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Andrew
July 30, 2024
I did a light roast on about a pound of beans. Bought 5 pounds to try out. Very impressed by the taste of the coffee I pour over brewed afterwards. Got all the fruity notes + the lemon.
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stacey
June 5, 2024
These are great beans! After roasting right up to second crack I let them sit a few days and the smell and taste is very fruity and flavorful. I just ordered more.
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Gary
February 29, 2024
Superb! Agree with those who taste blueberry and I detect a sort of cherry flavor. I found the flavor remarkably similar to Don Enrique Reserve, which is a Columbian that I really like.
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Duane
November 13, 2023
This Is a Very different coffee. I ordered 50lbs thinking it would be be good enough, as all other coffee has been in the past. The first thing I noticed, when opening the box, was a fermentation odor to it, different than any green coffee beans that I have had. This odor carried over to the roast unless I went into the second crack. Also a very dirty or sheading bean during the roast. Won't do this one again.
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Dalton Haddock
October 16, 2023
Amazing coffee. It's our go to for drip. I mix it with Bali Blue moon for the mocha pot. It never disappoints. Chocolate berry.
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Mark Dickson
September 9, 2023
I have been searching for years for this coffee. Really bright, really fruity at light to medium roasts. This is not for everyone, but if you like a complex, fruity coffee this is what you’ve been looking for.
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Jeffrey
June 28, 2023
I remember I bought this coffee a couple years ago and it was outstanding for it being a fruit forward blueberry bomb. This lot while good does not reflect the earlier experience. Still looking for the flavors previously available from this region. Keep searching CBC and update your profile if you find it again, it was amazing exceptional coffee.
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Vardan
May 5, 2023
My first time roasting this bean. Absolutely delicious! Got two 8oz samples to try.
Equipment used: Freash Roast SR800 roaster with a 12" Razzo roasting Chamber, Vario W + grinder, OXO Brew 8 Cup Drip. I was initially concerned with green bean size and appearance inconsistency and did a fair amount of sorting pre- and post-roast to hopefully improve the outcomes in my cup. Since I only roasted two 8oz charges, the sorting was not so bad. Total roast time 8:17. Dropped at 429F 1:43 past FC. Very happy with the results! The beans did not disappoint! Highly recommend.
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Vardan
May 5, 2023
My first time roasting this bean. Absolutely delicious! Got two 8oz samples to try.
Equipment used: Freash Roast SR800 roaster with a 12" Razzo roasting Chamber, Vario W + grinder, OXO Brew 8 Cup Drip. I was initially concerned with green bean size and appearance inconsistency and did a fair amount of sorting pre- and post-roast to hopefully improve the outcomes in my cup. Since I only roasted two 8oz charges, the sorting was not so bad. Total roast time 8:17. Dropped at 429F 1:43 past FC. Very happy with the results! The beans did not disappoint! Highly recommend.
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Tim Nicholson
January 6, 2023
So good! If you roast it just right, not too dark, and just the right pour over, not too hot, you really get that poignant blueberry syrup concentration and depth. Palette and nose fantastic! One of the great ones!
Thanks again to your team for excellence and care!
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William Mudd
December 27, 2022
OMG!!!! Absolutely Amazing!! I ordered this on the sole basis that this was going to be very fruit-forward, and no doubt that it was. My first roast was a cinnamon + to city roast. It had a very Tea-like body with notes of blueberry and apricot (maybe some light pineapple). I shared this coffee with an Ethiopian woman who frequents her friend's coffee shop. She loved it!!! It made me proud to get her approval. Definitely plan to order more!!
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Steven
December 25, 2022
Fantastic sweetness. Best natural bean I've ever had
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Shellie Thomas
December 14, 2022
Excellent. I use the “Fresh roast SR540”. Aroma of sweet fruit near the end of roast stage!! Totally roast time 8 minutes. I kept the temperature between 395-415 degrees. LOVE Ethiopian
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Mark
October 20, 2022
Not a coffee connoisseur so I will just say this is one of the best coffee beans I have purchased from CBC. Very smooth and roast just past first crack. This may become my 'go to' coffee.
Customer service is great, my original shipment for some reason or another couldn't be delivered and CBC re-shipped another order as soon as they were informed of this problem.
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Todd Mac
October 7, 2022
This bean had piqued my interest a while back, but was not in stock. The "notify me when this bean is back in stock" option was selected. The notification arrived a couple weeks ago and a few pounds was ordered.
