Link Sweet Bean of Wilmette, Illinois: Sulawesi & Yirgacheffe

Trying a new roaster for this post.  Wilmette, Illinois has a charming little independent coffee roaster; Link Sweet Bean.  They opened in 2005 and have a smaller yet very geographically broad range of whole bean selections.  Their beans are available at several high-end grocery stores such as Whole Foods.  Their store is extremely comfortable with a soft, relaxing atmosphere and the folks that operate it are as nice as can be.  They even offer cupping seminars from time to time.

The first coffee from Link's that I tried was Sulawesi, an Indonesian coffee.  The beans are grown in mountainous altitudes and Sulawesi produces several different grades of quality.  The most sought after beans come from Toraja but lower altitude farms produce beans as well.  Link's Sulawesi is a Dark roasted low acidity Arabica coffee bean that has a very rich, earthy fragrance.  The beans are medium sized.




The beans were ground and the coffee was brewed in a french press.   While steeping, the earthy, syrupy aroma came pouring out of the glass. As for taste, Link's started off on a strong foot. This coffee is excellent. There is no biting aftertaste, the flavor was earthy and very complex; I thought I could taste a bit of chocolate notes in it.  The flavors lingered pleasantly after I was done with my beverage. Dark roasted coffees, to me, are either really good and rich in flavor or they are burnt and gross. Link's is the former. I would be curious to see how the flavors set up if Sulawesi was a medium roast.

There are news reports online that due to adverse climate conditions, the Sulawesi harvest this year has been smaller and as a result, the price of the beans has increased.   My 12oz one way valve package was slightly more than $10.00 at Whole Foods which is on par if not slightly better in price than offerings from other roasters.

After using up all of my Sulawesi beans, I visited Link's Sweet Bean and purchased a larger sized 16 oz bag of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.  The beans are organic and carry fair trade certification.   For those who have read my posts or talked directly with me about coffee, you know that I love African coffees.  Link's Yirgacheffe absolutely blew me away with its flavor.


The beans are smaller in size which is the norm for Ethiopian.  Unlike other Ethiopian and African coffees I have tried in the past, Link's medium roasts these beans and the flavors they extract are fantastic.  What was most striking to me about Links' Yirgacheffe was the potent citrus aroma that leaps out of the bag when first opened and carries through into the brewed coffee.


I brewed the coffee in my french press and in a Vesuviana.  It was quite evident in the french press that a very think, syrupy and foamy crema forms.  I'm starting to see this as an indicator of really high quality.  Past coffees that failed to produce this, to me, tasted more dilute and less flavorful.


The coffee had powerful citrus notes and smooth acidity.  It was an absolute treat to drink.  Its great to discover another small local roaster who has really poured heart and soul into producing such a wonderful coffee for us caffeine hogs.  I look forward to trying more in the future.

Trader Joe's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe

Trader Joe's is a specialty grocery store that offers some really good products at prices better than chains like Safeway and Dominicks. According to coffeehabitat.com, Trader Joe's is owned by the same folks who own the ALDI grocery stores.

A 13oz can of their organic Ethiopian retails for around $8.95 for They have a line of specialty and more commercial style coffees that come in sealed Nitrogen flushed cans to help with preservation. The label indicates that the coffee is fair trade certified, kosher and USDA organic. The beans are shade grown.

Lets pop off the lid and peal back the foil seal: The Arabica beans are medium roasted and my first impression was that the beans may have been over-roasted. The smaller size beans almost reflected light as it looked like the beans' oil had leached out all over the place. When I went to grind the beans, the ground coated the sides of my grinder's chamber. Ethiopian coffee has very fruity aromas. However, I smelled more of a burnt earthy scent when I opened the can. The leached oils seemed to dissipate a little bit over time. My initial impression was not super-positive.

The coffee was brewed in a french press and was allowed to steep for 5 minutes. The crema was not terribly impressive looking, thin and very dark in color. At this point, I continued to smell a dominant burnt scent than any fruity or floral aromas. The coffee taste wasn't great but it wasn't terrible. I could still detect some acidity but the burnt scent translated into bitterness. I also had trouble tasting any of the fruity notes that is typical of African beans. As I went through the can, this burnt taste seemed to subside and the resulting coffee was still not great but it was palatable.

I would rate this as slightly above average coffee at best and most likely, the beans are more second grade in quality, more than likely, this is why the price is nine dollars. Perhaps this coffee would have been better as a light roast to promote whatever fruity notes might be in these beans if the beans are actually of good quality Arabica. As it stands though, the bitter taste left something to be desired.