With my mother’s birthday approaching, I thought about what I would give her as a gift. We share a passion for travel, having traveled to over 60 countries. We both share a love of quality coffee. I have even tried Kopi Luwak coffee, also known as “civet coffee” in Indonesia. This coffee is considered the most expensive coffee in the world and is considered by many to be the best as well.
The Atlas Coffee Club World of Coffee Sampler seems to be an excellent way to combine these themes. Buyers can choose between bags containing whole grains (optional) or freshly ground coffee. A 4-pack on Amazon is $24.99 (my choice because I just wanted to try it) and an 8-pack for $49.99. You can save 10-15% if you sign up for a subscription and save.
The company’s coffee bean selection spans 50 countries. You do not choose which ones they send to your sample box. These are the types of coffee you won’t find on store shelves. If you want to give it a try, you should do so through the Atlas Coffee Club.
My box came with four 1.8-ounce bags of coffee, which means each bag held enough for about four cups of coffee. It also comes with tasting note cards for each roast that include the history of coffee in the country and postcards from each country that chart a scene, making you feel like you’re in that country.
My mother liked to open her can of exotic coffee. This box contains beans from India, Nicaragua, Uganda and Peru. I’ve been to India and Peru, while Uganda has long been on my list of places to see, so it was a great mix of the familiar and the new. This is a single origin coffee, which means that it is grown in a single geographical origin. Each bag had a pattern appropriate to the country of origin.
How does Atlas Coffee Club coffee taste?
Nice bags and postcards are fun, but no use the coffee isn’t good. Atlas Coffee Club claims to curate the top 1% of the best coffee in the world, which is a bold claim. My mother insisted that I try some coffee myself and I chose to try the Nicaraguan blend. Turns out the coffee was bold enough to meet this bold claim. This coffee was excellent.
The tasting note card stated that there were notes of dark cherry, toffee, and rye. I was recommended to try it with Aeropress, which I don’t have, but now I’m very inclined to buy. It also showed that on the level of light roasting to dark roast, this was grim. I didn’t need a tasting card to tell us it was a dark roast, and that was obvious from the first sip.
It had a very rich taste. Although I can tell there was something a bit sweet, I don’t think my palette was able to detect it was cherry without the help of a tasting card. As I sipped my coffee, I enjoyed reading both the history of Nicaragua’s coffee and the descriptive postcard that spoke of “the land of lakes and volcanoes,” “the secluded beaches of Pobio,” and the “pristine rainforest.”
By the end of my first glass, I felt more awake than I expected. Instead of the extra caffeine, I suspect my mind and imagination woke up while reading the cards.
My mother tried some other country coffee
Hana Kowalczyk-Harper, for HearstOver the next few days, while my mother was trying some other country coffee, she sent me her thoughts, as well as some pictures. Having gone to Peru and India, she brought things from her travels when she drank coffee to set the mood.
When I tried the Peruvian coffee, I grabbed a Peruvian textile, carved pumpkin, and an alpaca wool hat in a border pattern that matches the one on the package. She told me how strong the fragrance was as soon as I opened the bag. Like mother, like daughter, we both drink our black coffee to fully appreciate the flavors.
Her first cup “exploded in flavor with a nice finish” and tasted nutty flavours. I felt transported to Peru and remember hiking Machu Picchu. No doubt her use of props helped her to some extent in reclaiming some of those experiences.
When sampling coffee from India, which again had a strong aroma upon opening, she spreads out a hand-stitched tablecloth she bought in India to really set herself up for the moment. There were no props to take it over for Uganda because they weren’t there yet. However, in addition to the abundant wildlife, she now has another reason to want to visit, which is the delicious coffee.
Is Atlas Coffee Club an ethical and sustainable resource?
Sustainability is important to me, so I had the pleasure to read before buying that Atlas Coffee Club pay well above market prices for their coffee to enable ethically sustainable farming practices. They pay more than fair trade prices.
Amazon rated this company as a small business, which is a bonus too.
India Cup
Hana Kowalczyk-Harper, for HearstIs the Atlas Coffee Club worth the price?
Atlas Coffee Club is excellent as a gift, but it will be expensive for your daily coffee needs. You can get coffee beans from your local grocery store at a much lower cost. For gifts, where we tend to spend a little more on others than we spend on ourselves, it is well worth the price. Get to know your audience when giving gifts, some people are perfectly happy with generic coffee while others can tell if they’re drinking good coffee.
In addition, my mother and I enjoyed the Atlas coffee the most because we are both travel lovers. For people who do not enjoy traveling to other countries, some fun may be lost on them.
general ideas
I will definitely buy this sample box as a gift again. I bet there’s a lot of overlap between people who love to travel and those who value quality coffee. There are actually quite a few people on my mind. This is a great gift for people who want to feel like they are traveling, without leaving home.