Is Boca Java Really Good Coffee?

You tell me.

I've been a coffee freak for a lot of years and I have a pretty sophisticated palate.

I'm no Ernesto Illy, Alfred Peet, Mauro Cipolla or Michael Baccellieri, but I know good crema when I taste it and I love good espresso.

I really love it.

With a good bean and a savvy barista behind the counter, I always drink doppios. But I watch the 'pour' a few times and listen before I order (in a place where I haven't been before). And I don't add a sugar cube the way the Italians do, I add a dash of creme in the center of the 2 shots - and drink it quickly while it's still hot.

A really good espresso always makes me wish I had a 3 or 4" reach with my tongue so I could lick the entire contents out of the those little ceramic espresso cups - because lots of the good tasting stuff sticks to the cup.

One of  my regular customers - a meat cutter from Sam's club - used to come in and ask for, "the chewy one" - and I would make it for him just the way I liked it best.

When I had my espresso shop I got so I could indentify several of the varietals in the custom blend that I had roasted by Cafe Appassionato in Seattle. I worked closely to develop the "Morning Shot Blend" with the sales rep from the company, a guy name Dan - who was the epitome of customer service,  courtesy and a fantastic relationship builder - in concert with their roaster. We worked hard tweaking the blend, adding a higher percentage of Zimbabwes for sweetness, a touch more brazils and some Costa Rican and Sumatra for the "dry white" finish of a northern European roast. (There were also Columbian Supremo beans for a rich flavor.)

In retrospect - we were all "green" - but over a year, we came up with a signature blend that was well received by the clinetele.

Why a Northern European roast and not a "full city roast"?

Basically, I wanted to be different and create a signature flavor.

Initially, I was trying to come up with something similar to match my favorite blend in Seattle when I first got there in 1990, Torrefazione's "Perugia Blend". I loved Perugia and when I started my shop, I called the company at least 4 times to get a sales rep to come out and they never called me back.

Too small potatoes in the beginning, I guess. I held a grudge on that one for a while. As it turned out, Torrefazione (the real brains behind it and the guy who knew how to roast better than anybody else in the that company - Umberto) sold out and the quality took a nose dive soon thereafter.

The other roaster I wanted was Cafe Mauro (which became Cafe D'Arte) but they couldn't sell to me because my competitor across the street used their coffee - and he was good customer.

Mauro Cipolla has one of the best palates in Seattle, by the way. He is a master at coffee. I know his cousin Gianni pretty well who is also in the business.

So what does this have to do with Boca Java?

I saw a promo they have going this month and thought I would pass it on to you guys and see what you think. I emailed the company when I first connected with them online as a referral agent to see if they would send me some samples of coffee so I could evaluate for myself and write about the products.

They "don't have samples" for vendors. So I haven't tried their coffee yet.

They are offering 4 bags of coffee for $8.95 as a promo. I'm not sure what types of coffee they are or if they're any good or not.

But there are several things going for this company I do like:

1. The "5 Million Cup Program" for our people in the military in Iraq. That's a cool thing.
2. They roast fresh with each order. I like fresh coffee.
3. Their online communication and customer service is the best I have ever experienced and I do a lot online.

Is there coffee any good?

You tell me. For $8.95 it's worth a shot to try four coffees.

Here's my promise to you guys…

Whatever the general consensus is from you readers will determine if I continue as a vendor or not, and I will report accurately what the results are.

And I don't want a bunch of people slamming these guys without trying the samples first. If it's good coffee, I'll sell it, if not, I won't.

You make the call.

You tell me: Is Boca Java is Really Good Coffee?  or not.

P.S. I got an email back from Chris at Boca Java and he said that each bag (in the promo 4pack) is 8 oz and there are a variety of coffees the customer can choose from. On tha basis, $8.95 to try out 2 lbs of fresh roasted coffee seems like a great offer and a real attempt by the roaster to get people to try the coffee.

It's fair anyway - and to me - smart marketing.

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