Caffe Borbone Blue Blend Coffee Beans Arabica and Robusta Medium Roast, Pack of 1 kg

Quick look:Name: Caffe Borbone Blue BlendRoast: Very dark (NOT Medium)Caffine Levels: HighMain aromas/flavours: Nuts, spice, chocolate.Best for: Cold brew, filter, drip.Other Notes: Very economical, very low acidity, would be good blended with more expensive gourmet beans.Longer Review:These beans are what you call an "Italian Roast" (not a medium roast as on the listing), which is about as dark as you an get before it's burnt and undrinkable. This is visible by the oil that's on the surface of the bean as well as the colour, and is one level darker than a "French" roast.Not too many commerical roasteries roast this dark, as there is a fire risk due to the oil (which comes from the bean), etc. I was very pleasantly surprised to find a proper Italian roast when I opened the bag.About half the beans are Robusta, with the other half being fairly low-grade Arabica, probably Vietnamese Robusta with South American Arabica (my guess is all or mainly Brazillian).Robusta beans generally have a nutty taste, which is represented fairly well in this blend, and have a much higher caffine content than arabica beans. This makes this blend a good morning coffee.The arabica in this blend has a good chocolate/spice flavour. The low grade of these beans doesn't bother me, as they have been roasted properly (and thus taste good), and the price is good.For me, it's a bit intense to have by itself enjoyably any way other than cold brew, but is a very attractive base for at-home blend with medium/light roast gourmet-grade arabica beans.Consider blending with light roast acidic beans (such as Ethiopean mocha) for a jack of all trades type of blend, or with more complex profile beans with low acidity (like Indonesian old brown java) for a dark, powerful, and complex blend. Start with half-half, then adjust to taste.

I make 99% of my coffee in my home. I tasted this Bourbon Blu in a cafe recently in the East End of Glasgow. There is an amazing wow factor to this Bourbon Blu. Immediately upon tasting this blend for the first time I asked the waiter about this coffee. I even asked the owner if I could buy a bag off him. He declined but thankfully showed me what 1kg bag looked like.Even more surprising to my first experience of tasting this coffee is when I looked online, to purchase, I was able to get it for such a cheap price. I was expecting this coffee bean to be in the more pricey gourmet range. A coffee to buy for a special occasion. Instead I am having a pukka gourmet experience.This coffee has a really nice aroma. A lovely dark chocolate coloured bean. As someone has commented above a proper "Neapolitan coffee" On my basic espresso machine each cup has a lovely velvet creamy head. It also packs punch in terms of strength.There is even more wow in the value. This coffee is of such quality strength, in the mornings, I only need to make two double shot Americanos; and that does me for the day. A single shot filled to the brim is also just as nice in terms of taste. Once again the consistency of the velvet head from coffee is something. In 30 years of making my own daily cup of Joe I have never experienced that before.Even more wow is the fact I managed to find a seller on Amazon and got 3 x 1kg bags for £24.99. I've not tried the Bourbon Red, yet. Bourbon Blu will be a staple in my home from now on. What started as a pleasant surprise over a Sunday lunch in cafe, is a wonderfully everyday experience!

The package arrived damaged however however the coffee is very good. Bitter but not acid.

I usually stick with Kimbo extra crema but thought I'd give another Neapolitan brand a try. I only drink straight espresso so can't comment on how it goes with milk but I think these beans make a really nice coffee. Beautiful colour when extracted with a lovely strong flavour.Took a few attempts to dial in and get the right extraction but it certainly hit the spot once I'd got it right.I believe the vending line is a 50/50 blend of arabica and robusta.Roast is medium but I'd say it's more medium/dark. Definitely Italian roast.Production date was March 24 so just over 2 months old when I purchased which I don't think is too bad when buying via Amazon.Price was 25% less than the Kimbo I'd usually buy and I'd definitely try it again in future.

I like the quality of the coffee, however I'm now paying £5 extra for this as price has gone up all of a sudden which is disappointing. Not entirely sure, but at this rate it'll be competing with more sustainable options and I will have to stop purchasing.

These beans are pretty much unbeatable for the money if you are drinking espresso, particularly with milk.There is a lot of robusta in the blend which gives great crema and body. The only down side of that robusta content is the taste when drunk as a filter/drip coffee - the flavour is a little on the bitter side and a bit flat.I've bought a lot of this stuff over the last few years and I've never had an issue with freshness - they have always been very consistently fresh.Highly recommended for espresso based milk drinks.

Horrible taste

Great coffee, takes me back to our trip to Italy. A great taste and would recommend it.