TomC wrote: But the natural Ethiopian tastes like 1980's diner coffee.

Hah, I'm really enjoying the natural and it's certainly not diner coffee. But again, I went for the lighter drip roast.

Thanks for chiming in. I guess this is a case where I'm going to go forth with them ignoring the "roast type", as the Peru is also "drip", but it's producing fantastic espresso.

jammin wrote:^wow. They've changed a lot then. When I first tried them years ago they were on the bleeding edge of light

That's what I expected too. I haven't had their coffee in so long, I didn't have a reference, so I just assumed everything "drip" would be too light to pull shots with.

The Kenyan Nyeri Kagumoini AA I roasted a few days prior had a roast development of 21%. It's not sour, likely fine for espresso, and it has less development than the Colombian, which I'd hazard to guess has a similar density. So it would appear they roasted the bejesus out of the Colombian.

I'm going to be back in Portland on the 22nd. I'll plan to stop in to the shop and pick up the Colombian and maybe another one roasted to drip and report back...

Here's the Kilenso roasted for drip




Big difference from

I was back at Coava a couple weekends ago. Like last time it was a very pleasant experience. Baristas were friendly and helpful. I enjoyed a very nice pour over and left with a bag of their Los Nacientes Costa Rican roasted for drip. Interestingly, all of the coffee they sell on site is "drip" profile and I noticed that when I asked about recommendations for espresso they didn't even mention getting beans specifically roasted for espresso.

Anyway, the Los Nacientes has been impressive and is excellent as espresso. Their notes are "Meyer lemon, honey graham, & turbinado sugar" and I'd say that's pretty accurate. A very sweet espresso with medium body that showcases sugary citrus without any sharp loud acidity. In general I've found this bean very easy to work with to the point that I'm not even worrying too much about parameters. Somewhere in the normale range. 201-202F, 15 sec 2-3 bar preinfusion, 8 bar extraction.

Coava is way over priced for quality and quantity, even for Portland.

We have over 60 local roasters and there is just so much better stuff around that I would not bother with Coava. Plus come on, 8.8oz in the bags!? After dialing in you get a couple good cups for like $15-24 per bag.

I'm sure people like them and buy their stuff, I mean I have as well, but it's a place I'd have once and then move on.

I agree they're expensive for the quantity although I haven't paid more than $15 for a bag. They are priced right where Slate coffee in Seattle is, who also are very expensive and sell 8.8oz/250g bags. Coava wouldn't be a weekly purchase if I lived in Portland, but quality has been quite high with the beans I've tried and dialing in hasn't been much of a hassle. I do love to try out new roasters and can think of many I've tried where I've paid less for more beans that I haven't enjoyed nearly as much. Also, both times I've been there their employees have left a very positive impression. Knowledgeable, friendly, and they make good coffee in the shop. But maybe my Coava experience has just been lucky so far?

Who do you recommend I try out in Portland next time I'm there? I'm open to suggestions. My only other experiences are with Heart, Ristretto, Stumptown, and Nossa.