Showing posts with label Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Mugged: La Esmeralda [Apres Coffee]

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What does "Mugged" mean?


Subject: Apres Cafe
Coffee Mugged: Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain
Rating: 4+ [see key]



A
side from Kona and Jamaican Blue Mountain, coffees dubbed La Esmeralda have been all the rage ever since the Cup of Excellence auction a few years back when the Geisha bean made a rising success. Now, coffees coming from Hacienda La Esmeralda seem to ride the wave of that special bean but unless you've shelled out a good chunk of cash, it's probably not the famed bean of great worth.

Nonetheless, the farm still tends to put out good coffee even if you don't pay an excessive load. My most recent encounter with the La Esmeralda was with Apres Cafe's
Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain, a coffee that arrived in a gorgeous sleek box. The coffee itself was roasted fairly dark (not dark enough to have oil but close), a new roast profile for me as most Esmeraldas I've had tend to be a lighter roast.

I tried out the coffee in french press, vacuum press and drip (aka filtered). The french press produced a deep, succulent coffee with strong chocolate and cherry flavors and a hang of bittersweet cocoa. The vacuum press gave out a lighter, more even-keeled coffee with more of a grape flavor and a smoother chocolaty taste. The drip displayed a bright brew as well with the same grape flavors as the vac press, though it produced a bit more of the bitterness on the back end.

In a nutshell, Apres' La Esmeralda made for a good cup of coffee. If you're looking for a good coffee from a well-known farm in Panama, give Apres'
Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain a go.