Let me admit to a small human weakness; I love blueberry. This strong attraction is not limited to coffee. For me, the Ethiopia Misty Valley Yirgacheffe was the go-to bean to get the "blueberry experience". Now there is now a new king of the hill, and it is the Ethiopia Durato Bombe bean. Both beans are excellent, but the Durato Bombe provides a fuller, more rounded expression of the blueberry flavor. But, enough of my blueberry facination... the review.
Cupping flavors: Clearly defined Blueberry with very faint floral in the finish. Solid body with a full mouth-feel for a bean only rated a 4. Statistics: Roast level City+, Moisture loss 13.66 percent, Development 17.1% Green Been description: 227g, Consistent in size and color. This is a higher altitude bean, so an agressive roast cycle was tolerated well by the beans. Roasting challenges: None, this is a high altitude Ethiopian bean, which is an easy roast. Roaster Gene Cafe CBR101 2016 model. Roast description: (uniquely for Gene Cafe CBR 101 models). *Preheat the empty drum to 402 F (206 C) for 5 minutes. *Rapidly stop and remove the drum. Quickly fill with the green beans. Re-insert the drum, start the roast at 402 F, start kitchen timer. *At 5 minutes on the timer, raise the temperature to 473 F (245 C). *Continue at this temperature until the first pops of First crack PLUS 70 seconds. *On this roast, first crack began at 10 minutes 30 seconds, temperature was lowered at 11 minutes and 40 seconds to 437 F (225 C). *Continue to roast at 437 until roast is complete. *The goal on this roast was City+, this was reached 12 minutes 40 seconds into the roast. About 25% of the beans had light cracks at the tips. *The beans were dumped and force cooled. The drop was well before Second crack. Post Roast Notation: This bean takes a bit long rest to fully reveal it's flavor. The bean is best after a 5 day post-roast rest.
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Marshall
April 25, 2022
Got it in sampler then ordered 5 lbs then 10. Then 50. And when it's finished I'll get another 50. Hopefully it's still available.
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Asa
April 23, 2022
Took this to City+/Full City and can agree with with several other reviewers that the blueberry was wonderfully present. Even the aroma while roasting was particularly striking a bit before it hit first crack. Now, the brewing methods and preparation did have quite a variation for me. The pour over (I use a Chemex) emphasized the blueberry (and I would argue a general, sweet berry-ness), but there was an odd sensation that accompanied it. On the front of my tongue, it was that feeling you get when eating pineapple, like a citric "bite." As it travelled to the back of my tongue, it was a pleasant bitterness. The Americano was similar, but muted that sensation a bit and it tasted a bit more like a super fresh bowl of fruit, and I think I detected a hint of watermelon (could be power of suggestion though? lol). That lingering bitterness on the back end was still there, but it wasn't off-putting. However, my favorite drink with this coffee was a flat white (latte/cappuccino hybrid with a ristretto [half] shot of espresso) using oat milk. It had that fresh fruit sweetness, but the milk all but removed the front-end sensation and back-end bitterness. Instead, it was like a homemade whipped cream on the cup of fresh fruit. WONDERFUL! (Typically, milk-based drinks are not my favorite, but it worked so well in this case!)
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Tim R
April 9, 2022
This an incredible Ethiopian bean, and my favorite of any variety. When roasted to a light-medium, I get loads of chocolate covered blueberry. I've found that roasting darker destroys the dominant blueberry character, although I think this bean is more forgiving than most others in this regard.
My process has been to roast 6 oz at a time on my SR800 starting on max temp and max fan, then decreasing the fan by 1 unit every 2 min until I get into 1st crack--then let it go for 30-60 more seconds. This has worked well during winter months when the ambient temp in my garage is 60-65°F, and has been generally taking 8-9 minutes.
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Stephanie Sofranoff
April 4, 2022
This coffee at true medium brown roast is very very rich, smooth and complex, with an aftertaste of rich chocolate. It is much tastier and flavorful than the Shantawene.
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Brody DeBard
March 24, 2022
Blueberry blueberry and more blueberry. This coffee will swoon anybody with tastebuds. Don’t miss out on this stuff. If not, that’s fine I’ll take it all for myself.
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handys70
February 12, 2022
A great bean for espresso. I roast to start of 2nd crack and let set for 3 days. The aroma of the bean is very unique - sweet spice and fruit. 18 grams of ground beans into the ports filter and aim for 36 - 40 grams of espresso. Simply the best.
