“Go on a coffee Safari.” That’s the tagline for Black-owned subscription-based African Coffee Club (ACC). The founder was kind enough to reach out to me for a review and gifted me a bag of their Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, which is just one of their three Ethiopian coffees available. ACC was founded in January 2019 out of Los Angeles by Kenya-native Mukurima Muriuki. Why did Mukurima launch ACC? Simple answer: To keep the coffee flowing. He understands the importance of a never-ending supply of high-quality coffee, and he has family members in the coffee industry back home! Since I’m only getting a portion of the ACC experience (one-time delivery/one bag of coffee), I won’t be grading the subscription-aspect of the brand. I can only speak to this specific coffee (and note that the founder is extremely nice and attentive to his business)... Starting with the unboxing, along with a resealable bag of coffee came two cards: A card with notes about the coffee (region, brew guide, tasting notes) and a promotional card with a customer testimonial. I like the idea of getting a “postcard” with my coffee, and I wonder if other subscription coffee companies ever do this.
Opening the bag opened a portal into citrus-maple wonderland. Piercing notes of spicy citrus and a cocoa-maple aroma. I tried this coffee two ways: pour over and Aeropress. After much deliberation, I concluded I liked the Aeropress better, as I think it expressed more flavors. Overall I’d give this coffee a 4/5. The medium roast is what pegs this down for me, as I think it loses some flavor the darker it’s roasted. It smells better than it tastes, but it grew on me after some trial and error. For my normal 16oz tumbler brew, I did 25-28 grams of beans (as opposed to my normal 30 grams). The beans looked and smelled very fresh, and it came extremely fast (granted it’s going from LA to LA), which makes me think a subscription to ACC would mean great service (the three Fs: fast, fresh, friendly)! ACC lists the flavor notes as: spicy, blueberry and dark chocolate. I would agree with spicy and dark chocolate, but the blueberry is lacking. Instead, I get some malt and citrus notes. Because of that, this is a great coffee for someone who wants to ease their way into the specialty coffee space and wants a coffee that’s consistent no matter the brew method. At the moment, ACC only has medium roast coffees, so it’s not the best for someone like me who prefers light roasts. But, it has a place for the majority of coffee-drinkers who prefer medium roast, and those thinking about converting from big-name brands. African Coffee Club is an up-and-comer you should keep an eye on. Until the next cup, cheers! *Psst! Save 10% on your first order with code: FIRSTORDER
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AuthorFollow me @autumn.enoch 📸 CoffeeMateCoffeeMate is your utilitarian guide to SoCal coffee shops, dedicated to amplifying small businesses.
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