Brown Coffee Company
San Antonio, TX
About the vendor:
The Brown Coffee Company is a small cadre of coffee professionals buying, roasting and selling beautiful coffees around San Antonio and the United States. We value sustainability, transparency, and quality and build farm-direct relationships with likeminded coffee growers. We are in our seventh year of roasting, and we are dedicated to constant coffee learning and improvement in pursuit of the perfect cup.
JUST LIKE DESCRIPTION SAYS (on Edlina Microlot Espr...)
hoonchul | Sat, 06/16/2012Just like description says it has lots of brightness and acidity. It was nice change of pace from what I normally drink and mixing it milk really rounds it out.
A LOT OF TOMATOES IN HERE, (on Gititu Estate, Kiamb...)
fincawhd | Mon, 05/21/2012A lot of tomatoes in here, which--personally--is not something that I enjoy in coffee.
WONDERFUL COFFEE (on Edlina Microlot, Fin...)
jbviau | Thu, 05/17/2012The advertised "salted caramel" aroma/flavor is absolutely there, and it's not subtle (at least not for the first week)! My wife easily picked it out in one sniff without any coaching. Really enjoyed these beans. I got into the bag after having finished 14 oz. of MadCap's Six One Six blend, which is currently a mix of two Guatemalans (Finca de Dios and a different lot of Finca Vista Hermosa); Brown Coffee's Edlina microlot blew that blend out of the water, truly. Update #1: I reordered this coffee recently (roasted 4/30) and found it had lost a step (NB: it seems I'm not the only one who's noticed). Specifically, the salted caramel aspect was absent. I'm docking a cup for this reason, though the coffee is still quite good. Not sure if what I experienced was due to age of the green coffee or a roast issue. Update #2: Aaron Blanco at Brown offered to try again and sent me a replacement bag of this coffee (roasted 5/14). The roast on this latest batch was better, unlocking more sweetness than I found in the batch roasted on 4/30. However, the salted caramel notes are still much more subtle than I reported originally back in February. As a result, the coffee has a simpler, cleaner flavor profile than I remember, but it's still delicious. I'd rate it 4.5 cups, but since that's not an option I'll go back to 5.
SOLID (on Madan Estate, Wester...)
jbviau | Thu, 05/17/2012I admit this coffee didn't have my full attention when it was in its prime, but I did enjoy it for the most part. Got a little prune in the wet aroma. A spicy cup, light and crisp. Kind of an apple cider thing going on. Plummy. Tobacco notes more pronounced as it cools.
SIMPLY DELICIOUS (on Edlina Microlot, Fin...)
driver82 | Wed, 05/16/2012Round, smooth, well balanced. I like a more sharp and robust flavor, but this the coffee for those who just want a perfectly smooth and even, yet flavorful cup. Excellent.
GOOD (on Madan Estate, Wester...)
intrepid510 | Fri, 05/11/2012This is a good coffee, I got a nice acidic kick to it that makes it a nice breakfest coffee and gets a little sweet as it cools. I strongly recommend it for drip or manual brewing, however perhaps a little too bright for me to enjoy it as an espresso.
4:00 DRIP @ ~203 F BERRYISH (on Gititu Estate, Kiamb...)
broseph | Sat, 05/05/20124:00 drip @ ~203 F Berryish citrus (blood orange), more like lemonade/stewed tomato cross at it cooled
NICE ONE (on Edlina Microlot Espr...)
