HEB Reserve Tanzania - Review

HEB recently released their Reserve coffee line, featuring single-origin coffees from around the world. We took home a bag of Tanzania as it seemed to be the darkest of the blends and we were intrigued by the flavor profile of mandarin orange, hibiscus, toffee, and guava.

After grinding the whole beans to a medium-fine grind, we bloomed the grounds with 200℉ water. It has a very active bloom and a light orange aroma. 

When brewed in our French press, the orange notes are very prominent with a lingering toffee and the floral hibiscus adds a hint of spice at the back of the palate. The toffee adds a creamy feel and overall sweetness to the coffee. I am unsure where the guava fits in as I don’t taste anything distinctly guava in the coffee. 

Tanzania has a light body that looks quite thin, being more of a reddish hue than black. I think it is a coffee that wants to be dark and dense, but lingers toward the lighter roasted coffees because of its fruity flavors.

Barista Note: We also brewed Tanzania in the Moka pot to create at-home lattes. In one cup, we added salted caramel syrup. The caramel highlights the sweet fruit and toffee notes and adds its own depth of sweet creaminess. In the other cup, we brewed a latte using dark chocolate syrup. I think the addition of dark chocolate makes Tanzania taste just like a chocolate orange (my favorite holiday treat). It is still bright, but the chocolate brings more of the earthy notes forward over the sweetness (giving dark-roast flavors over light roast). Both lattes were a hit and the syrup additions helped deepen the natural flavors of the Tanzania beans.

Overall, Tanzania is a brighter, fruitier coffee that is sure to please the palate of coffee drinkers who want a light, bright start to their day. The orange fruitiness and the toffee softness add a tasty contrast. If you are a fan of lighter coffees, give this one a go! If you like dark, deeply roasted coffees, try a different HEB coffee. 

Cheers,

Mrs. Brew