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RDRD
January 29, 2022
I am partial to coffee from this region. Roasted between 1st and 2nd crack. Smooth crisp coffee with citrus notes. Checked all the boxes for Ethiopian Sidamo. The bean quality was excellent.
Service from Coffee Bean Corral is excellent.
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RDRD
January 20, 2022
This was the first home roasted batch of Ethiopian Sidamo. It checks all the boxes for coffee from this region. Roasted in a cast iron pan between 1st and 2nd crack. The quality of the beans was excellent, uniform and no damaged beans.
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mpweiss
December 30, 2021
If you are a lover of exotic espresso and tasty cappuccino, then with proper roast you got it. This is a naturally processed and normally should be roasted lighter to expect good citrusy bite and aromas, but apparently this Sidamo should be roasted somewhat darker to expect this result. City+ but not darker. With my roast it is closer to almost end of the 1st crack to the cease of 1 st crack. Do not go into 2nd.
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Captain Spaulding
December 24, 2021
I've been roasting coffee for 15+ years, and settled on fruity Ethiopians as my favorites. On my old Behmor, I had occasionally succeeded in coaxing out those blueberry notes, and like a heroin addict, had been searching for those flavors ever since. I've been roasting on a Bullet for over a year, and was surprised that I could never get a roast like that...until now! The first time I ground and brewed this coffee, I immediately knew it was a success. In fact, my son called me to comment on the blueberry notes in the coffee I had left in the pot for him. And my roast profile was far from optimal...too long and too cool. I'm sure it will only get better from here. How sure? I ordered 100 more pounds, that's how sure.
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Johnboy Jr.
December 4, 2021
This is amongst my top 5 favorites of all time. My current #1 is a blend of this: 2 parts Durato Bombe, 1 part Misty Valley, and 1 part the organic Yirgacheffe. I roast it as fast and violently as I can to the last 10 seconds of first crack. I'm gonna guess the bean temp to be about 415-420° ...and I get there in about 4 minutes. After 3-4 days aging in a "zip" bag... boom! The whole neiborhood knows when, I pull a shot. The aroma is just so beautiful, loud, and satisfying. Oh also, I wish to inform y'all, that anything above 5lbs. Gets packaged in fresh untumbled burlap, which leaves the contents inside and anything outside, resembling a "crazy cat lady's" couch. This is a mild exaggeration, but sometimes an exaggeration is the only way for people to understand the truth. It's such an unnecessary mess, and will remain a constant scar on CBC'S business model, IMO. There is no way that I, am the first to be disgruntled about it. But I haven't seen any negative comments about it. Am I the only person who doesn't want to pick hairs out of my beans before roasting, or having to vacuum whatever room I handle that bag in. For some reason, no one has mentioned it. Woe is me, my beans, and my poor sweater... Continuing to use those bags is congruent with poor quality control and negligent marketing. Please please please stop using those! Maybe for 50lb. bags it might be okay, because the bean to hairy contaminate ratio are minimal, but the 10lb. bag! ... sigh. I love everything else about CBC, but those bags are the closest I've ever come to using the smiling poop emoji. I do appreciate the avoidance of using plastics and non-biodegradable packaging, truly!! Maybe my opinion doesn't matter. I know my profile only has 3 orders on it, but I forgot my password and was checking out as a guest for many moons. You are my preferred "friends" in the green coffee industry. Thus ends my honest review.
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Matt
December 2, 2021
This makes a really good pourover with a City Roast. Nice blueberry notes liked you'd expect from a dry processed Ethiopian coffee.
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Nick
November 13, 2021
Got this with the world coffee day sample pack and roasted it up this past week. I didn't read the tasting notes before doing so and when I took a few sips I was somewhat confused, not able to place the dominant note I was getting. Saw your notes and the mention of blueberry made it click! This is definitely a fruit-foward coffee with a dominant blueberry flavor and a pleasant acidity. Roasted 30 seconds after 1st crack had wrapped up on my SR800. Usually I go for the more earthy coffees and want my fruit notes to be in the background but this is definitely something I can see enjoying in my mix. I'll have to remember it!
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Shadowpotts
October 23, 2021
Add me to the list of people who love this coffee. Have been on the search for a natural Ethiopian with that sweet fruit forward flavor since this time last year, and have only been disappointed. Well. My first roast with this and I am back to buy more before it’s all gone. On only 4 days rest it’s already a great example of a fruit forward Ethiopian. I took it 1:45 into first crack with just the last few cracks happening in the cooling tray.
