It’s that time again folks, where I survey the lay of the land and share my thoughts on the Coffee I’ve been let loose on recently.

Today’s addition to The Bean Pole is the Los Altos from Origin Coffee.

After yet another long walk to the postal depot (I really must learn to drive), I got my hands on the Los Altos.

First impressions were good, the sweet chocolatey aroma was bursting through the packaging and had me walking with an extra spring in my step on my long walk home – I couldn’t wait to try it.

The packaging was a slick and premium looking charcoal black, which at first glance, had simple silver patterning strewn across it.

But, as with the taste of the beans themselves, there’s more to the packaging than meets the eye.

You’ll notice on closer inspection that there’s a psychedelic mix of coffee plants and Donnie Darko-esque creatures intertwined – what they mean I’m not quite sure, but I like them!

It gives a very serious product (I mean that in a good way) a playful personality and gives the impression that although they’re serious about coffee, Origin still maintain the essence of what I think coffee should be, which many coffee companies forget, that is the idea that coffee is meant for enjoyment and a bit of fun, not just pretentious bravado.

As with all the coffee, I sample, I put Los Altos through its paces with more than one brewing method.

This time it was extraction and a V60 dripper with unbleached paper filters.

Having spent just under a week with this batch, I’m pleased to say it held up really well with both methods.

The V60 got me through the daily grind whilst espresso extraction was a welcome weekend treat.

The Los Altos, which is from Nicaragua, immediately reassures you that the guys at Origin really know what they’re doing when it comes to sourcing and taste.

In the bean bio on Origin’s website it says:
“This year we did something different and built our coffee from the plot up.

We cupped through the dozens of plots and selected crops that captured the exact flavours we were looking for to build a bespoke profile that highlights what we love about the farm.

This is the new Los Altos and, this year, it’s a composition of the Los Venado, Los Colinas and Las Cuchillas plots.”

This care and attention to detail has meant that us as consumers have been left with a real treat, for a price that borders on theft given the quality of the product.

The coffee itself is one of those where you take a sip and then you’re hooked, not because of the caffeine content, but because it’s just ridiculously silky smooth.

Initially, I picked up refreshing blackberry notes which briefly had a hint of black pepper before it slowly developed a rich and indulgent creamy choco-caramel taste.

After every sip it had me wishing I’d bought the salted caramel bites from Hotel Chocolat that I’d seen a few days earlier – they’d have provided the perfect sideshow to the Los Altos main event.

All in all, I’ve had a very enjoyable week putting this delicious coffee through its paces and I’ll certainly be adding Origin to my list of go-to roasters when it’s time to treat myself again.

You can find my star rating for the Los Altos below and if you’ve enjoyed this review please leave a comment and share it on your social channels, I’d really appreciate it.

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Up for review next time on The Bean Pole will be the Kochere which is also by Origin Coffee.

All star ratings are out of 5

Traceability: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Taste: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Texture: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ease to brew: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Strength: ⭐️⭐️⭐️