Our review of Catuai/Bourbon - an organic coffee from Honduras, by way of Spirit Animal Coffee. 

First off, many thanks to Paul Gromek of Spirit Animal Coffee for sending us a bag of these beans.

As you can see, when we took delivery, it wasn’t just a regular bag of beans that arrived at our door.

The bag was wrapped in burlap sacking and packed into a beautiful wooden box, also crafted in Honduras.

A quick look at their website tells you the story of Animal Spirit Coffee, the people behind it, and their very particular approach to the coffee business.

In their own words, it’s all about respect. Respect for the beans and the soil in which the coffee trees grow. Respect for the independent farmers in Honduras who grow and pick the coffee beans. And respect for the process that brings the coffee from the tree to our homes.

As for this coffee, the beans are of the Bourbon variety, grown at an altitude of 1,835 meters, and then processed locally and medium roasted.

And the taste?

As always, we ground the beans immediately before brewing. And to make the coffee, we used our trusty Bonavita brewer.

Then we left the coffee to cool for a couple of minutes before tasting. 

My wife took the lead, as she has a much more sensitive sense of smell.

She found the aroma to be very light and subtle. Just a hint of some floral notes.

At her first sip, she said, “Hibiscus”.

Here’s the thing. 

We don’t read the company reviews of their coffee before we do our own tasting. We don’t want their descriptions to influence our first impressions. 

When we did look, they said, “Jasmin”.

Not exactly the same… but we definitely agree on the strong floral notes.

Beyond that, we identified a natural sweetness, chocolate, and some light nut tones.

Actually, there is a light creaminess that runs through everything… light creamy chocolate and a light, soft nut flavor.

And yes, there is a softness there. Soft in the mouth and soft notes throughout, with no sharp notes.

For us, that’s one of the markers for a quality coffee. The different tones should balance well together. A harmony of balanced tastes, with nothing out of tune.

This is also a coffee you need to pay attention to.

If you were served it in a diner or local café, gulping it down with your pancakes and syrup, you’d probably not recognize it for what it is. You might even send it back and ask for something with more of a kick.

But when you do give each sip your full attention, you’ll recognize the quality of this coffee.

And this isn’t an inexpensive coffee. Far from it.

It’s a coffee you order to spoil yourself. Or simply to celebrate your appreciation of fine coffees, and the care and craft that goes into them.

You can get a bag of these beans for yourself, wooden box included, at the Spirit Animal Coffee website.

Highly recommended!