The media package at the SCAA Exhibition included an 8 ounce bag of "Equator Blend" coffee from Equator Coffee in San Rafael. It is a "medium roast" blend of "Brazil, Ethiopia, Sumatra, with Central American coffee."

I had left just enough roasted coffee for my wife to keep her going for the four days she would make coffee on her own (Espro Press to the rescue!), correctly predicting that I would get some to bring home with me to keep us going until I roasted another batch.

The Equator Blend came in a foil-lined paper envelope, heat sealed, with a one-way valve. The first clue that this might not go well was that there was no date on the parcel- no "roasted on" no "Best if used by" no "Best Before."

I arrived home from the show on a Monday afternoon. I opened the bag and poured it into a canning jar. The roast color was very similar to what I do at home. Sure, color is a destination, and the journey has a lot to do with the taste, but it appeared close enough to what I have become accustomed to using as espresso, and I looked forward to trying it based on that. But the aroma was not promising, smelling like my home-roast when it was a number of days past when I would normally drink it. Over the next three or four days the aroma got worse, and by the time my home roast was ready, the Equator Blend was verging on undrinkable.

I realize that this was their "Equator Blend" and they have a separate "Equator Espresso Blend" which is, "Brazil, Indonesia, Central America and Africa." But the problem was not the blend or roast level but from the aroma I can only conclude that the coffee I received that it was stale.

It would be interesting to hear from anyone who has tried the Equator coffees, and in particular the "Equator Blend." But based on my experience, I would have to say that if you are going to supply media representatives coffee samples it is recommended to be sure that it is fresh coffee when it is handed out.