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Cafédirect Colombia

Caf&eacutedirect Colombia
Caf&eacutedirect Colombia
Country: Colombia
Region: South Cauca
Brand: CaféDirect
Rating:

CaféDirect have quite a wide range of coffees (not to mention teas and hot chocolate, too), covering both blends and single origin. They were the first UK coffee brand to carry the Fairtrade label, and probably remain the most recognisable national Fairtrade supermarket coffee.

Their packaging suggests to me that they're reaching for whatever the coffee equivalent of "craft" is; their logo declares that their coffee is "made the small way" and the blurb on the back full of helpfully-highlighted copy about "perfect coffee" from "perfect beans" reads like something written by someone in Marketing who hasn't actually had any decent coffee for a lifetime or two.

But as I've learned before, coffee can still be delicious even when it does arrive in the most terrible packaging, so I shall put my cynicism aside.

Caf&eacutedirect Colombia is a coffee from the Cauca region, in the mountainous south-western corner of the country.

The grounds have a sweet aroma, full of soft brown sugar with a blackcurrant fruitiness beneath. Brewing doesn't detract from the fruitiness, but introduces a slightly creamy nature to the smell.

In the mouth it's soft, creamy and slightly sweet. There's a gentle fruit that is offset by a subtle acidity and that refined balance sums the flavour up perfectly. It's not a big, powerful coffee nor is it light and watery; all the elements are present and correct and in harmony with each other.

It's too understated to ever be a "wow" coffee, but the balance is spot on and makes it a fantastic daily cuppa. 4 stars.

Many thanks to the Fairtrade Foundation for providing this sample.



This review was originally published 17th November, 2014. It was last updated 1st June, 2023.