tgappmayer wrote:dumb question i know - but is the la minita really that worthwhile? i'm a little skeptical because i've never had it commercially or roasted at home, but i'm curious - and with shipping costs, i don't want to mess around with a small order. if it's really that good, i might as well go big or go home.

Hard to say. I've enjoyed it but I wouldn't buy more.

Totally agree on Happy Mug...all good stuff so far and really killer pricing with good service.

tgappmayer wrote:dumb question i know - but is the la minita really that worthwhile? i'm a little skeptical because i've never had it commercially or roasted at home, but i'm curious - and with shipping costs, i don't want to mess around with a small order. if it's really that good, i might as well go big or go home.

I'd always go with a small order to evaluate it first if you're planning on going big. That's what I did with all my favorites I came across, including the recent Shantawene Natural. I roasted the La Minita and recall thinking "ah, this is pleasant. Neat". Then proceeded to never finish the bag. But I'm totally the kind of person who likes unique coffees. Buying a Costa Rican? Sweet, give me a black cherry flavored black honey process one. Ethiopian? Cool give me a fruit bomb. A Yemen? Does it taste like banana and cream? So the La Minita was a bit too mild mannered for me.

yep, all I needed to know, thanks for the thoughtful response. I gravitate towards coffee with strong characteristics, and generally don't care too much for mild-mannered, "balanced" coffees. give me a brash Kenyan or a boozy Ethiopian natural any day over something more restrained.

For me the La Minita is a solid, reliable choice for a Central American. It is very well sorted - the beans are beautiful. You can roast it light or dark. It's not a fruit bomb like Shantawene, so I prefer it somewhere near SC where you get the expected chocolate flavors. It's not unique, rather more of a versatile crowd pleaser. Matt's description is accurate, as usual, which is another thing I like about Happy Mug.

I bought a full bag of La Minita when I first started roasting for farmers markets. The beans were like little jade pearls and clones of one another other. The coffee was good, but not exciting. I ended up roasting it darker to get some flavor out of it.

Fast forward a few years and I've been using a bean from the La Pradera property across the river from La Minita proper. It's a tract that was part of the original La Minita estate when it was at it's largest, but then sold off and fell into disarray. It was reclaimed a few years ago and replanted with La Minita stock. It is not as well-culled, and therefore not as expensive, but the taste profile is a keeper. Huge body and politely interesting, it can be roasted light as can be with a smooth acidity and abundance of sweetness. It's a light roasted coffee that my dark customers can warm to.

So all that said, and with what I've learned about roasting over the past few years, I would love to give La Minita a try again. Before I was too afraid of underdeveloped roasts and took it into no-man's land between light and FC. I'd like to roast it crazy light to see what is at it's core. It's pretty rare to find a coffee where 85% of the yield is culled off. But again, that might make to too sterile.

cmapes wrote:I'd always go with a small order to evaluate it first if you're planning on going big. That's what I did with all my favorites I came across, including the recent Shantawene Natural. I roasted the La Minita and recall thinking "ah, this is pleasant. Neat". Then proceeded to never finish the bag. But I'm totally the kind of person who likes unique coffees. Buying a Costa Rican? Sweet, give me a black cherry flavored black honey process one. Ethiopian? Cool give me a fruit bomb. A Yemen? Does it taste like banana and cream? So the La Minita was a bit too mild mannered for me.

!!

^^ the going smaller advice is generally good, but i find that unless i can put together an order of 8-10# of various sample greens, it's not worth my time. getting 1-2 pounds and then still paying $8 in shipping means that my cost per # is pretty significant. i've gotten so many good reccs from H-B though, and understanding where people are coming from and what their preferences are has helped me pick up some real gems, sight unseen. i think i'll pass on the la minita for now.. i'm holding out for the Panama Elida estate nautral from Roastmasters.

and i totally agree that happy mug tasting notes are on point; i find that with some other green distributors (who will remain nameless), i get like 10% of their notes. also i'll be damned if i can tell the difference between turbinado sugar sweetness and raw sugar sweetness.

I'll also mention that people's description above of La Minita being "a crowd-pleaser" are 100% accurate. I ended up grinding the bag on my KR804 and giving it to a buddy to use as drip and he loved it.

I want to mention that the Ethiopia Sidamo Durato Bombe officially gets my seal of approval. It still needs off-gassing time but it appears to be a very good "blueberry bomb" with strong acidity / sweetness plus good body. It's a winner in my book. Unfortunately, it sounds like Panama Elida Estate Natural might not be quite as good this year which is a disappointment. But that's how coffee works.

cmapes wrote: Unfortunately, it sounds like Panama Elida Estate Natural might not be quite as good this year which is a disappointment. But that's how coffee works.

I hear that every year. It's simply not true. I've bought it every year for the past 5 and it has been consistent heavenly, if you like strawberry bomb naturals.

Do you have any of the 2020 on hand? I'd be curious to hear your impressions.