Steal!

You just gotta love the monthly sales held by Shopee- I know I do! I just love shopping for coffee during sale season because I get such good deals that I don't mind paying for the shipping fee. One good buy I got pre-7/7: this 500g bag of coffee for only ₱99!

I got to try Hineleban Farms' Highland Specialty Arabica for such a steal! To be fair, the reason why it's on sale is because its best before date is next month: August 17, 2021 to be exact, almost a year after its roast date. With this in mind, I knew what I was getting into. I know I won't have the crisp, very aromatic smell of a freshly roasted bag of coffee and I know that my coffee won't taste and smell and feel super duper fresh. So I was pretty much braced for disappointment haha! Thing is, I go through coffee pretty quickly (I mean, cold brew and moka pot brewing pretty much require a lot of grounds already) so I knew this bag of coffee won't even reach August  17. So, I bought it. YOLO lol.

Quick background: Hineleban Farms is by Hineleban Foundation, a foundation whose mission is to reforest the mountain ranges in Mindanao. They are partnered with Mindanao's Indigenous People, the ones who sustainably grow the coffee beans while also being the custodians of the forest.

Fun fact: for every bag of coffee you buy, the Hineleban Foundation plants 1 forest tree on your behalf. How awesome is that? You get caffeinated while also helping the environment. I love double wins!

Hineleban Farms' 100% Highland Specialty Arabica's beans were picked from Mount Kitanglad in Bukidnon and has a flavor profile of "fruit-like nutty undertone, bitter cocoa, finishing with a caramel aftertaste". The bag I got has an MASL of 1,100, was semi-washed post harvest, and has a "full city" roast profile.

Upon opening the bag, of course there wasn't that room-filling aroma of coffee. Honestly, the grounds' scent sort of reminded me of ground coffee you get from the supermarket: faint coffee smell that has this plant-y undertone smell. Again, keep in mind that it has been a year since it was roasted so I understand the lack of aroma and the slight staleness of the coffee.

The grounds are between a medium and a fine, similar to how I usually grind mine. This grind size works well with my cold brew and moka pot although this might be a bit fine for a French Press.

Okay, so how is it in terms of taste? Well, I brewed it traditionally and by moka pot, and you know what, the coffee turned out better than I was expecting! Though the coffee didn't have a strong brewed smell, it tasted quite decent and not at all stale. It tasted bitter and has that almost burnt undertone, totally bitter cocoa-like, and has a tolerable acidic taste to it. It's actually not that bad! I absolutely like the fact that the coffee was smooth and suave and that it pairs well with muscovado sugar as I can get hints of caramel through every sip. The caffeine kick I get from it is surprisingly strong, just how I like it! 

Overall, I'm really glad I went ahead and tried this, despite nearing its best before date. Sure it's not fresh and is a little stale but what's important is that it still gives a decent cup of coffee. I'd say its worth getting in full price because I just know that it's bomb when it's new and fresh. Plus, remember, you get to help the forests and you get to have a tree in your name! 10/10 would recommend!