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Michael
October 17, 2021
I initially bought this coffee because someone on Facebook group was raving about it that it is blueberry "bomb". I was very disappointed. It is not. It does have very subtle blueberry/pineapple notes. That's about it. It is sweet but not very fruity (even at a lighter roast). I've purchased equally sweet or sweeter, and fruitier Ethiopia coffee for about $2 less per lb. The reviewer who wrote that this coffee is the "most fruity" coffee he ever had, apparently has not tasted very fruity coffee in the past. I will not be buying this again. This coffee is decent but overpriced for what it has to offer.
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Roger Garrett
September 15, 2021
Roger Garrett
I began roasting coffee beans this year, and I have not regretted that decision ever. When I discovered Coffee Bean Corral, I was very surprised at the quality of the beans in all categories. But I have to say - the Ethiopia Natural Sidamo Durato Bombe Grade 1 bean, roasted fast at a high heat (completed before cooling in 4.5 minutes) is the best, most fruity and aromatic coffee I have ever drunk. This stuff is light roasted naturally processed coffee on steroids. Even the beans, green, emit a fruity aroma. Each day after roasting I open the cannister to check the development, and the bean smell is just powerful and stimulating. Three full days of cannister storage matured the roasted bean and it was ready to grind and drink. Wow! Fantastic!
I have since purchased another 5 lb. bag to add to the first 5 lb bag to get me through the winter (I'm sure it will not). Highly recommended. Even my kids and my brothers are buying this bean now!
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pdbrad
September 14, 2021
I have roasted to small batches of this coffee and have found it to be exceptional. I had one individual say it was the best cup of coffee he'd ever had!
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javafool
September 13, 2021
Roasted in my Hottop this morning and I tried a cup right away. Blueberry came out as soon as the grinder started. The coffee was great and my next cup will probably be in a couple of days. I was surprised at how long this coffee took from the beginning of first crack until first crack finished. I can see that there is a variety of roast levels in this batch of beans.
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Rick
September 10, 2021
Bombe is the bomb! I love ethiopias but this one blows al the others away. The fruity fresh clean flavor is beyond my verbal capacity but I just know that it perfect for me. I sampled the first order and immediately reordered fearing it might go out of stock quickly. I will probably during this one daily.
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Jennifer
September 9, 2021
This Ethiopia is so amazing!
It is very flavorful and bold. Not sour or bitter and you can really taste the fruity flavor. Very smooth.
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wmgaisford
August 31, 2021
Roasted to City+ on Gene Cafe roaster.
Sweet, smooth, fruity. It's been a while since I last had the kind of stuff that makes me stop in my tracks. Good body and a bit of sweet after taste. I'm hoping there will be more when this is gone. Haven't tried it yet, but I think it would make an amazing espresso.
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Trox
August 30, 2021
This is the first Ethiopian coffee I've found in almost a year that actually has blueberry and fruity notes that I love so much! Delicious coffee.
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Gabby
August 25, 2021
I’m a first time roaster and ordered a half pound sample (along with a few other samples). And I roasted in my popcorn air popper. I mention this because not all beans seem suited for that method (or it could be user error).
This bean is VERY forgiving. Had no trouble roasting multiple batches. And it tastes amazing.
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Outerbank5
August 20, 2021
Purchased for a friend at work who has Sidamo on top of his list of favorites. He loved it and when I tried it I could see why! I roasted it medium since that was his preference but also tried it a little darker & preferred it
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jhyounis777
August 13, 2021
In my household, this coffee is King. I roast to medium. It is utterly fantastic. Disclosure: dry/natural process coffees are my favorite, but this one stands head and shoulders above the rest. I like it better than even the Misty Valley Yirgacheffe, and that is saying a lot. I waited… and waited… for this one to come back in stock, and once it did, I pounced on a 3 lb. bag. I’m thinking maybe I should have doubled that. This one may go fast. The flavor notes in the description are pretty spot-on!
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Ceci
November 13, 2020
Sweet and very fruity. Love it!
Roasted just to second crack. Brewed after 3 days via French press.
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Randal
November 3, 2020
This coffee is exceptional. A sweet, intense fruited natural. Dried apples, berries, spices and I don't know what else. Adequate acidity throughout. I have never had a more fruited espresso. I would not go past City+ if possible so as not to compromise the fruit but anything short of FC will probably work. Thanks to CBC for making a coffee like this available to its customers. Try it next to a more traditional espresso to better appreciate the range of outstanding coffee these folks have available.
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