Amazon Fresh, Nicaragua Whole Bean Coffee, Medium Roast, 12 Oz

I was gifted with a Ninja barista coffee station. I only use whole -bean, freshly-ground coffee and this product is superior. The beans are dark, shiny. The ground aroma is superb. I make an 8-ounce cup on 'rich' setting. This is better than ANY coffee I could buy at Dunks, Starbucks, Cafe Nero, et al. At a HUGE fraction of the cost.

Though this is advertised as a medium roast, it leans darker. Something to be aware of, but it's perfect for my family. We love all kinds of coffee, especially these espresso-style roasts like the ones I grew up with in Miami. Pilón, Café Bustelo, La Llave... soooo good too. The flavor is smooth, slightly sweet and gently acidic; a balanced, comforting and rich profile. Huge plus: it's organic, direct-trade and 100% Arabica coffee beans. What I do is grind the beans and store the grounds in a glass jar from Dollar Tree, since they have a tight-sealing lid. It keeps our coffee fresh and makes serving easy since we drink so much coffee. It has a nutty, dark chocolatey smell; this, along with the strong flavor, always reminds us of mornings with my grandparents in Nicaragua. I just wish the bag was bigger, that's all. I hope this is never discontinued, it's tough to find Nicaraguan coffee near us.

First impression: This whole bean coffee came with a “Best By” date of 6 months from now, instead of a “Roasted On” date. Coffee should be brewed freshly roasted, not sitting in a warehouse for months. Who knows when this was roasted? This industry standard needs to change. This is, indeed, a “light”-er roast. Probably roasted between 9 1/2-10 1/2 minutes. Not oily, no hint of roasty aroma. Smells like coffee, not a fire pit. I brewed this on my Bonavita 1800. 40grams coffee, ground for drip, 640ml filtered water. Not much evidence of degassing during the bloom (see dating comment above). Coffee aromas of tangerine and roasted almond. Nice full body/mouth feel and slightly dry finish. Tastes savory and floral, leather and hibiscus and a caramel sweetness. The flavors are not clean and they are slightly muted overall. This coffee is balanced and unimposing. At the current price, this is right in line with most store bought brands. Yet, I cannot find enough decent first-crack coffees at the store to keep my interest. As well, I’m not always interested in paying the local roasters whole bean price for my morning brew. This coffee is a great compromise of quality and price. Distinct enough to enjoy but budget friendly. This coffee is well worth the price for anyone looking for a cost-effective online coffee option.

I am really impressed with Amazon's Rwanda coffee. I drink a lot of African coffee and have tried a number of roasters who sell on Amazon. There was one I had on subscription for years but as they have grown things have slipped, and so I went looking for a new roaster. I found a direct trade company which sounded good, but the coffee was not very good. I tried Amazon's with some hesitation, not expecting it to be more than mediocre, but it is, in fact, very good! The flavor is not as distinctive as Kenya AA or Ethiopian, but is does taste distinctly like African coffee. It is smooth and flavorful. I have made espresso with it, and my husband drinks it as pour over. Despite his urging me not to get it (low expectations) he has since put it on subscription. I think we both have it on subscription, and may have an awful lot in a few days, but our daughter drinks it too, so it will get used, and I would rather have too much than too little. Amazon's coffee is also direct trade, which is great to see. I like the coffee a lot and love that the farmers are getting paid more because they have a direct trade agreement. If you are looking for a new coffee, it is definitely worth trying.