samuellaw178 | Sat, 04/14/2012I'd given this a try because there were some good feedback about this particular coffee and roaster. Plus, Guatemala is one of my all-time favorite single origin, especially Huehuetenango. The shipping was quick and came nicely packed. I have to confess upfront I am not a person that favors fruitiness/brightness so much. So, the first time I've tasted this Guatemala from Cremina pulled as a 12g short double, I was very surprised. The coffee was very citrusy sweet, but a little over the top with the brightness to my palate. But don't misunderstand, it's still a superb coffee with plenty of nuances and flavors. Letting it rest for days definitely had tamed the brightness a little. And I admit I didn't read the taste description before ordering and because I thought I wouldn't go wrong with Guatemalan SO from my prior experiences. But reading back the taste description from Brown coffee, they're definitely 100% right on spot with "Clean, bright and complex, a delicious espresso with notes of black cherry, papaya and sweet lemon zest" The coffee is great and the roast is nicely done too. The only fault was that I didn't pay enough attention to choose coffee that suits my preference. I will definitely be ordering from Brown Coffee, but on other coffee more to my preference style. Edit: I tried it again after letting it resting for more. The coffee is less bright as it was initially. It became more balanced now! Very excellent coffee! Changed my review to 5 cups. Definitely let it rest more to get the best out of it!
ORANGINA (on Edlina Microlot Espr...)
intrepid510 | Tue, 03/20/2012I have already had this lot roasted for drip coffee, and it was amazing probably the best coffee I have had this year. So it was pretty easy to try this one out as an espresso. This coffee is roasted a little darker than non-espresso optimized offering or so it seems. The salted caramel taste is gone, however that is not a bad thing. I have been making small milk drinks with since I got it, think total volume of the drink under 8 oz and the first sip reminded me of Orangina. A real sweet acidity, not the striking sharp acidity that can be found in a lot of brighter espressos. I have also liked it as a Clever Dripper, the coffee is a little more muted in the form and gives off some nice rich taste that isn't evident in the other roast. However, if I was going to be drinking this primarily as a drip coffee I would look at the non-espresso roast as both of them work really well for their intended purpose.
5 CUPS FOR AROMA, 4 FOR TASTE (on Finca Las Delicias R...)
jbviau | Mon, 02/20/2012As the title indicates, I was on the fence about this coffee, which I did nevertheless enjoy. My first impression was that it came across like a blend as opposed to a single-origin, if that makes any sense, but then the coffee opened up after a few days. The official description is apt, I find. Would have liked more pronounced acidity, but overall I was sufficiently impressed, and I'm looking forward to trying other coffees from this roaster.
THE DATE IS 2/14/12, AND IT (on Espresso One: Cotton...)
intrepid510 | Tue, 02/14/2012The date is 2/14/12, and it shoud be noted that this is a seasonal espresso blend that changes with the beans the roaster has on hand. I was to commend the roaster/Aaron for getting this coffee to me, as the first package got lost in the mail and with only a quick note asking if he send it he took it upon himself to overnight another shipment to me. I really appreciate the attention to customer satisfaction. Now to the important part the coffee. I found this espresso blend to be a little on the bright side as there is a nice kick in the front, with carmels leaving a lingering taste. The blend is very solid. It does well as drip too, but again expect a little acidity in the cup. I found I liked it best in small milk drinks where the milk did not overwhelm the brightness of the coffee.
SALTED CARAMEL (on Edlina Microlot, Fin...)
intrepid510 | Thu, 01/26/2012This is probably one of the best coffees that I have had in a long time, I was really happy to see that Brown has decided to start selling on Roaste as my past experience with their coffee was spectacular. As far as this one the shipping was quick ordered on a Monday morning, and it was in the mail that day and I got it Wednesday. I also really like the box is made to fit the size of the bag I think this reduces the chances of beans getting crushed in transit. Now the coffee, delicious. Seriously, the coffee smells like sugar and tastes even better. I have already taken the opportunity to make a few espresso shot (even tho it's offered as an espresso roast as well), Clever Dripper and Auto-Drip. In all of these methods I have found the coffee to be very nuanced with many different tastes over the course of the sip of the coffee. The basic break down is a nice subtle brightness upon the first taste then finished off with the salted caramel after taste. This is a very sweet coffee, it also held up well in the latte's I made with it. This is a winner and will not disappoint.