Trader Joe’s Ethiopian Medium Dark Roast
My partner and I went grocery shopping last weekend, and I picked up Trader Joe's Organic Fair Trade Shade Grown Ethiopian Medium Dark Roast.
The store shelf I pulled them from was mostly empty, so this coffee must be proper.
Photo by Trader Joe’s
It could be the African mystique, the word ORGANIC, the misconception that dark roasts have more caffeine, and the popularity and richness of Ethiopian coffee in northwest DC.
It could be any or all of those things, or it could simply be good coffee.
As I open the bag, I notice that these beans are shiny.
The shine is usually an indicator of high heat during roasting and is often prominent in dark roasts.
The beans can crack open during the roasting process and produce their own oil.
This morning, I grind the beans past coarse and closer to fine. While not ideal for my French press, it'll work.
The grounds go from grinder to French press. I pour the hot water in, and it enlivens the grounds. I can smell the bitterness and some promising citrus notes underneath.
Photo by @andrewtneel
This batch has a dimmer color in contrast to the light and medium roasts I've had previously.
The coffee's core is a dark brown shade resembling well-steeped black tea with a brighter brown undertone.
Despite the aroma steering me away, the taste is welcoming, with a medium body and a somewhat white grapefruit-esque finish.
The fines create a texture the drink might not have had I ground the beans coarser.
Finer grounds can add thickness to the coffee in the French press; if it is too fine, the grounds and the beverage are inseparable.
A slight undeniable bitterness gives this batch character and leaves a long-sustained aftertaste similar to citrus fruit.
This particular taste quality is not off-putting; it's endearing and indicative of being a coffee produced for the work week.
I bought this bag from Trader Joe's because I won't drink a niche small batch or venture to an unknown cafe daily.
I'm sitting at my coffee table on a Monday morning, drinking a dark roast like my grandma Lil is probably doing back in Philadelphia.
The only difference is that she's a cream-and-sugar kind of lady, French vanilla-sweetened creamer, to be exact.
She likes the stuff you store in the refrigerator, the good creamer that, if you see at your job, an employee probably brought from home.
That's how I have coffee at her house when I don't supply the beans.
Photo by @willcola8
When I was a young barista at Starbucks, still commuting from West Philly to Temple University in North Philly, I would bring my grandma beans after my shifts once per week.
She liked all the dark roasts. I habitually brought her African blends ranging from medium to dark: Kenya, Ethiopia, and her favorite, Gold Coast.
Grandma was never and still is not fancy about coffee but loves receiving gifts.
People rarely go to her house empty-handed.
So, next time I see her, I'll have these Trader Joe's beans with me.