Almanac Coffee is a speciality coffee roaster based in Duluth, Minnesota. I recently had the opportunity to try some of their coffees from origins including Burundi, Ethiopia and Colombia. I was impressed with each of the coffees, but particularly found this Colombian interesting because it felt like a great entry option for people getting into the speciality coffee scene.
The coffee begins with a strong fragrance of dark chocolate and nuts that only gets sweeter once the coffee is brewed. The flavor reminded me of dark chocolate covered cashews. The coffee has a mild, balanced and clean acidity and a thick, creamy mouthfeel.
The coffee is extremely well-balanced without any single attribute stealing the show. Central and South American coffees are generally more approachable and that is absolutely true for this coffee. While it didn’t have a ton of complexity and an individual stand-out attribute, it was an incredibly delicious and well-rounded coffee.
The Bottom Line
If someone new to speciality coffee asked me today what coffee they should start with, this would likely be top of the list. It has all of the attributes of a great coffee without anything too opinionated or overpowering that could turn off a coffee newcomer.