CurlyShavings

I purchased a very dear eight ounces of Phoenix Coffee's Hawaiian Kona. Here's how the experience is shaping up.

Beans seemed normal size and shiny (oily?). The smell (aroma?) as they came out of the bag was pleasant. Ground them course and attempted to discharge the static that builds up on the parts of my burr grinder. Since it is cold but not nearly as dry today, perhaps I didn't have as much static electricity buildup.

I then added 8oz of near-boiling H₂O to my two Tbsp of grounds, stirred and let sit for four minutes. I didn't have nearly the "hydrophobic grounds" experience this time (where the grounds didn't seem to want to get in contact with the water). It pressed well, without excessive force.

First sip was pleasant. Mild, smooth, little bit of an abrupt bite at the end. It's a good cup of coffee, but I'm not hearing angels sing or anything like that (yet).

One nice characteristic (different from the other two coffees I've ground from Phoenix) is that this one doesn't seem to "age in the cup" like the other two. Seriously, I've had coffee go sour in the time it takes to get to the bottom of the cup (and not stone-cold, either).

Here's what the label says:

Premium coffee grown on the volcanic slopes on the Big Island of Hawaii since the early 1800's. Exceptionally Mild & Smooth. Rich flavor and aroma.

I'll be needing another one soon and so will take that down to the shop where I'm putting the face frames on a pair of cabinets that I built for the "message center" (phone, answering machine, etc.) of our sunroom. I'll let you know how that cup shapes up later.