Café Bustelo Medium Roast - Review
La Vida Sabrosa! Why not enjoy the tasty life when drinking coffee? We couldn’t agree more with Café Bustelo, and after their brightly colored packaging caught our eye, we were excited to bring home the Medium Roast from a company that has been roasting beans since 1928!
Gregorio Bustelo was born in Spain, and after traveling through much of Latin America, he settled in East Harlem, New York. In love with Latin flavors, Gregorio began roasting and hand grinding his own blend of Latin coffee beans to craft the best brew in town. After selling from his home and going door to door to promote his coffee, he opened his very own storefront roaster in 1928. From there, the Bustelo flavors and the love of coffee has grown and flourished (and spread to Texas!). With a history spanning over 100 years, we are eager to brew some Medium Roast and see just what the hype is about.
We brewed Café Bustelo’s Medium Roast to our usual specs in the French press: 50g coffee grounds, 32oz of 202℉ water, steep for 3-5 minutes. Right away, we notice a well-roasted, rich dark aroma with lots of chocolate coming through.
Knowing there is dark chocolate in the flavor profile, I expected a touch of bitterness but pleasantly found Medium Roast to be creamier and closer to milk chocolate but with the same roasted earthiness of dark. This coffee is well balanced between the heavy roasted flavors of dark chocolate (with a lingering smoke that covers the palate) and the medium roast profile which keeps it creamy and robust.
This brew is surprising. It drinks much heavier than other coffees and makes you feel full by the end of the cup. It has a simple flavor profile—being mostly chocolate—but is dense.
Barista Note: Because of the emphasis on chocolate flavors and the smoky notes, this is a perfect coffee to use as a base for at-home lattes. So, we had to try it out for ourselves and make easy lattes! After brewing a normal pot of coffee, we added approximately 6 oz of coffee to a small cup with 1 tsp of Torani Dark Chocolate syrup and ½ tsp Torani Salted Caramel syrup. On top, we added a dollop of freshly made whipped cream (or you can add a splash of milk). The sweetness from the syrups brightened the dark roasted qualities of Cafe Bustelo while still holding strong to the smoky, earthy flavors. It was a delicious mixup to our morning brew and one that is easy to do in any home kitchen! Just add your favorite sweeteners and a splash of milk or creamer.
Café Bustelo has kept their passion for high-quality, flavorful coffee alive since Gregorio Bustelo set out on his mission. That commitment is evident in their Medium Roast, and we are eager to try more of their coffees (especially the Ground Espresso Coffee Brick…).
Cheers,
Mrs. Brew