Shopping as local as I can has become one of the biggest goals I’ve attempted in the last few years. I get a lot of my clothes from little boutiques, I shop for gifts at local stores, and I LOVE eating locally sourced food. Coffee is probably one of the most constant things in my ever changing life. I function off of that sweet smelling nectar. Unfortunately or fortunately, I found out that my blood was not in fact coffee when I donated last year, but alas it is still my life-blood.

Crafty Mart has been one of the best sources for finding local products that have become a necessary part of my life. I know I’ve mentioned them before, but for those who don’t know, Crafty Mart is a local, monthly market where you can find all manner of awesome products. I’ve gotten my first Neighbors Apparel shirt from there, obtained my favorite mechanical pocket watch necklace, procured some phenomenal honey from Akron Honey Company and snagged my very first airplant from Land of Plenty that is surprisingly still sort of alive.

One of my favorite purchases was the variety box from Akron Coffee Roasters. I’m a sucker for beautiful, simple packaging and these guys have it on lock. Nestled in a cardboard box with their logo on it, the four varieties of coffee said “Look at Me!” Featured on their cover are images that reflect their flavors in some way. Sometimes they even commission local artists for the images. The single-origin country, flavor description, etc. are all in a simple, clear font on the back.

Below I’ve listed the beans from that particular box and what I thought of them.

Gunung Tilu. This is their Indonesia coffee with listed notes of brown sugar, almond, caramel and lemon. I could actually smell the lemon in this and I surprisingly didn’t mind it. This was one of their thicker bodied roasts and it was good. Just like my beer, I seem to like heavier flavors.

Finca Buenavista. Sweet, sweet Colombia is the origin of this coffee. It has listed notes of apple cider, honey, caramel and grape-ish. This was probably my favorite out of all five of their beans I’ve tried. There’s something about Colombia that appeals to me. Maybe because it has such a clear, full smell with a well balanced flavor. I hear they’ll be getting it back in soon. 

Gitesi.* Their Rwanda bean is listed as having notes of vanilla, allspice, Darjeeling tea, citrus and clove. I could smell the citrus immediately. It didn’t make a bad cup at all and is probably on a par with the Gunung Tilu.

Evelia. This was their Guatemala coffee with notes of honey, bittersweet chocolate, toasted walnut and green apple. Like the others, I could either taste or smell the notes. This particular one I could smell and taste the green apple and walnut, but smell the chocolate. 

Asterisk.* I got this bag of seasonal blend, lightly roasted coffee from the Akron Art Museum. The notes were listed as the smell of strawberry and chocolate but with a mellow taste. I will say that it does have a lighter taste, but it’s not my personal favorite. I’m big on heavier bodied flavors that feel like they have some solid weight to them and this one, although good, just didn’t do it for me.

//The favors with the asterisk are the ones that are currently still available.// 

Akron Coffee Roasters’ will be having a tasting at the Akron Art Museum today (January 21st) at 5:30pm. Unfortunately, it is already sold out, but you can always catch them at the Countryside Farmers Market, Akron Art Museum, or order online. They even do subscriptions for weekly, biweekly and monthly.

Check their Facebook page to know when they’ll be opening their storefront.

Thanks for reading,