How’s it going? Hope the coffee is flowing! Today, I’m going to be talking to you about a coffee with a pretty unique flavor profile. This week, I’m brewing Semilla Coffee Roaster’s Guava Banana coffee. Note, this coffee was not available on the Semilla website at the time of writing this review.
The Roaster
Semilla Coffee Roasters is a micro-roastery founded in 2020 by Yil, the granddaughter of Puerto Rican coffee farmers. Her upbringing on a coffee farm sparked a lifelong passion for the craft, inspiring her to master the art of roasting in pursuit of the perfect cup.
Driven by a passion for quality and fairness, Semilla is dedicated to sourcing exceptional coffee while building equitable partnerships with the farmers behind each crop. The result is a selection of organic, sustainably sourced coffees that display Semilla’s love for coffee while also honoring the heritage of Yil’s grand parents.
If you checked out my review of the Semilla coffees I sampled at the 2024 Pennsylvania Chocolate and Coffee Festival, you’ll remember how much I enjoyed each one. So when Yil returned to this year’s festival with a few new offerings, including Guava Banana, I was thrilled to give them a try. I sampled this one at the festival, and its unique, distinct flavor profile made it a must-buy for me!
When rating coffee I follow the same method of brewing each time. Find out about how I prepare French Press coffee here.
Semilla Coffee Roasters Guava Banana Review:
Characteristics and Flavor Profile
Grinding Semilla’s Guava Banana released a bold, intense fragrance with a huge pop of sweet fruit.
| Semilla Coffee Roasters Guava Banana | French Press | Pour-Over |
| Aroma | Fruity with a subtle hint of brown sugary sweetness | Warm fruit notes, strawberry-like with a hint of spice |
| Body | Medium body | Medium-light body |
| Start | Tart fruit, not a noticeable sweetness to balance these notes | Strong stone fruit-like notes, tart with a subtle sweetness for balance |
| Middle | Abrupt shift, bringing strong roasty notes forward | Tartness gets stronger and becomes more prominent, but not unpleasant |
| Finish | A banana-like fruity sweetness, mild with a touch of creaminess | Slightly tropical, fruity notes that were sweet with a mild tartness |
Overall Thoughts
Overall, Guava Banana was a really good coffee, it was smooth, but had a distinct tartness. When brewed with a French Press the fruity notes did not pop as much, however the cup was sweeter and the banana-like finish was quite unique. My pour-over really let the fruit-forward nature of the coffee shine, bringing a complexity created by the shift between stone fruit and tropical fruit.
The flavor profile of this coffee is certainly going to please those who enjoy fruity or complex coffees. However, the strong tartness from the stone fruit–like notes may overwhelm average or more traditional coffee drinkers.
I preferred Guava Banana when brewed with my Chemex, as it allowed the fruit notes to be more distinct and pronounced. The banana-like finish for the French Press was certainly good, but getting to experience the full range of fruity-notes that can be found in coffee in a single cup made the pour-over stand out.
Where to Purchase
As I mentioned above, at the time of writing this review, Guava Banana is not available on the Semilla website. That shouldn’t stop you from heading over to check out their other amazing offerings. They roast and ship their coffee on Tuesdays and Thursday, and all orders are roasted to order, so no matter which of their excellent coffees you choose you know you are getting the freshest beans possible. Semilla offers some truly delicious and unique coffees, and Yil’s skill as a roaster can be tasted in every cup.
As always, if you want to stay up to date on my latest content follow me on Instagram and Facebook to get notified anytime new content drops, and to follow my adventures as they happen!
