This Colombian coffee from Path Coffee Roasters is a gem, with some unexpected flavors.

This is the second coffee we have tried from Path Coffee Roasters.

As we mentioned in our first review, Path Coffee Roasters is part of a new wave of roasters who, instead of selling the same old coffees you can find in your local supermarket, instead focus on a few outstanding coffees and roast them in small batches.

We also like the fact that as well as being roasters, they are also educators, offering classes to local people who want to learn how to make great coffee at home.

This second coffee we tried is from Colombia. It’s called Finca Potosi, from the Valle de Cauca. There is nothing on the bag about the roast, but from looking at the beans we’d say this is a medium roast.

We like that. A medium roast is dark enough to bring out the flavors without too much subtlety, but light enough to avoid that “roasted taste” overlay you get with many dark roasted coffees.

This coffee is also Rainforest Alliance Certified.

As always we ground the beans immediately before brewing, for which we used a press pot. One thing we do differently when formally tasting coffees is to weight the coffee on our scales, and measure the water we use. Most of the time, when making our daily coffee, we do this by eye. But for tasting, we like to get the proportions just right.

Why? Because the difference in taste can be significant if you get the proportions just a little bit wrong.

OK, now for the coffee.

As we expected from a medium-roasted Colombian coffee, this is not a heavy hitter on the palate. In other words, you don’t feel a punch of dark acidity or bitterness in the mouth. It’s not a dark, strong cup of Joe.

Instead you get a lighter, clearer and more open feel from start to finish.

Actually, it took us a while to find the words to describe this coffee. It is not the same as a supermarket Colombian coffee. And I guess that’s what Path Coffee Roasters is all about…finding more interesting coffees.

There is an acidy there, but it is more lemony. It’s not the dark bitterness you get with many coffees, but lighter and more citrus in its flavor.

There is a sweetness there too, but we were stumped as to where it was coming from. Not the usual suspects, like chocolate or caramel. Then we looked again at the label on the bag. In the taste notes they mention cherry.

And that’s the answer we were looking for. The sweetness came from the cherry notes. But its subtle. Like the sweetness you get from dark chocolate or cocoa. It’s there, but not cloyingly sweet or fruity.

So yes, this is a very different and really nice coffee. 

Congratulations to Path for sourcing these beans, and for roasting them to create such an interesting coffee.

Find out more about Path Coffee Roasters here…

Read more of our coffee reviews here...

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