Brazil Daterra Estate, Zabu Coffee

The Daterra Estate in Brazil is one of the largest in the world, this coffee is single estate 100% Arabica beans. As well as being rainforest Alliance certified you will be happy to know that you are drinking from an estate with a huge investment in sustainability and who work hard at striking a balance with the nature around them. 

These Brazilian beans were extremely dark and very oily, they looked as if you could give them a gentle squeeze and you would have raw coffee in your mug. As well as this alluring look they gave off a very strong, deep pungent aroma.


After brewing none of that strong aroma was lost and now the black gold was shrouded within a layer of thick dark crema. 


The taste hit hard, it was strong with a tight bitterness and then beautifully melted away to something quite sublime and mellow. Rex said it was like going through a "crust", these Cornish eh? but he was bang on with that, we broke through.

After the initial rush those ebony beans left us with a confectioners store on our pallets. It had the sweetness and creaminess of a high cocoa content chocolate bar with the lightest shavings of hazelnut. All these flavours politely lined up and could be enjoyed together in rich balanced harmony.


To finish the after taste gave us something slightly tart as it developed a little acidity over time.

The Zabu Brazil Daterra Estate Coffee is one of two halves. Opening with a nearly overpowering haymaker to savor and some well placed bitter body blows it soon follows us with a tender embrace and the taste of fattening luxury. Here it brings the smooth creamy sweetness one dreams of from a quality brew.


We recommend this as a superior after dinner (or heavy lunch) coffee. One that can cut through and complement the meal just consumed and leave you set up to tackle whatever the evening still has to offer. 

Supplier: Zabu Coffee

Web: www.zabucoffee.com

Contact: mailto:CustomerService@ZabuCoffee.co.uk

Twitter: @zabucoffee

Zabu on Facebook

How do we taste the coffee? Go here.

Zabu House Blend

 The Zabu Coffee House Blend uses a mix of Brazilian, Colombian and Costa Rican and is made from  100% Arabica beans. It is also a Rainforest Alliance certified coffee. More details of the beans origin can be found from Zabu Coffee.

Sniffing straight from the pouch the beans had a good strong traditional coffee aroma with a gentle hint of acidity. They were light golden brown with a beautiful iridescent sheen like a beetle.

On grinding there was not a huge difference to aroma and the grounds had a almost woody texture.

After espressing (pressing?) the coffee had surprising little aroma compared to the roasted whole beans but the flavour on tasting was all there. On the first sip there was light tangy acidity on the front of the pallet, as these faded it gave way to a pleasant, mild nutty hazelnut aftertaste. 

There was a pleasingly balanced sweetness throughout which complimented the earlier acidity. Not overly rich in flavour the golden beans had given out a medium bodied smooth tasting coffee with no bitterness or fuzziness on the finish.

The Zabu Coffee House Blend is an extremely drinkable brew and one which I returned to ravenously till the bag was gone. It presents a pleasing cumulation of flavours yet does not surprise with anything jarring or difficult to handle, all the way from the initial sip to the glowing aftertaste. 

A great everyday coffee and recommended as a solid gateway blend for those new to real coffee.

Supplier: Zabu Coffee

Web: www.zabucoffee.com

Contact: mailto:CustomerService@ZabuCoffee.co.uk

Twitter: @zabucoffee

Zabu on Facebook

How do we taste the coffee? Go here.

New to DFJ - Bean Reviews

They have been long promised and now they are finally here. The Damn Fine Joe Bean Reviews. 


In these posts we will look at and taste beans from independent suppliers and roasters from around the world.

To kick off the project the good people at Zabu Coffee sent me 5 samples of their choicest coffee beans plus corresponding tasting notes.

For this first selection of bean reviews I visited my old friend Rex at his East London home and armed with an SLR, an Aeropress and a great thirst we set to work. 

In hindsight we should have spaced it out over a few sessions. Don’t taste 5 coffee’s in a row! Although the beans stood up to tasting my cycle ride home was a little bit dangerous.

If you want to see how we do the bean reviews in detail then please go to this page:
http://damnfinejoe.blogspot.com/p/coffee-bean-reviews.html


Like all the reviews please note there is subjectivity to our taste and likings. Please refer to the brands website to their official tasting notes. 

Federation Coffee, Brixton Village Market, Brixton, South London, UK

Brixton Market has changed incredibly in recent times, ok not all of it, you can still get your fish heads but a huge part is now a gastronomic wonder land of tiny restaurants, grocers and coffee houses. I was blown away when I visited the other week and I wanted to get sampling as my tummy rumbled.

I was visiting Federation Coffee who I had reliably been informed do the best coffee in Brixton. The small cafe has a few seats on the inside and then the sides of the building are lined with benches, chairs and tables.

Inside although busy and a hive of activity was kept light and airy by the surrounding large windows. Outside offered a little more action with the market bustling around so that is where we camped down.

Apparently they have 4 Barristas always on to keep things moving in the market and this is supported by my Americano arriving quickly & smartly. It had a light swirly crema and my first sip gave me some lightly soured notes of cherry with a good broad strength without overpowering things. The cherry faded into a warmer, sweeter flavour, a heavy coffee taste with cinnamon tones. Although no bitterness was found there was just a trace of fur at the end.

The coffee was so good I moved onto a Double Mac (£1.80) which I took with a chocolate and orange cake. The Mac was super thick, super strong and not made with much froth, it was like a giant layer of crema. It was very good but with no lunch in me and two coffee's down I certainly could feel it.

