I roasted and drank a lot of coffee before starting Bookish Coffee. I had my favorite regions, roast profiles, and preparation methods. In short, I had opinions about coffee. What I didn’t have, however, was any need to communicate these opinions to other people, or at least not to more than one person at a time. All I needed to do was brew a cup.

By starting Bookish Coffee I left this simplicity behind and waded into the murky waters of describing the taste of coffee. I’m on the record describing, for instance, the new Bolivian coffee as having the aroma of blackberries. Now it’s true that – both in the roaster and the cup – I get the aroma of blackberries. Yet I am laden with concerns: What if someone doesn’t like blackberries, perhaps because of the seeds? What if someone expects this to taste like a cup of blackberry syrup? 

Of course, as a matter of definition, all the coffee tastes primarily like coffee. Hopefully the descriptions can give you some sense of the differences before you’ve tried them all. And if you really want to know what these different coffees taste like, all you need to do is brew a cup.

I like to offer more variety than you’ll find today on the coffee page. I’ve been holding out, though,  for the new crop of Central American coffees (they typically start coming in this month). That’s right – coffee is a crop, a product of agriculture dependent on the vicissitudes of of weather, climate, and season.

But the wait is about over. I expect to receive some Colombian and Bolivian coffees this week in time to roast on Thursday. It’s always fun to get a new coffee in the roaster, and I’m looking forward to learning about these new flavors and aromas. I’m also looking forward to adding an organic and an organic/Fair Trade to the list.

So I’m happy to say that next time you  order “regular” I’ll have to ask you to be more specific.

The new bookishcoffee.com gives me a little more control, so I can keep you up to date on what coffee we have available and even which ones are on the way.

For instance, I happen to know that there are some great coffees coming in from Colombia and Bolivia. Some Fair Trade. Some organic. Good stuff.

Take a look around and let me know what you think.