it tightly sealed.OTHER RECOMMENDATIONSI've been using the Mellita system for about 40 years, which I strongly recommend Melitta Cone Filter Coffeemaker 10 Cup, 1-Count. I have found that the best artificial sweetener with coffee is pure stevia. Pure Stevia Extract Powder by Kal - 3.5 oz Pure Stevia is the sweetener in the more common Truvia, but without the fillers which alter the taste and leave a yucky residue in your cup. As an extra bonus, Pure Stevia is much more economical.

The media could not be loaded. I am a fan of Dark Guatemalan coffee beans from Coffeebean Direct. When you look at the photos you will see a remarked difference in the beans on the lefts vs the beans on the right. Both came from this company and both are labeled Dark Guatemalan. I usually get beans that look like the one on the left in each photo, but last week my scheduled delivery arrived and I got the dried out light colored beans on the right! They were tasteless so I wrote the company to let them know how disappointed I was. Right away Coffeebean Direct recognized me as a repeat customer and they refunded my money. I was dubious to order from them again but since all my past coffee had been delicious, I decided to give them another chance. I am not disappointed! These beans are not only beautiful and very aromatic, they make the most delicious pot of coffee!

I'm in that middle ground between out and out coffee snob (and I don't mean to be condescending with that label) and someone who just wants a cup of joe. These beans fit in my sweet spot, and in my humble opinion fall closer to the coffee snob end of the spectrum, while being rather affordable. I've had a few of these bags, and the flavor profile has varied slightly. In general, smooth, yet a true dark roast. Not too bitter or burnt, but there's some added complexity to an otherwise mild bean. The trade offs you make to hit the price point are age and quantity (which can compound the age). Simply put, some orders get bags that were freshly roasted and just entered Amazon's warehouses, while others may be a couple months older. That can be too much for some folks, but still better than most anything at a super market. I roast my own beans too (also bought from Coffee Bean Direct), so I can appreciate a freshly roasted bean, but the older bags of roasted coffee such as these are still great. The larger bags can last a while unless you drink a fair amount of coffee, but I use tight bag clips and could even use my vacuum sealer if I cared more. Either way, the coffee ages (not in a good way) more once opened at home than it ever will unopened in a warehouse.Long story short: great coffee for a great price. Some trade offs, but for many, a great deal.

Boquete, Panama produces the most delicious coffee on the planet. I spent 2 weeks in Panama and I find myself thinking about the coffee more than the beaches. This coffee is pretty good, but not entirely the same. I will still continue buying it because it is better than anything you can find in the store.

Very good for way less than local roasters charge