Coffee Review: TOMS Rwanda Roast

Coffee and good deeds go hand in hand. There are a lot of coffee roasters out there who provide a lot of good for those in need. Typically though their good works are far better than their coffee. Now and then you encounter roasters who can pull off the double; they do good works with good coffee.

In 2006 Blake Mycoskie was traveling through Argentina. While visiting a small village, he encountered children with no shoes. From this experience, he created TOMS which, for every pair of shoes they sold, a pair would be donated to someone in need - One for One.

The company started with shoes, but as they have grown, they have branched into the eye glass business, and are now selling other items. This includes coffee. TOMS Coffee is under the direction of Master Roaster Angel Orozco who found Cafecito Organico, but there is another partner in the roasting - Allegro, a subsidiary of Whole Foods.

Because the company is based on the philanthropic endeavors, when you buy coffee from TOMS, the sale of one bag of coffee provides a week of clean water for someone in need. That is an awesome stat when you think about it. That bag sitting in my cupboard will provide someone clean healthy water for a week.

TOMS has limited roasts at this time: Rwanda, Malawi, Honduras and an Espresso. This week I found TOMS at Whole Foods, and noticed they only whole bean on the shelf was Rwanda, so I got some.

According to TOMS:

With crisp citrus notes that blend into the flavors of red fruits, the Rwanda Roast features a unique, sweet acidity in a medium body. A finely brewed cup features a bright, persistent flavor followed by a long, sweet finish.

This coffee is a light roast, and I made it first with a Chemex, then the French Press. The red fruits TOMS refers to are Plums, but they also say there will be a hint of Apricot. The citrus is a lemon essence. As I drank this, I totally got the Plum and Apricot. The lemon, not so much. I thought I got a nutty taste in there as well. There was a nice smoothness to this coffee. 

If I were pairing it with food, I would suggest this for a brunch, with lots of scones, coffee cakes, or other baked goodies present. It blends well with things like that. You guests will like the coffee.

For 2015, I am going to rate the coffee differently than in the past. Strength will be on a 0-5 Bean scale. 0 being not strong at all, to a 5 which will slap you in the face - hard. TOMS Rwanda is a 3 bean coffee. You get a hint of strength, but not enough to keep you up at night. 

I liked this coffee. I thought it was a really good cup of java, and I will purchase more of TOMS in the future. This is a case where the coffee IS just as good as the cause. I encourage you to seek it out and enjoy.

www.toms.com

Charlie