Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants)

“With notes of pineapple and brown sugar”

I’m sure I’ve never even seen a coffee from PAPUA NEW GUINEA before I saw this at Trader Joe’s a week or two ago. So I had no idea what to expect. But I like to check out every “Small Lot” coffee Trader Joe’s come out with. as you never know what you might get. Sometimes you may find a Gem. Like this!

This small lot is a real winner. I find it the best of the Small Lot coffees they’ve come out with in some time .

Actually Trader Joe’s describes it perfectly. “Brew up a cup of this Papua New Guinean whole bean coffee and you’ll notice its distinctive profile. The light roast presents moderate acidity and body with fragrant aromas of almond, berries, and açai. You’ll taste layered sweet and fruity flavors, detecting notes of pineapple, brown sugar, and honey.”

I just love it. It tastes pretty unique which I guess is why the describe it with “notes of pineapple and brown sugar”. “Pineapple”? I’ve never heard that word before used to describe a flavor profile of a coffee. I find the taste hard to describe but sure let’s throw “pineapple and brown sugar” into the flavor profile. All I know is that I love this coffee. Truly delicious. Smooth but Robust. Wonderful coffee aromas.

This is a called “LIGHT ROAST”. It is. The light roast here is perfect. Light roasts, at Trader Joe’s are a bit rare. Most of their coffee seem to be roasted at least medium, which is fine by me but a light one here and there is nice, so here you go.

I brewed it 2 ways, a drip coffee with a paper filter and also in my Moka pot. Both worked equally well and produced an excellent delicious cup of coffee. It even produced a good amount of “crema” when I brewed it in my Moka pot, which is one way which also seems to indicate a good coffee.

A little research on Google reveals this about coffee from PNG – which might explain some things…. “Papua New Guinea (PNG) coffee is highly regarded for its smooth body, gentle acidity, and complex, sweet-toned flavor profile. Grown primarily in the fertile Central Highlands, these heirloom Typica and Bourbon beans—originally descended from Jamaica Blue Mountain—offer tasting notes of tropical fruit, dark chocolate, and mild spices.”

I had no idea. All I know is I look forward every morning to brew up my morning cup. I will go back and pick up a bag or two of this excellent coffee! Run, don’t walk and grab this one.

This one was quite fresh too, as per the “roasted on” date, I bought it, it was only a month later. Not bad at all. Pretty fresh!

Sidenote thought: Can you imagine working at Trader Joe’s on their “Small Lot Coffee” team?! I’ve often thought this must be the coolest job in the world. They send people all over the world looking for good coffee finds, exploring small producers in some far flung corners of the world, on the hunt for the next “Small Lot” coffee find. Dream job?