Fresh Roasted Coffee, Italian Roast, 5 lb (80 oz), Dark, Kosher, Whole Bean

I’m a barista and have used Fresh Roasted in many combinations. Don’t think the roast is bad because the tones differ and vary– this is a mostly Arabica blend with a small percent Robusta for added caffeine, but FRC mixes three different roast levels from medium light to dark to get a unique combination of acid, roast, carmel and nuttiness. Very different and interesting blend. PLENTY strong if you grind and brew it right.

Don’t laugh, but I read one review on another site that said these are terrible people because “they can’t even get the roast color even.” The reviewer apparently thought that the blend, having different colors, was a malfunction of the roasting machine, which of course would violate the laws of physics! When you get a PURPOSEFUL balance of roasts like this blend, colors obviously vary due to different levels, from light to Full City + and Espresso, being mixed AFTER roasting, on purpose. I know you know this, but wanted to be sure you didn’t see negative stars for these folks for the wrong reason.

Because of the lights included and the amount of quality Arabica, I’d recommend a little coarser (say 300 microns) grind than espresso (200) or turkish (100, basically powder). Do NOT grind too coarse (supermarket would be about 1,000 microns) or this will be too weak. A medium fine in a Bialetti Moka pot makes a nice strong brew, full bodied but not bitter. The “roast meter” they show is an average and shows medium on average, but this is plenty full bodied for a very healthy espresso KICK if you like a double or triple, with zero bitterness even when at rocket fuel level, as I like it.

I tested the freshness (most beans start to lose flavor after about two to three weeks) and this batch was a little less than a month old. HOWEVER be very careful of buying any beans based on reviews, the reviewers may fail to tell you that age can vary greatly, especially on items using shipping by Amazon, which are first shipped to Amazon by the roaster, then to you. Being near the holidays I got a very nice pretty new batch, and have also done so on Amazon in the past with FRC, as they are a very popular brand and stock moves quickly.

NOTE: this review is for the two pounder, NOT the five. I DO NOT recommend getting the 5 unless you use a lot of coffee and it is gone in a week or two. I’ve also gotten this both on Prime and direct from FRC, and if you get it direct, it is almost always a week or two old at the most.

If you want a REALLY outstanding bean, and are willing to do your own roasting (even in a popcorn popper) Amazon has, from time to time, Sumatran green Lintong that is rarer and more expensive than Mandheling (auction last month was $50 for a pound, wholesale) for $10/pound as an add on! It’s here at times: 

Sumatra Lintong Unroasted Green Coffee beans

. This makes better espresso than Jamaican or Kona.

Highly recommended with caveat of rolling the dice on age unless you roast your own! Even so, this is bound to be younger than what you’ll get in many stores, and certainly not more than a few weeks old regardless.

FRESHNESS NOTE: Many of you have emailed about direct shipments. Although this is a place to review products and not shipping, I MUST say that when I’ve ordered direct from these folks (via amazon third party seller), the coffee arrives AS FAST as Prime would from Amazon. These are smart folks, and know that specialty coffee buyers know about freshness. I am a great fan of Prime, and MANY vendors are horribly slow, but not these folks, I’ve always gotten my orders, with free shipping, within a few days when ordering from them, even though I always order through Amazon whether Prime or not. Although I’ve never said this before, I’m even more confident on freshness when ordering this particular product here FROM the vendor! They say “roasted right before packaging” but not right before shipping, which is nuanced, as we assume it means packaging for shipment to US, but… In this case, I believe them!

This is a really good dark toast coffee at an affordable price.

This is a great dark roast coffee. Full body with a smooth taste. Great value and very fresh

The flavor I’ve experienced with Drago coffee is precisely what was promised in the item description. That’s not always the case, so I greatly appreciate the accuracy. I chose this coffee based on the description and hoped for the best. The coffee was delivered quickly, and is absolutely delicious. I highly recommend this product.