Organic Bali Blue Moon

McNulty's in the Village introduced me to this bean this summer. I was surprised how good it was. When I visited Bali many years ago, no coffee was grown there at that time to inform me. And frankly, I was suspicious of the bit too cute marketing in the name. Was it done to compensate for a mediocre product? My suspicions were entirely unfounded. We love this coffee! It is one of those beans that is satisfying just to smell as an open bag of beans. But unlike other beans we enjoy this way, we let this one linger longer, often a lot longer. It can be embarrassing to find oneself doing this to excess. You have been warned. Do not be impressed when any company labels this bean as special because it is "Organic". By Indonesian law, all Bali Blue Moon is organic. It is quite distinct in flavor from neighboring islands' Java and Sumatra coffee, although they too rank highly to me. Thankfully, this was also delivered very fresh and full of flavor. Unlike my disappointment with another coffee retailed by this same company, the Bali Blue Moon roast was done exactly as disclosed, a medium roast. I like a wide variety of coffees but really do insist that I receive the roast that is advertised. Roasting is not an arbitrary process. Each bean will have a roast that is best in order to deliver the things you love about that particular coffee. As customers, it is a matter of trust that we get what we expect and that is based upon what is described. In theory, any coffee's roast should be easily disclosed by looking at the prominently displayed roast meter. It provides dual indicators: color patches from light to dark and an obvious meter indicator's selection. In case you missed these, the coffee beans are also photographed. Three indicators in total, graphic illustration, the moving hand of a meter, and photograph make it easy to understand what the roast looks like before you buy. At least that is how it is supposed to work. Read my review of their Panama Boquete to see what can happen when the company fails to follow its own roast color ratings. Thankfully, this was not the case with its Bali Blue Moon beans. It matters. For example, there is a faint, underlying, almost spicy flavor to Balinese coffee that would be lost if it was under or over roasted. Should another company decide to significantly under or over roast these beans, that is fine too because you could easily avoid buying it as long as those three indicators accurately informed you what was inside the bag. If you are going to sell coffee online you better not fool your customers by mislabeling the roast. There are no such surprises when you walk into physical stores and can see the actual beans. I do not have any criticisms of this Bali Blue Moon coffee. You will know already if you tend to only drink the darkest roasts. If that is true, I would not recommend that you buy 5 pounds of a medium roast -- even of this exceptional quality -- coffee. Find a place to sample it first just to try it out before buying such a large amount. If you enjoy what my wife and I love about this coffee, note that the price here for this large bag is very attractive at $40. It is offered here at half the price we have spent elsewhere for this bean. Highly recommended.

This is my favorite Guatemalan coffee bean. Favorite for two reason: taste and price. The aroma is delightful, the brew is medium in intensity with that distinct Guatemalan flavor. Kind of fruity chocolate. Fresh, smooth and the beans are not oily. Have this on subscription and only grind these up periodically…like a treat.

Best tasting coffee I’ve ever had!

I am a coffee fiend! This coffee is a nice, large size, and I love that it is Rainforest Alliance Certified and organic! It is a smooth brew and does not taste acidic or bitter, nor did it cause any stomach issues - a very nice, strong cup every time I brewed it. This coffee would be great to use for Vietnamese coffee or in a French press because of its lovely, robust flavor. Four stars instead of five because it tastes closer to a dark roast even though it says medium - and also took two weeks for delivery even though it was through Prime. (The seller says it's because they ship to Amazon first, then once it arrives to Amazon it's Prime - which I would be totally fine with if I knew upfront!) I was eager, excited, and hopeful to get my coffee in two days from ordering! Overall, though I prefer light and medium roasts, I do recommend this coffee and would definitely buy again! Just be prepared to wait to receive it! :)

Excellent coffee! I used to buy direct from the grower. Now it’s available more readily on Amazon.

This coffee had nice flavor and a light body. The advertisement says it has a full body. It was like drinking flavored hot water. I make my coffee with 3oz of bean and 24oz of water. I ground the beans to coarse and soak in 200deg water for 5min and pour through a copper filter. I add half and half. I like my coffee strong with a full body and smooth flavor and I have been trying beans from different roasters. If this coffee had a full body, I would buy it again. I will keep looking. I tried grinding the beans to fine and did as before. The half and half I add to the coffee overpowers the coffee flavor. I tried it a 3rd time and had the same impressions. The beans were freshly roasted, I can only assume the problem is with the beans and not the roaster.

So fresh and strong! The flavor is amazing, nice smooth taste, makes the perfect cup of French press coffee!

I've been making my own coffee recipes and I bought this one based on a search for rain forest friendly coffee. I created a recipe using it (sharing below) and everyone at my office loved it. I also tried some of it as a regular cup of coffee, and I enjoyed it. Not overly strong or bitter, but very flavorful. I will buy this coffee again, as well as other brands by this vendor. Spirit Bear’s Delight Bali Blue Moon Rain Forest Alliance Organic Coffee Beans 6 Cups Almond Milk 1/2 Cup Torani White Chocolate Sauce 1/4 Cup Coco Re’al Cream of Coconut 1 tsp. almond extract 1 tsp. vanilla extract coconut flakes, toasted This coffee blend is my own creation, in honor of my totem, the Spirit Bear, and our beautiful rain forests, which are the Spirit Bear’s natural habitat. The Bali Blue Moon blend is certified organic by the Rain Forest Alliance, an organization that promotes sustainable forestry and environmental protection, which is why I chose it for this recipe. (see rainforestalliance.org) Grind your beans and make your coffee according to your coffee maker. In a saucepan, over medium heat, heat almond milk, white chocolate sauce, cream of coconut, and the almond and vanilla extracts. To make the coffee in your cup, fill the cup 2/3 full of the milk blend, and fill the rest of the way with coffee. (Adjust to your own taste). Top with whipped cream and garnish with toasted coconut. This recipe will serve 6 people using a large latte’ style cup. You can adjust the recipe for single servings. Although it sounds exotic, all the ingredients are easily found. I got the coffee and white chocolate syrup at Amazon.com and the rest of the ingredients I found at our local small town grocery store. Everyone in the office said it was by far the best of the three recipes we have tried, and I hope you enjoy it. May you walk in beauty and grace.