A Cuban coffee blended with a Costa Rican, could that ever make a decent espresso? We thought we could. And with a careful roast, the results exceed our expectations. This is roasted a bit darker than we normally would, but the Costa Rican SHB is a very bright coffee. The Cuban beans do not fully balance the acidity in a lighter roast. The cup opens with an aroma of toasted macademia nuts and bakers chocolate, honey, and coffee blossom, and perhaps a hint of allspice/star anise. In all, this is a nicely balanced cup without aggressive roast notes, or wild surprises. Although the two coffees are fully washed, the blend produces ample, and stable crema. When cupping, this becomes apparent in the smooth mouthfeel, and a longlasting aftertaste. On the whole, we feel this is a very good, if not overly complex espresso blend. As a shop blend, it is definitely a crowd pleaser, that will happily go with a dash of milk without losing character. We prefer this as a straight espresso. The espresso is best brewed at around 92°C. DSCF9496

"cuban style" coffee, cost 75cents, half a little cup's worth of super strong bitter and really sweet coffee. I normally don't like sweet coffee, but this was Gooood!