Allegro's Organic Ethiopian Adado

In the scant few years that I have really taken my coffee drinking to absurdly hardcore levels, a select few have made my top tier list. The Allegro coffee company has really hit a home run with its Yirgacheffe from the Adado co-operative. Lets start with the packaging. Allegro's special reserve coffees have very colorful, playful artwork. The colors on the packaging of Adado seem to reflect the flavors encased in these little beans.  Allegro advertises Cirrus, Apricot, Strawberry Blossoms.  The coffee comes in whole bean (the one I selected) and ground versions. You get 12oz per bag which has a one way air valve. The coffee is kosher and USDA certified.

Let's take a look under the hood. The beans are typical size for Yirgacheffe Arabica. Smaller in size, their aroma is heavily concentrated, in fact in blasts your senses the second the bag is opened. The berry and citrus notes in this coffee is fantastic (and I haven't even brewed it yet!). The beans are light roasted and retain full flavor and wonderful acidity.



I cupped the coffee, and also brewed it in the french press as well as in the Vesuviana at a finer ground. The vapor just tantalizes the senses. In the french press, I noticed that the crema is not as thick as in other coffees. This seems to be the norm with Yirgacheffe. You can compare this photo to earlier ones on the blog. The plunger also works through the coffee with less resistance.

This coffee is an ultimate expression of the coffee bean. Its like driving a Maybach on an Autobahn, or  lighting up a Cohiba cigar (I have done neither). This is seriously one of the best, most flavorful coffees I have ever had.  If you see it at your local store, grab a bag!!!

Allegro's Organic Arabica From Peru

Up next on the 'round the world coffee tour is Allegro's Organic Special Reserve from Peru's Frontera Co-Op. I have to give Allegro a positive review on the cute artwork they put on their packaging. This one has a colorful image of a Llama.

Popping open the one way valved 12 oz bag, we find very large and aromatic beans which are light roasted. There is a great nutty aroma emanating from the beans. The beans carry USDA organic certification.

Allegro's Peruvian beans provide a striking contrast to the Peruvian that Starbucks offered last year. Allegro's version is great reason why not all coffee should be roasted to a crisp. Allegro's brew bubbled and frothed when hot water was added in the french press producing a thick, dark-colored syrupy crema.

The sample I tried from Starbucks had some interesting aromas but one could tell that the beans had been dark (or maybe ultra-dark) roasted and oils seemed to be oozing out from the beans. Allegro's coffee had noticeable acidity and it was a pleasure to experience the coffee's nutty and slight cocoa flavors in contrast to the charcoal-esque bitterness of Starbucks. I brewed this coffee in both the french press and Vesuviana. Initially, I undertook a cupping.


It appears that Allegro is showcasing South American coffees as of late for their special reserve line. Organic Peruvian seems to no longer be available at Whole Foods nor is it found on the Allegro website. I believe they are currently offering a Brazilian and Guatemalan bean. The Peruvian for me had a nice jolt which kept me awake after drinking. The next time it happens to appear on the grocery store shelf, picture yourself in the Andes Mountains on a Lama drinking a fine cup of joe.