Espresso - Rio Grande Roasters 3 Lb. Bag Whole Bean Coffee

I've been a big fan of piñon coffee for several years, and usually get the red NM brand sent in the big 2 lb. bags from friends & relatives who live in in Albuquerque where that company is based so they get it right from them. I'm not invested in the brand though, and read in one online review that Rio Grande Piñon was a "trusty and reliable staple" in New Mexico restaurants & stores so I decided to try it based on that and good Amazon reviews. This was, it turns out, a mistake.First, the bag says "Proudly roasted by Trilliant Food & Nutrition, LLC", Little Chute, Wisconsin". Makes me think even if it were once a respected, genuine NM brand (though I'm skeptical since everyone I asked in NM says they've never heard of it), it's long since been bought up and moved to Wisconsin. At any rate, it doesn't really matter to me where it's "made", only how it tastes...which was the problem.There's no ingredient info on the package, only that it's "blended with the flavor of" pine nuts. That tells me there's no actual, real pine nuts used but extracts, flavorings and what ever concoctions they use to create "the flavor of". At any rate, if they DO use genuine ingredients they've nonetheless managed to make them taste like they didn't.When I opened the bag the smell was a little strong and odd, like some old baker's cocoa mixed with a big dose of imitation vanilla extract, but I thought it might be better once brewed. Unfortunately, it was terrible. Just...terrible. Sharp, bitter with an unpleasant smell and a chemical aftertaste. I finished the cup and dumped the rest. Tried another pot a few days later, mixing the beans with some good French roast. That helped mask it somewhat, but it's supposed to taste GOOD, not "less awful than it could be". Another pot down the sink.I suppose it's possible I just got a bad batch or they mis-measured whatever "flavor ofs" they dumped in the beans, but it's bad tasting and frankly undrinkable. I dislike it so much I don't really want to try giving it to a friend or relative, so if I'm unable to return it I'll probably just throw the whole 3 lb. bag away. I was holding out on buying more of the other until this came, so it was very disappointing.

Holy Smoly, this is some good stuff!!! I can't believe the beautiful deep rich chocolaty smell in exudes from bean to brew , and then the taste... pure chocolate nirvana!!! We just bought a bag last week and are almost out!!! I use a Cuisinart bur coffee maker and brew several pots of it a day for my family and I. It is just crazy good and I will be buying again!!! Also want to note several things about this coffeethat may help those you hunt for The Bean. With this particular flavor and roast, The stronger you make the coffee, the more pronounced the chocolate flavor becomes. Secondly, it is very smooth and have a wonderful lingering chocolaty aftertaste in your mouth. Lastly, the coffee will stay fresh if you close up the bag after use and then place the bag in an air tight canister or Tupperware... it even recomends doing this on the bag😉 My recommendation is if you love chocolate and you love coffee, then buy this roast!!!

Like quite a few others, I have enjoyed the New Mexico pinon coffee (the Red Bag) for years. Unfortunately, the Costco where I live doesn't carry it (Maui, okay, now no one feels bad for me).Anywho, NM Pinon costs a lot more to buy direct, a LOT more.Why not Hawaiian coffee you say, can't you get it there, and isn't it amazing?Some Hawaiian coffee is, especially the Kauai estate coffee (the Blue Bag), smooth, flavorful and fruity. But it's over $15 a pound. The Big Island plantation I love is over $25 a pound.I took a chance on this, and I love the smoothness and chocolate-y flavor profile. Not bitter at all (I think the guy who got that must have gotten a broken bag and the beans went rancid. I HATE bitter coffee, Kona coffee drives me nuts.I'm not concerned with whether the folks slow-roasted the beans over a pinon fire of their own making in a hand-woven basket. this coffee tastes good, and it treats my ADHD.

This is not from new mexico, not real pinon, and to top it off, in more than one bag now I have had all kinds of debris in among the beans. I did not pay attention to it the first bag, things happen, sometimes wood can get in there, etc.This time I got chunks of plastic, rocks, wood, who knows what the heck is in there, they apparently do not if the amount is any indicator. Images show the plastic I removed from ONE daily grind amount of beans. This junk has been chewing up my grinder, which will now have to be replaced. The red soda can is for scale.I will be going back to the big red bag of beans from New Mexico. I will never purchase this brand again. Wisconsin? Stick to cheese.

I got a gift set of NM Piñon Coffee for Christmas. I love that stuff but I'm super caffeine sensitive so I was looking for something to mix with it that wouldn't dilute the flavor. Well the flavor of this coffee is different, I feel like it has more notes of caramel than the other brand. Now this is not to say that this is bad coffee by any measure, which is why I gave it 4 stars. The flavoring is just not to my taste. I am pretty picky about flavored coffee, in fact Piñon coffee is often one of the only ones I'll buy.

I bought this as a lower-cost replacement for the Santa Fe Pinon coffee, as Amazon is considerably higher than Trader Joes, who had discontinued that product.Edited 7/2019After drinking this coffee for some months, I have come to really like it.Also, it stays on my coffeemaker's warmer for a long time without getting bitter, which is great.FYI, the coffee comes from WISCONSIN, not the Rio Grande area as the label implies.