From the moment I opened the bag, I knew that something was different about this coffee. The strong, delicious smell of coffee permeated the room almost immediately, to the degree that my entire home smelled like a coffeehouse for the rest of the morning. The beans, perfectly medium brown, glistened on their surface with oils released from roasting only a few days prior.
I knew almost immediately that this coffee would be different, but only upon tasting did I realize HOW different. There is really nothing like drinking coffee that has been roasted mere days and ground mere minutes ago. This is a pleasure that I have rarely– if ever–experienced before, but will be experiencing much more often thanks to local company Portola Handcrafted Coffee Roasters. Portola roasts their coffees to order right here in Irvine so that their customers can enjoy the freshest coffee any time. Portola’s beans are sourced from organic farms–a must for any organic consumer since coffee beans can be one of the most chemically contaminated crops in the world. Even better, they are Fair Trade Certified and maintain direct relationships with their growers around the world so that you can be assured that your coffee was grown with pride and compassion.
The coffee that I have been enjoying is from Portola’s Peru CENFROCAFE Microlot. Even prepared in my simple french press, the coffee is so smooth and without bitterness that I almost perceive it to be sweet. Like a fine wine, the brew surprised me with a depth and complexity of flavors that defy description (from me at least). Usually I enjoy my coffee with a good dash of cream, but this I enjoyed black because there are none of the usual bitter flavors to counteract with the creaminess. In fact, I have found myself drinking much more coffee over the past week than I normally do- I think Portola’s Decaf Sumatra should be my next coffee purchase!
If you want to try this amazing coffee for yourself, check out Portola’s roasterie inside of Layer Cake Bakery at 4250 Barranca in Irvine. Their coffee is also now available in Whole Foods at the District! If you can’t pick up a bag in person, you can also order from their website.
Portola has also generously offered another bag of coffee to give away to one Local Oranges reader! To enter, post in the comments section below this message about your favorite way to enjoy your coffee. If you “Like” Local Oranges on Facebook or follow our Tweets, post again for an extra entry! I will close the giveaway on July 24th and contact the winner to mail or deliver your own bag of Portola coffee. (Random.org picked the 15th post. Congratulations Sandy!)
The disclosures: Local Oranges did not receive any compensation for writing this review. While I did receive a free sample from Portola, this review reflects my true opinions of the coffee and was not affected in any way by receipt of the sample.
[...] Portola Coffee – Review and Giveaway! « Local Oranges [...]
I just enjoy my coffee black and hot straight from a french press
I like my coffee with lots of milk and sugar!
See above comment.
Fully loaded.
French Press with a splash of milk – Portola sounds fabulous!
Iced black coffee is the best!
I like it plain…no extras added!
I like my coffee hot with cream and maybe cinnamon in it. I put cinnamon in everything!
I like my “kiddie coffee”–lots of milk and sugar!
Thanks for the chance to win!
–Liza
ejm6x (at) yahoo (dot) com
This summer, I’m really enjoying my coffee iced w/sugar!
i usually drink mine with splenda and cream, and ice in the summer. i had some from a french press recently and really loved it!
I drink my coffee with Splenda and sometimes cream.
I “like” you on Facebook.
I like my coffee with a little stevia and some half and half. Pretty yummy.
karma(dot)points(at)yahoo(dot)com
I either use creamer or fake sugar and milk. Wish I could drink it silently in the morning, that would be sublime!
sandy
slblog@post.com
following on twitter, slblogpost
sandy
slblog@post.com
I like my coffee with lots of milk and a tiny bit of sugar.
leemoor1 at gmail dot com
I like my coffee with low fat milk or black.
I “liked” you on Facebook!
I like my coffee with milk or as a latte.
Now officially following you on Twitter! And thinking about going to get a cup of Portola very soon!
Strong with sugar and arf ‘n’ arf
I enjoy my coffee with a little soymilk and sugaR! Yummy!
I like my coffee straight from the french press – as long as it is free trade & organic
We are so excited to give one of you a bag of our coffee! And just for the record…we like ours black. When it’s fresh and delicious, there’s no need to disguise it
surprisingly valuable material, all round I picture this is worthy of a book mark, thanks a lot
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