San Emilio Coffee from Coffee Del Sol. A rich, smooth coffee with a strong, even flavor.

First off, a big thanks to Coffee Del Sol for sending us this sample. Thank you!

Before we get to the tasting, it’s worth mentioning that this coffee owes its unique taste profile in part to the way the coffee was processed.

Most coffees are processed with a water process. That’s how they remove the cherry skin and pulp.

With the San Emilio coffee, they use a combination of mechanical depulping and letting the coffee dry with the pulp on.

This process tends to bring out a more fruity flavor.

As for the tasting, we started off by grinding some beans fresh from the bag, brewed the coffee black, and then let it sit for a few minutes to cool a little.

At first taste we were a little surprised. This is a medium roast coffee, but has a strength we usually associate with a darker roast.

That strength comes from a nicely balanced bitterness in the mouth. It’s not a sharp bitterness. Quite the contrary. It’s smooth, and a little sweet.

It’s that sweetness that lingers, as a subtle aftertaste. It’s not really a bitter sweetness. Nor is it a crisp fruity sweetness. It’s more subtle than that. More of a dried fruit flavor than a fresh or sharp fruit taste. More of a background taste.

Although other reviewers haven’t touched on this, we also found an earthy tone to the taste – perhaps a touch of nut, a hint of burned caramel.

Overall, the taste profile is very satisfying.

It’s a strong brew, with a bold taste. But that boldness comes through very smoothly, without any sharp edges. You get the bitterness, a little sweetness, and that hint of nut and caramel.

For us, this would be a wonderful coffee for everyday use. A bold, strong coffee, but with enough subtlety to make it interesting.

UPDATE: We had a link to this coffee at the Coffee Del Sol website, but the site seems to no longer work. Sorry about that.

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About the author: Nick Usborne, aka Coffee Detective, is a writer and long-time coffee enthusiast. Read more…