Today i went to buy coffee and got a package of the House blend, but as a gift i got a tiny pack of this year’s Christmas blend as well, worth about two cups. I just made the first one.

It smells Christmas. I don’t mean the pine tree, but the warm cozy feeling to it with a touch of sweetness i could only compare to that of mincemeat (not the meaty one, but the very sweet fruitish one).

It’s taste is warm and bold as well, a pleasant feeling in the winter cold. Since i make it as espresso, the bitterness is guaranteed, and this is a bold coffee, which makes it just fine for my tastes.

Café Estima is one of the blends i wanted to try for a while now, mostly because the packaging sports a very visible “fair trade” badge on it. Still, it didn’t cost more than any other coffee i tried so far. Although it’s “just” bold, not extra bold, the ground beans have a really characteristic aroma to them. It’s somewhat sweetish, as if there was cocoa or something in it. The fresh brew is first of all hot–my aching tongue reminds me of that right now. And it tastes sweet. It’s bitter of course, just as a coffee should be, but it has a sweet taste to it (you can smell it as well, not just taste it), like honey. But that’s just a quick first impression (a good one of those though), after that it’s the tropical coffee taste.

However, this mix of strength and flavour makes it a good choice, not to mention it’s fair trade.

I’ll put this short: i’m the espresso guy. Thus, i loved this roast. It’s exactly how an espresso should be: bitter, bold, strong. Even if you make it into a drip coffee or a more diluted espresso, it still has its characteristic taste and touch. But to enjoy it in its true, it is to be made into an espresso. And a wonderful one it turns into, let me say. There’s not much to elaborate on here: if you like espresso, you’ll love the Espresso roast as well, if you don’t, you won’t.

Nowadays whenever i went to Starbucks, there were no limited edition coffees on the shelf, so i somewhere hoped i could finally give the rest of the usual blends a try. But when i actually went to buy my next dose of beans, there waited the Pike Place Roast. Though there was an Anniversary blend not so long ago, this one’s related to the roots of Starbucks too. According to the sticker on it, that was where the first Starbucks cafe opened.

The Pike Place roast is unusually mild for a Starbucks limited edition coffee, so when i had my first cup of it, it tasted a bit too light. But just now i made an espresso out of it, an espresso that kicks me off my feet. It’s fantastic. Due to the mild nature of the roast, even in espresso it doesn’t get too stingy–it stays mellow. That reinforces what Starbucks says in their ad: it’s their smoothest blend. I haven’t tasted all their coffees, but chances are it’s true.

It smells smooth and sweet, while the hot steam has a touch of something fresh similar to eucalyptus in it–but that might be only my imagination. If i were into mild coffees, i’d probably love it. This way, i just say it’s a good blend.

First impression: “what the heck, is there pipe tobacco in this thing?” Because as i opened the package, beside the (judging by the smell) dark roasted coffee aroma came a sweet scent that i can only associate with pipe tobacco. I like it. The fresh brew doesn’t have any special scent to it, not until you are about to drink it, because then something sweet and bold appears out of nowhere.

And of course, the packaging does not lie when it has “extra bold” written on it. Indeed, it is well roasted, dark and if it wasn’t a drink i’d say crunchy. But it’s also smooth, which would make a really nice, almost poetic confusion there. The point is, it’s a nice coffee. Multi-layered taste and dark boldness, just how i like it.

Starbucks’ Africa Kitamu coffee is said to be this complex and that citrusy (apparently the marketing people at Starbucks have some stats that coffee labelled “citrusy” sells better, as every second type of whole bean coffee is marked that), but i’d rather put it simply as delicious. True, that alone wouldn’t make much of an advertising i guess. It’s smooth and bold, and the flavours are really complex. At least multi-layered.

Has a touch of cocoa, has a splash of the charcoalish roastedness i love so much, but it’s neither that bold nor over-roasted. They say Africa Kitamu matches well with citrus fruits, and it’s true. Having a glass of my usual grapefruit-orange juice mix before-after my mug of coffee really makes it taste even better.

I’ve read a few critiques about it, and even for people who usually don’t like coffee or only drink it with milk and sugar, Africa Kitamu is something they can drink and enjoy without problem. Too bad it’s not easy to get. Give it a try nevertheless.

Starbucks Oceanside blend is a fresh coffee, but much bolder than Tanzania. The ground beans have a very faint smell of something sweet, maybe cocoa, which also gives the ready brew a fuller, almost creamy nice steam.

And it tastes good. The Oceanside blend is labelled to be bold, which is still light and refreshing for me, but indeed is much bolder than Tanzania. Once i had tasted all the coffees Starbucks offers, Oceanside blend will be one of my first choices (along Italian blend and Verona) to have a go with again. It tastes sweet and full like chocolate, and at the same time roasted like popcorns and stingy fresh as if it met a slice of lemon somewhere. Not to mention its label looks nice, a good design.

You should definitely give it a try.

Just finished my pack of Starbucks Tanzania, and i have an overall positive opinion of it. It’s a medium body African coffee. The freshly ground coffee has a very organic aroma, with hints of that citric freshness that’s mentioned on the packaging. However later on it’s hardly recognizable. It has something lighter coloured in it as well, i don’t know if that’s something non-coffee in the blend, or just light coloured coffee beans. Also, the steam of the freshly brewed Tanzania coffee doesn’t really have any distinguishable flavours to it, it’s just coffee, but a nice one of that.

The coffee itself tastes fresh, just as the freshly ground beans mentioned above. On the other hand, i couldn’t really find that berry flavour described as the most dominant on the packaging. But because of that nice fresh taste it’s perfect for a light summer coffee, as it doesn’t feel all that hot as one would expect from a cup of hot coffee.

Also, Tanzania is limited edition, but i’ve no idea until when it’s available. It sure was available back in 2007 once already, but i know nothing more about it. Out.