The TL;DR version of this review is: this is not a light roast coffee. Most modern coffee scholars divide coffee consumption into three historical eras: First Wave: Folger's, Maxwell House, "Good to the Last Drop." This is the coffee that was pre ground and freeze dried and hopefully was not "the best part of waking up." But it brought coffee to the masses and the masses to the coffee. Second Wave: Starbuck's, Pete's, Seattle's Best, et cetera. This is the dark roasted coffee that was rarely drank "neat"/"black" and demanded a rather burnt flavor to be noticed amidst the sea of foam, caramel shots, and milks (bovine, almond, soy, oat, peanut brittle). Many folks are still drawn to this coffee due to undiagnosed Type-2 diabetes. Third Wave: back to the bean. Slowly the style that has taken over in the last 15 years (at least in urban areas) is chiefly about the flavor of the bean. Terroir, pour over, conical burr grinders, and light roasts... if you've ever been to a "cupping" this is what you're after and you are less likely to mask the flavor of the coffee. Cafes that specialize in this style usually don't carry any sort of syrup and half the patrons drink it black (vs in a latte or what have you). If you are curious about Amazon's take on, ostensibly, what should be the sort of "Third Wave" coffee you might expect from Blue Bottle, Stumptown, Huckleberry, Corvus, Middlestate, Herikmer... really the list is endless, look no further. First off, this is cheap coffee. It's about a third of the cost of my usual go to (Huckleberry's Phantom Limb) and I can get it delivered. This is nice as the nearest coffee shop where I can buy coffee is a block away! (Seriously, though, I am often out of beans and too busy with work to leave my apartment, which is sad in its own way.) Kidding aside, there is something to be said for convenience (especially when you work at home and deadlines are looming). Now, I've tried the "other" (I believe there is only one) "light roast" that Amazon produces and it was quite disappointing. I had higher hopes for these beans as they did have a "country of origin" proudly displayed on the bag. But then I opened it. Sigh. As you can see from the picture attached, Huck's Phantom Limb (which some even consider on the darker side of light roasts) is a chalky, cocoa powder brown. It looks more like dirt and less like the shiny back of a cockroach. It tastes jammy and bright, almost sweet. Not mind blowing, but a reliable third wave sort of bean. Insert your normal favorite here and you get the idea. Now the Amazon coffee... looks like a dark roast. Maybe a medium roast, at best. And the taste matches: slightly stale (there is no roast date on the bag), very bitter, with that nutty sort of dried out flavor you would get from... diner coffee! There's nothing wrong with diner coffee, mind you. But when I'm at home and doing all the "coffee nerd" things like weighing the kettle, the beans, popping a fresh filter in the Chemex, and flipping on the burr grinder, I greatly prefer "third wave" style coffee. Basically, this is my "backup" coffee when work/life keeps me too busy to simply walk down the street for a bag. While that may be pathetic, the fact that I can throw a bag in with my groceries and have it delivered while I'm working is rather nice. If Amazon can possibly do a better job of roasting these beans, they could actually be good. As they are, it will remind you of a certain ubiquitous chain's coffee (and not Timmy's) which, while wildly popular, is the coffee equivalent of Applebee's. It isn't terrible, but you can do much better. Support local roasters, keep this stuff for emergencies.

An excellent small bag of Nicaragua whole bean coffee which I used for espresso. I had not tried this country’s before. A collection of these small Amazon bags from each coffee-producing country would make an excellent Christmas gift for a coffee enthusiast and would not cost very much at all!

The batch I got appeared to be coffee roasted no more than 2 weeks when I got it. This is a fruity tasting coffee that folks may consider to be acidic, so if you are not into that go with a darker roast. Good price around 8 dollars. And yeah it has some sort of flowery scent as well. To acclimate to these light roasted fruit tasting coffee, sweeten it in the beginning. Will not have a lot of crema or foam in most espresso machines. Perfect for pour overs and French press. I would go a bit smaller on the grind (7 on my Gaggia MDF) on pour overs. Has a lot more kick due to the roasting but it hits you slower.

This is a really good blend of coffee. It is described as being juicy and complex with hints of chocolate. What they describe as juicy I would describe as bright at least I think I’m describing the same thing they are. I don’t really get any hint of chocolate. I do feel like there’s just a little bit of fruitiness to it this blend. I used 40 g of whole beans and 24 ounces of water to make my first tasting brew. That is the ratio suggested on the bag and I feel like it is a solid ratio. I usually prefer darker roast, but this is a really good tasting coffee. I plan to purchase it again and I would definitely recommend it.