My go-to standard at Trader Joe’s for an all-around coffee is their very good COLOMBIAN SUPREMO. In fact many consider the Colombian Supremo coffee as the best coffee TJ sells. Still this nice looking package in the NEW ITEMS section caught my eye the other day, as I saw this coffee said it was from Ecuador. Reading the label, well they made it sound worth trying, plus I am not sure I’ve ever had a coffee from Ecuador before and was curious what it might taste like. In short, I was pretty disappointed. I didn’t like this coffee. Now it had a nice aroma and smelled really nice when I ground it. However when I brewed it up (in a Moka pot) I found it not at all what I expected to taste like and thought it tasted off somehow. I found the coffee to be thin and bitter, and way more acidic than what I was expecting. I tried it a few times with slightly different grinds and ratios to see if I could improve it, but still found it turned me off somehow. Especially by comparison to the balanced coffee flavors in their Colombian Supremo. If you’ve want a good tasting medium roast whole bean coffee at a decent value get that big can with the colorful Colombian toucan. Or the BUNNI.
This Ecuador Zamora coffee is $9.99 for a 13 oz bag. I would PASS on this small lot coffee however a few of the small lot coffees have been very good like the MEXICAN one (and an Indian one I had) so it’s kind of hit or miss. As one reader pointed out in the Comments, pre-pandemic back when Trader Joe’s offered small cups of coffee to sample you could get an idea of what one actually tasted like. Ah, the Good Old Days….SIGH!
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
Feb 12, 2023 @ 13:17:20
As much as the packaging looks attractive, I am so disappointed by this coffee as well. I bought it yesterday and I tried it with the bialetti moka and a entry level breville espresso machine. It tastes bitter and muddy, almost like a dark roast, although it looks like a medium one.
I like as well Colombia supremo. The cheap Joe’s blend makes a better cup for my taste.
I am going to return it. Trader Joe’s should bring back the coffee tastings like before the pandemic. It is wasteful to return stuff. But I am so disappointed. Or they should allow customer take 10 gram samples home for the small lot coffees.
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Feb 13, 2023 @ 13:22:48
“Or they should allow customer take 10 gram samples home for the small lot coffees … ”
Very good idea!
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Feb 12, 2023 @ 13:26:09
I concur. Bitter and muddy. It looks like a medium roast but it tastes like a dark one. I tried it in the moka and espresso machine. The attractive packaging does not reflect the taste. The Colombia Supremo and the average, inexpensive Joe’s Blend produce a better-tasting cup for my palate. I would not recommend it. Only for bitter coffee lovers.
I had posted a longer comment but I do not see it here any longer,
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Feb 12, 2023 @ 13:27:20
This coffee is a great value for the quality it offers. I love the flavor and smoothness of the Colombian Supremo, but this coffee didn’t meet my expectations. If you’re looking for a great value and great coffee, I’d recommend checking out the Ecuadorian Supremo.
Thomas
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Feb 12, 2023 @ 13:44:57
This was a very helpful review — “bitter” and “thin” (to me) are the two biggest red-flag coffee descriptors.
And coffee is too spendy for a lot of trial-and-error!
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Feb 17, 2023 @ 23:38:15
It’s okay, disappointing after the Pearl Mountain batch that came before it. Like the chocolately flavor on that one.
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Feb 19, 2023 @ 12:06:50
Yes, that Indian Pearl Mountain coffee was so good. Too bad, I haven’t seen it since then but maybe we will in future (next harvest)?
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Feb 19, 2023 @ 16:04:31
I’m so relieved to know I’m not the only one who was seriously disappointed in this coffee. Not only do I feel like it’s way over-roasted (TJ’s…seriously? This is NOT a medium roast.), but I actually question the freshness of the beans themselves. They had noticable surface oils and lacked that unmistakeable “roasty” aroma. Further, there’s almost no bloom to the grounds on a pour over, which can be a sign of staleness or over-roasting. The taste was flat, one-dimensional, yet somehow a little burnt. I’m not returning and just taking the $10 hit, but I’ll be getting a bag of tried and true beans today instead.
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