RAVE
“WITH NOTES OF TROPICAL FRUIT, DARK CHOCOLATE AND HONEY….THIS MEDIUM BODIED LIGHT ROAST MAY SET YOUR SPIRITS SOARING LIKE IT’S NAMESAKE…”
This is a current offering (Summer 2023) at Trader Joe’s in New Products. Its another one of their Small Lot Coffees. Sure these can be hit or miss but frequently you can find a coffee which is a Gem – like that Ugandan Rwenzori small lot coffee, which was one of my favorite coffees I’ve ever gotten at Trader Joe’s.
Well here’s another small lot coffee coffee from Trader Joe’s to which I give a huge thumbs up. I thought this was another wonderful coffee, this time a coffee from Honduras estate, called “Colibri Esmeralda”* . I really liked it. First off as far as the roast description, Trader Joe’s calls this “Light Roast”. We know Trader Joe’s roast descriptions are all over the place and are sometimes off. This one is almost on point. Maybe I would say just this roast is wee bit darker than some of TJ’s other Light roasts (example, the excellent AZMARI BUUNNI blend) . so I will say “LIGHT MEDIUM” roast. Its perfect for the coffee.
I brewed the freshly ground beans in a Moka pot and found the resulting brew to have a wonderful aroma and taste. Its pretty terrific. I think this would work well in any coffee brewing method, including drip or espresso machine. All the flavors in this coffee were well balanced and blended showing lovely tropical, fruity notes. Everything is balanced, smooth but with a tiny bit of pleasant acidity, so it even had a bit of boldness. It has many interesting flavors going on, and frankly as soon as I finished it I wanted another cup! I found this to be a terrific and interesting coffee.
It was $8.99 for a 12 oz bag. I found this particular small lot TJ’s coffee to be a Gem, and is certainly worth trying if you like exploring interesting new coffee’s without breaking the bank. Personally I intend to buy a few bags while it is available because as we know TJ’s Small Lot coffee’s frequently sell out in a month or two as they are “Limited Editions”. I do hope this Honduran coffee is one that we will see again in future.
*The name COLIBRI ESMERALDA is the hummingbird that helps pollinate these plants.
https://www.hondurasnatural.es/colibri-esmeralda/
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
Jun 21, 2023 @ 14:20:03
Where did you see it for $8.99? I saw it for $10.99 at TJ in NYC. Like it, but I liked better the last offering from Mexico.
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Jun 21, 2023 @ 14:30:00
Grazie Stefano, I will double check the price, maybe I wrote it down wrong! Funny it was just the opposite here. I liked this Honduran coffee so much and that last small lot (Organic Mexican Chiapas) not so much.
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Jun 22, 2023 @ 11:47:52
I double checked the price. The Honduran Colibri small lot is $8.99. I got it at TJ Bway & 72nd (NYC).
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Jul 20, 2023 @ 08:24:11
Lucky! I was just in my Trader Joe’s last night and all the the Small Lot Coffees I saw were $10.99. I’ll have to take another look around the corner at the rest of the coffee but the two on the end cap were definitely the higher price and it surprised me. Metro DC area but not in the city.
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Jul 22, 2023 @ 17:55:32
Sometimes you need to check the price on the receipt. Many items increased in price but at some TJ stores the price tag shows the old price.
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Jun 21, 2023 @ 16:23:51
Yes, i did really like the Chiapas, true medium light roast. I did not like a previous Mexican TJ coffee as it was actually dark roast rather than medium as stated.
The Honduras is interesting, it has a bit of a funky skunky flavor, like a little fermented.
I can mix the 2 small lots in the manual grinder as they complement one another.
The Chiapas has the advantage of being organic for the same price.
I brewed them with a moka pot and a budget espresso machine
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Jun 22, 2023 @ 12:09:31
Wow, amazing. I usually go to a few TJ stores on 14th st in Manhattan and on the Williamsburg waterfront, all the small lot coffees are now $10.99, up $1 or 10% from a few weeks ago. Interesting.
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Oct 24, 2023 @ 14:03:21
Currently my favorite coffee!
When I opened my first bag I thought it smelled like sour milk, yuk, but tried it anyway. I soon grew to love it, especially iced! (no cream or sweetener for me). I have bought at least 5 more bags and have one left, but my TJs no longer has it 😦
…guess that’s the downside to “small batch”.
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