Cafédirect Organic Machu Picchu Fresh Ground Coffee Review

We like:

The Fairtrade and Soil Association certifications; Cafédirect's ethos

We don't like:

That the taste doesn't blow our minds -- expert James Hoffman doesn't like it at all

SmartPlanet judgement:

We appreciate Cafédirect as a company for developing Fairtrade into so much more than just a financial premium. This particular coffee shows how the company has managed to involve growers in the company -- and get involved in the growers' communities -- while looking after the environment at the same time. Flavour-wise it's not the best coffee we've ever tasted, but it's very good and good value for the price.

At SmartPlanet's blind coffee tasting with 2007 Barista of the Year James Hoffman, we only looked at taste and flavour. Hoffman didn't particularly like Cafédirect's Machu Picchu ground coffee, saying the flavour was "woody on the nose", which is not actually a bad thing in itself, and that it tasted "earthy and unclean" -- not good in coffee terms. Continue reading...