How’s it going? Hope the coffee is flowing! Today I am bringing you a review of an exciting new coffee brand I recently discovered. This week I am brewing Terra Lava’s Costa Rican Dark Roast Coffee.
The Roaster
Terra Lava started in 2020 when three coffee lovers with a passion for the Earth and sustainability planted about two and a half acres of coffee trees on their property in Costa Rica. Utilizing regenerative farming techniques and partnering with local single mothers for harvesting, while paying fair wages, of course, Terra Lava not only cares for the land where they grow their beans, but also helps provide for local families.
The company partnered with MK Supplements, another family-owned and sustainability-focused business, to create a high-quality, health-focused, small-batch coffee brand for their product lineup. Terra Lava was a perfect fit, as all of their coffee is third-party lab tested to ensure it is free of mold, mycotoxins, and pesticides. As you know, I love organic and third-party-tested coffee here at Coasters & Coffee, so you can see why I’m excited to share this brand with you all! While I love clean coffee, I also love great tasting coffee! So let’s find out if Terra Lava checks that box too.
When rating coffee I follow the same method of brewing each time. Find out about how I prepare French Press coffee here.
Terra Lava Costa Rican Dark Roast Review:
Characteristics and Flavor Profile
Grinding this Costa Rican Dark Roast bring out a rich and toasty fragrance with a subtle touch of earthiness.
| Terra Lava Dark Roast | French Press | Pour-Over |
| Aroma | Bold roasty notes, with a touch of caramel-like sweetness | Deep and rich dark sugary sweetness, caramel-like |
| Body | Full body, heavy weight and a prominent mouthfeel | Light body, very mild mouthfeel |
| Start | Rich dark chocolatey start, cacao focused but with a touch of caramel-like sweetness | Subtle nutty start, mildly sweet almond-like notes |
| Middle | Bold dark chocolate, deep cacao notes with a subtle sweetness of balance | Nuttiness continues with a slight woodiness becoming more noticeable |
| Finish | Distinct nutty finish, hazelnut-like bitterness with a good sweetness for balance | Shift to rich dark chocolatey notes with a great balance of cacao and sweetness |
Overall Thoughts
Overall, this was a great coffee with a flavor profile that is pretty traditional for a Costa Rican. When brewed with a pour-over, the tasting notes were more subtle, but the coffee had a great flavor profile with a sweet nuttiness and a touch of woodiness that added some complexity. Brewing Terra Lava’s Dark Roast with a French Press produced a bold and highly flavorful cup, with delicious dark chocolatey notes and a touch of nuttiness in the finish that gave it a subtle touch of complexity.
Each brew method produced a smooth and delicious coffee, but I found the flavors from my Chemex to be slightly too reserved, whereas the French Press really let the coffee’s flavor shine. The rich chocolatey notes from the latter made it my preferred brew method for this coffee.
This is a coffee that would appeal to most drinkers, as it has a great flavor profile with enough complexity for enthusiasts to enjoy, while still remaining coffee-forward enough for casual drinkers. The health benefits of the coffee are an added perk to this well-rounded crowd pleaser.
Where to Purchase
You can find this Costa Rican Dark Roast on the Terra Lava website, where they also offer a fantastic sounding Medium Roast. At a price point of $24.99 for 12oz (about $33.32 per pound) Terra Lava is fairly priced for a third-party-tested and certified mold- and toxin-free coffee. If you want to try this delicious new roaster for yourself use the code COASTERSNCOFFEE to get 5% off your purchase.
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