There’s something about the smell and taste of coffee that’s just simply irresistible. If you’re not a coffee drinker, you might not understand, but I just can’t go past a good coffee if I know it’s there.
So when I was contacted by Puro Fairtrade Coffee to review their coffee beans, I was quick to jump at the opportunity. Without even realising that I didn’t have a coffee machine! Not to worry though, as my friend had one and he was a keen barista at that.
Puro was founded in 2005 and since the start has always sourced Fairtrade, organic and shade grown coffee. And what does all this jargon mean? It means that Puro is at the forefront of sourcing coffee beans that are ethically grown and with environmental awareness close to their hearts. They’ve recognised that in this day and age, people care about and want to know where the beans have come from, and that they are purchasing a product that comes from a conscious heart and making this world more sustainable.
They are at the forefront of buying and protecting rain forests and are actively working alongside the World Land Trust. For every cup of coffee sold by Puro, money is given to buy and protect rain forests in South America. They have since saved over 5,600 acres of rain forests across 3 Puro reserves in Ecuador, Brazil and Colombia, all with the help of their loyal customers!
In this day and age, protecting the environment is very important to sustaining and building a great future for ourselves and generations to come.
You may not have heard of Puro, but they actually supply some of UK’s leading cafe and restaurant chains with coffee beans and are widely available in Europe, Africa, Australasia and recently Canada.
I was sent three varieties of beans. The first one was the Puro Noble – which was Fairtrade and shade grown. The beans were from Guatemala, Peru, Honduras and Congo. It contained 80% arabica and 20% robusta content.
For those of you who don’t know, Arabica contains about half the caffeine as Robusta. Arabica beans are generally sweeter, lighter in body and characterised by its fruity and acidic driven flavours. Robusta beans are obviously stronger and has a more earthy and woody taste which is hardly ever drunk by itself. You will mostly find blends of Arabica and Robusta beans in different proportions to create perfectly harmonised flavours.
The Puro Noble was rich and lively with hints of fruit and hazelnut. It was light on the palate but was smooth and aromatic.
The second was the Puro Organic from Peru and Honduras. It was 100% Arabica and therefore was soft and light with a hint of sweet chocolate and tangy citrus.
The third was the Puro Fuerte from Guatemala, Peru, Honduras and Congo, with 50% Arabica and 50% Robusta. This blend was more full bodied with a touch of spice and woodiness. This was probably my favourite.
I found them a bit lighter than other coffee beans, but that may have just been because of the size of the ground beans. Apparently the size of the beans to be ground to varies on the type and origin so it really depends on a bit of trial and error for the first time. I will definitely grind the beans a tiny bit finer for future cups. With that said, I still enjoyed my Puro coffees, and felt especially good knowing that I’m doing the world a bit of good at the same time!
Please visit their website for more information about Puro’s conservation efforts and great products on offer at http://www.purocoffee.com/. For the distributors for your country, just choose the country from the drop down menu.
In Australia, Puro coffee is distributed by The Coffee Place in Queensland and products can be found at http://www.thecoffeeplace.com.au/index.php/coffee/puro/.
If you’re interested, Puro has made a short documentary about their ongoing efforts to save the South American rain forests. This can be viewed at http://www.vimeo.com/fairtradecoffee/our-story
Disclaimer: Ichigo Shortcake received coffee beans and various products complimentary of Puro Fairtrade Coffee.
Andy October 31, 2013, 3:16 am
Beautiful photography and lovely write up Jenny.
msihua November 4, 2013, 10:58 am
Lovely post Jenny… well done!