I love the taste of this coffee. Anytime I brew this coffee for guests I am bombarded with questions about where I got it. Unfortunately it is no longer available in stores, but at least I can get it online. The portion packs are convenient to make a quick pot of coffee, but I usually use less than an entire pouch.
Living l'Vida Loca: The convenience of portion packs-
PostedJuly 2, 2012
ThatgirlDeb
From: Atlanta, GA, USA
Gender:female
Age:45-54
Drinks Starbucks:Once a day
Starbucks Personality:A press pot of single-origin coffee
We drink Starbucks at our office- 2 years ago we merged with a larger firm; from 12 to 80+! Within a few months more coffee consumers joined the conga-line to our office thermal carafe. If I was on vacation, or away coffee imbibers saulked ..."we can't make coffee like you can Deb... with TLC". While the sentiment is pure flattery- who doesn't love a compliment? I decded to purchase these handy portion-packs. "Starbucks packs their coffee with Love too." Here's to your Estima!
My husband likes dark coffee, so we thought we'd give this one a try. We only used about 1/2 of the packet for a pot of coffee and it was REALLY good. It was strong, but not bitter and it had a nice smooth finish. Yum!
This purchase was a gift. It arrived timely and traveled well. We tasted one of the bags and agreed we all loved the Estima--bold, yet smooth. I was told you may be discontinuing this coffee and I hope not. Verona used to be our fav but Estima takes first place now.
I have been looking for a second Starbuck's blend to use in Espresso and in regular brew. I like a rich, bold coffee that is also smooth - without extra acidity. I tried several that just weren't right but found this blend and Cafe Verona to be perfect for my needs. The Cafe Verona was great with a hint of cocoa. It is a great dessert coffee in regular and decaf. The only problem for me - I'm allergic to cocoa & didn't notice this until I had an allergic break out. I looked all around my kitchen to see what I missed and finally came to the Verona package - where it was clearly listed. The bumps went away & so did the Verona.
I then found this Estima Blend which is bold with a smooth sweetness. This is a great coffee that is perfect for espresso and regular brew. I would like to see this in a decaf. To me, this has the good parts of the regular espresso roast with a smooth sweet lift. It doesn't have a chemical taste like some flavored coffees. In this blend - the coffee beans are the whole show.
So - give both these coffees a try next time you are at a Starbuck's . Both blends would make great presents for coffee enthusiasts. If you want to spend under $20 pick the coffee alone. For $60 you can get 4 lbs of coffee for 4 gifts. If you want to spend a big more get the coffee with a grinder or another piece of equipment or a new mug.