Ethical Bean Coffee Lush Review
How’s it going? Hope the coffee is flowing! In this Ethical Bean Coffee Lush Review, I’m taking a close look at one of the brand’s most popular blends to see if it lives up to its reputation. I’ll break down roast level, flavor notes, and how it performs in both a French press and a pour-over. If you’re looking for an affordable organic dark roast with bold chocolatey flavors and a touch of smoky character, this review will help you decide if Ethical Bean Lush is worth trying.
The Roaster
Ethical Bean Coffee was founded in 2003 in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Lloyd Bernhardt and Kim Schachte. The couple was inspired to start Ethical Bean Coffee after taking a trip to Guatemala during the process of adopting their daughter. They witnessed firsthand the difficult living conditions many coffee farmers faced, despite coffee being a multi-million dollar industry. That experience became the foundation for the company’s mission: roasting coffee that is certified Fairtrade and organic.. In doing so, they provide a fair wage to the coffee farmers they source from and a product consumers can trust is responsibly sourced and carefully produced.
Lloyd and Kim set out to show that consumers do not need to sacrifice quality to support ethical sourcing of coffee. At the time the company was founded, Fair Trade practices in the coffee industry were still in the process of reaching mainstream sources, so Ethical Bean set out to bring ethically sourced coffee to these larger markets. While coffee enthusiasts sometimes debate the effectiveness of Fair Trade certification compared to direct trade models used by some specialty roasters, Ethical Bean has remained consistent in its mission. The company continues to position itself around sustainability, accessibility, and responsibly sourced coffee.
When I first came across Ethical Bean coffee my initial interest was due to the affordability of their beans on Amazon. As I began to research the brand more I was excited to try a roaster who was so dedicated to Fair Trade sourcing and giving back to the farmers that grow their coffee. So, let’s see if that mission translates into a delicious cup of coffee.
When rating coffee I follow the same method of brewing each time. Find out about how I prepare French Press coffee here.
Ethical Bean Coffee Lush Review
Characteristics and Flavor Profile:
Grinding Lush brought forward a strong fragrance of sweet fruit.
| Lush | French Press | Pour-Over |
| Aroma | Dark chocolate notes with a creamy sweetness for balance | Subtly sweet fruity notes with a touch of cacao |
| Body | Full body, heavy coffee with great mouthfeel | Medium-full, noticeable weight and mouthfeel |
| Start | Coffee forward with mild sweet roasty notes. | Smoky and dark chocolatey bitterness |
| Middle | Smoky and dark chocolatey with distinct cacao notes | Mildly sweet chocolate, not quite milk chocolate but more balanced than the start |
| Finish | Rich dark chocolate notes with a hint of sweet cream | Dark chocolatey and slightly roasty |
Overall Thoughts
Overall, this was a decent dark roast coffee. The flavor profile was very traditional for a dark roast and smooth when brewed in the French press. In a pour-over it was slightly bitter, but not to the extent that it ruined the cup.
- French Press: Relatively smooth and easy to drink. Slightly boring flavor profile outside of a well-executed smokiness and touch of sweet cream in the finish.
- Pour-over: Moderately strong bitter notes to start. The coffee settles into a more enjoyable, albeit unremarkable, chocolatey middle and finish.
- Preferred brew method: French Press
Lush is a dark roast drinker’s coffee through and through. If you like dark roast, this is a good one for you. The smoky notes may be a tad too much for a casual drinker, but an enthusiast would enjoy them, especially in the French press. The pour-over started out just slightly too bitter for my liking.
Where to Purchase
You can purchase Lush on Amazon at a price point of $12.54 for a 12 oz bag (about $16.72 per pound). You can also find it on the Ethical Bean Coffee website for $14.99 for the same size (about $19.99 per pound). Lush offers good value for an organic coffee. The quality is slightly better than Starbucks Yukon Blend, and it offers a better flavor profile than Wegmans Bold Organic.
Conclusion – Ethical Bean Coffee Lush Review
Ethical Bean Coffee’s Lush is a solid organic coffee offering. While it is marketed as a medium-dark roast, I found it closer to a dark roast based on both the bean appearance and brewing results. The flavor profile was simple, but the quality of the roast and beans has me excited to try more from this roaster.
Ethical Bean Coffee Lush Scorecard
| Feature | Details |
| Roast | Medium-dark |
| Flavor Notes | Coffee forward, smoky, dark chocolate |
| Best Brew Method | French press |
| Overall Rating | 6/10 |
| Worth Buying? | Yes, a good cup of coffee and a fair price for an organic coffee. |
| Buy Now | Amazon | Ethical Bean Coffee |
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