The Coffee Mate were good enough to reach out not so long ago, and send me through two different bags of beans that they have roasted and sell over at thecoffeemate.co.uk. Santa Petrona and Maragogype, this is a review of the Santa Petrona blend.
As anyone that read my reviews over here, I love trying different coffee blends and roasts, and I try to give a good indication of the quality and flavour.
So here we are, I’ve been through almost a full kilo of the Santa Petrona blend. A sweet, mellow bag of beans that have been roasted to perfection.
The method
Just in case anyone hasn’t read one of these reviews before, it’s important to outline how I go through this. Something I do in every review.
I don’t just get a bag of beans, have a couple of cups of coffee and make stuff up. With Santa Petrona and every other coffee I’ve reviewed, I brew in 5 different ways.
Moka Pot, Hario V60, Espresso Machine, Cafetiere & Aeropress. Each method sees the beans ground to appropriate levels, and all brewed a minimum of two times each. One method I’ve never really considered is reheating coffee, does this work for anyone?
Note that since being in lockdown, and working from home, Santa Petrona has been hammered. I’ve brewed it every which way, and had it every day over a three week period.
I am familiar with this bag of beans!
Fragrance
I think this was the most important part of the Santa Petrona exeprience. After reading the notes on the front of the bag, I was anticipating something perhaps quite sweet, straight out of the bag.
But I was hit with a more mellow, medium-roast kind of smell. And a real sharpness in the background. That sharpness is a theme throughout the coffee, thanks to those lovely citrus notes that never leave the cup.
Whilst I was surprised by it (my own fault for having expectations!), it was pleasant.
Looking at the colour of the beans and the shapes/sizes. It was clear that this was roasted consistently and there was obviously a good quality control in place.
Excellent work.
Body
The best way to describe Santa Petrona is that it’s a very smooth cup. Not thick or syrupy, not watery or anything. Smooth, and perhaps a little juicy?
It sounds odd to describe a coffee as juicy, but those citrus notes just cut through everything.
Considering that it’s a medium roast, there’s definitely a touch of weight to it, too. A very rounded and well-balanced body.
Acidity
The most pronounced feature of the Santa Petrona is that of it’s acidity.
Let’s not use the term in a negative sense, either. All coffees have different acidity levels, and here it’s quite a prminent feature.
If you think of lemons and limes, you think of acidity, right? Well that’s what you get here, a sharpness, a bright and fruity/citrus hit. I’ve never really experience a flavour like this in a medium roast.
Having something so apparent and pronounced was lovely. It was never over-bearing, and Santa Petrona seems to hit a really sweet balance. Delivering a touch of sugar right at the tail-end of the mouthful which smooths it out a little.
Flavour
As I’ve already said, the roast of the Santa Petrona delivers this mellow smoothness, and because of that, there’s a touch of sweetness that just hits at the end of the sharper citrus hit.
The mouthful saw a real step-through of flavours. Starting out borderline bitter, to sharp, to sweet.
I have no idea how a coffee can be so complex and versatile, but here it is!
Santa Petrona – Overall
A nice easy one here. Each cup was consistent. Santa Petrona is well roasted, the beans clearly went through a quality check process and there were no husks or anything you might pick up from less premium bags of beans.
Whilst sweeter, lighter coffee’s aren’t my personal preference, I have to say that I’ve been pleasantly surprised about how much I’ve enjoyed drinking something so far out of my comfort zone.
The Coffee Mate are offering premium coffee, properly roasted with great flavour and balance.
Of course, flavours are like music. It’s a matter of personal preference. However, Santa Petrona seems to hit a sweet-spot, keep it light, sweet and sharp.
A great cup every time (even when I made some poor brews in the Moka Pot to start with!).
Next-up Maragogye from Nicaragua!
Lockdown ain’t too bad when you have good coffee at hand. Plus, all being well, I’ll be able to add a new method for brewing, too! Check back in a week or so.