Starbucks Reserve Cameroon Mt Oku, reviewed

I must have had the Cameroon Mt Oku coffee from the Starbucks Reserve line dozens of times by now and I’ve been meaning to write this review ever since I had that first cup. The coffee is from the slopes of Mt Oku, a huge volcano in the western part of Cameroon. Cameroon is not a country that you might automatically associate with coffee – and that isn’t because coffee doesn’t grow there, it is simply because much of what what they grow is robusta and doesn’t exactly make it into the spotlight. This coffee is quite different from any other African coffees, it is rich, smooth and has a very low acidity to it. You’ll get floral and pepper notes from the coffee, and very few berry or earth tones. The flavor develops slowly as you drink it and, while the flavor can be quite complex, it is so smooth that it almost sneaks up on your. I think the focal point is how enjoyable and easy to drink it is and, honestly, that is what keeps me coming back time and again.

This coffee is an outstanding value and, honestly, tastes like it should be quite a bit more expensive. I’m certainly not complaining about that, however, because its price point just makes me that much more likely to order it when I’m at a store with a Clover machine.