Update: Federation had at the time of writing opened a roastery in Brixton and the coffees were all made with their own espresso blend; Contraband.

• Black Americano, drink in.
• £2:00
• Strong
• Muted cherry
• Light crema
• Size: Medium
• Beans: Contraband 

A top tier coffee, made skilfully and bringing great flavour with lots going on to enjoy.

Map

info@federationcoffee.com

http://federationcoffee.com/

Twitter: @federationcoffe

Blue Mountain Cafe, Sydenham, South London, UK

You can find the Blue Mountain Cafe near the station at the top end of Sydenham high street. My old pal Graham Russell (previously a Sydenham lad now an expat in Australia) swore by their brew. I didn't always agree with Graham when it came to coffee but I was always happy to try out his recommendations. 

The Blue Mountain is a deli style cafe with a cold counter full of pies and pasties and lots of cake and a kitchen serving many things but on a cold winter day I would suggest the soup. All the food looked and smelt great, a home cooked counter of wonder. 

The walls of the cafe are groaning with produce both served and for sale, one side is a ceiling high shelving unit full of goodness and the other has a single unit full of fresh vegetables that the chef routinely pops from the back to harvest.

Aside from the produce on display the rest of the cafe was made up of strong yellow walls and wooden furniture, it was bright but still had a friendly and relaxed ambience. Some old rock tracks played on the stereo and the staff worked fast and smiled. It had a good vibe.

The coffee came suspiciously quickly and didn’t have a great aroma when it got to my table. It was also quite light brown in colour rather than the near black. I eyed it suspiciously and when it had sufficiently cooled I put my lips to work.

What I found was a mid strength coffee with a full flavour. That fullness had breadth rather than peaks but was good nether the less. It was not at all bitter or gritty but it was quite murky, not at all crisp. 

There were some lovely sweet tones coming through but sadly that murk tinge raised itself again near the end. I doubt there are many better coffee places in Sydenham and this one provides a solid drink alongside good food and atmosphere.  

• Black Americano, drink in.
• £1.95
• Medium Strength
• Broad flavour
• Light crema
• Size: Small

An above average coffee that confounded expectations and could be enjoyed in a pleasant well stocked environment.

Map

http://www.bluemo.co.uk/  - Although this seems to be for the older East Dulwich branch.

Green Cauldron Coffee House, Liverpool, UK

I was lucky enough to visit Liverpool for a one day work thing and as is de rigueur for me now I set out to find a good cup of coffee. My wanderings left me a little bit in love with the city but it was only after a good deal of walking that I found my joe. 

The two coffee houses that had been recommended to me I failed to locate but then in my moment of need I stumbled upon the Green Cauldron Coffee Shop. The building was curiously branded as Castle St. Coffee House which I can only assume  was a previous resident and I must say it looked just like the kind of place I required.

The cafe itself was modern, spacious but still inviting and comfortable. I made my order and settled down on a high table and stool. There was then a huge delay.....

.....finally the coffee appeared. They did say sorry but I was pretty miffed by this point, the problem seemed to be that they were under staffed and/or very slow. I had to put this to one side and focus on the job in hand, I didn't want to prejudice the review entirely with this.

The coffee looked good, served in a nice mug, the dark crema swirled seductively around the inside rim. It smelt good too, I gave it a large sniff and enjoyed a strong rich scent. It was robust in flavour yet brought a lovely creamy tone to the party. That gave way to some pleasant bitter sweet after notes which in turn was marred just a touch by a slightly dirty finish. It was all in all a pleasing cup of coffee, I must get some of their beans.

• Double black Americano, drink in.
• £1.90
• Medium strength
• Solid full flavour 
• Thick crema
• Size: Medium size
• Beans: Green Cauldron (Australia)

This Green Cauldron Coffee cafe is the first and the plan is to open many more across the UK. If one opens near you then go check it out. Great coffee, well made.

http://www.greencauldron.com/
Map
Facebook
@greencauldron
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38564355@N06/

Rabot Estate, Borough Market, South London, UK

The Rabot Estate is a cacao grower and chocolatier with a shop and cafe in Borough Market. The estate where the chocolate is grown is all the way over in the West Indies but lucky for us back in the Spring of 2010 they opened this store.

I warn you that the chocolate is pricey but also totally awesome, you can and should treat yourself. The cafe prepare various items including the coffee which we will come to but the number one choice for eating must be the chocolate crepes. I've not yet eaten one but I've seen and smelt these beasts and even writing this is making me salivate. Rabot also prepare little chocolate mousse pots which complement a coffee perfectly if you want something small and sweet.

Their hot chocolate is 70% coco and I think the Mocha comes close to that so be ready for the buzz. The coffee took time to come, they took care over making it but when it arrived it looked the part. It was an oily brew and was giving off a good aroma as I approached with my snout. It had a good full flavour and was smooth throughout. That flavour perhaps crossed the line and was a little overly cheewy at points. Make no mistake it gave you something to taste and to contemplate as you got through it. 

• Black Americano, double shot, take away
• £2.00
• Medium strength
• Good aroma, powerful 
• No crema, oily and swirly
• Size: small (6 ounce)
• Beans: Monmouth

A very good full coffee and a great option if you are not game for queuing at Monmouth.

http://www.rabotestate.com/

Map