Yup…I’ve managed to sustain another huge gap between K-Cup Reviews.  It’s not like I’ve been slacking or anything, I’ve just been caught up with other projects (day job, 2nd sorta-job, yard work, and most importantly playing a lot of golf).  So yeah, I’ve lost track of the coffee thing for a bit, but thankfully my friends at Green Mountain sent along a box of their limited edition Fair Trade Spring Revival Blend to remind me that it’s way past time I got back to talking about coffee.

Initial Thoughts (based on the name alone, and before my first sip):

Ahh…the end of winter.  Light, yet bright (do they still make those lightbright things, with the plastic pegs?), smooth, and hopeful.  A warm cup of optimism.

The Description:

Revive your senses.  A balanced and sweetly aromatic blend with a sparkling finish.

The Aroma

Sweet and fruity.  I’m thinking grapes, and berries (or is a grape a berry?), with just a hint of spice.  Spring Revival Blend is nothing I’d consider intensely aromatic, but it’s pleasant enough.

Drinking it Black

Not bad…not bad at all.  Here we are two years in, and I’m still not a black coffee drinker (probably never will be), although I’m definitely a dark roast kind of guy.  Spring Revival blend is smooth, exceptionally so.  Probably as smooth as anything I’ve tried recently, which admittedly isn’t much (it turns out when you don’t review coffee for a bit, your supplies dwindle).  It’s mildly acidic, with a light, bitter-free finish that lingers a bit without souring.  For more than a few of you, I suspect this one will play just fine without cream and sugar, especially if you like your medium roasts a little on the lighter side.

With Cream and Sugar

While Spring Revival Blend will never be my favorite cup, it makes for an awesome, awesome warm weather, Friday-feeling kinda coffee.  It’s light, sweet, with an almost whipped (frou frou coffee) kind a feel, without the risk of your friends calling you a sissy.  Think iced coffee, but without the ice in there watering it down.  Oh…and unlike ice, it’s hot.  Yeah.  I really like it.  Score it a B or a B+.

Final Thoughts

This is normally the part where I sum it all up and tell you why you should be whatever cup of coffee I’ve just reviewed (even if I’m telling you it’s so awesomely bad you have to taste it to believe it).  But since I’ve already pretty much said all I need to say, how about I leave you with this bit of background info on this delicious blend (which serves as reason enough why you should give Fair Trade Spring Revival Blend a try – and yes, I copied and pasted this directly from Green Mountain.  I didn’t write a word of it.

Coffee in Rwanda: A story of survival and revival

Spring Revival® Blend offers sweet aromas, balanced flavors, and a compelling story of hope. The floral top notes of this Fair Trade Certified™ blend come from Rwanda, a country still recovering from a brutal civil war. With this delicious Limited Edition Seasonal coffee, you join us in supporting Rwanda’s economic revival, and small farmers who are producing extraordinary beans.

In the Gikongoro Province of southwestern Rwanda, vibrant coffee fields are reawakening after years of lying dormant. High altitudes, rich soil and predictable rainfalls created a perfect microclimate here, but years of conflict and political unrest had made it nearly impossible to get coffee to market. Today, a partnership of growers, roasters and governments is producing exceptionally fine coffee, and hope for a more peaceful future.

Our connection to Rwandan coffee began in 2002, when we hosted a group of farmers in Waterbury, VT. They toured our roasting facility, participated in cupping, and explored ways to connect with U.S. consumers.

Our head coffee buyer, Lindsey Bolger, then made the first of six trips to Rwanda to train farmers in cupping and sensory evaluation. She helped train them to detect defects and understand the quality expectations of the demanding specialty coffee market. In 2008, Lindsey’s protégées were asked to be judges for Africa’s first Cup of Excellence® coffee competition. Their participation was a dramatic illustration of Rwanda’s meteoric rise on the international coffee scene.

Today, Rwanda is one of the hottest origins in specialty coffee, with a well-deserved reputation for high-quality beans. Fair Trade prices are allowing farmers to make a living off their small plots of land.

We are proud to work with the Clinton Global Initiative, TransFair USA, the Cordes Foundation, and the hardworking, small farmers of Rwanda to bring you Fair Trade Certified™ Spring Revival® Blend.

Shameless Plug

In addition to their own coffees and teas, Green Mountain stocks coffee from Caribou, Tully’s, Newman’s Own, and now (for my Canadian brother’s and sisters) Timothy’s.  They also offer their unique Cafe Escapes lineup, as well as their Donut House Collection.

You can save $2 ($2.50 for a limited time) off every box of Green Mountain coffee you buy through their Café Express programs; which helps ensure that you never run out of delicious Green Mountain Coffee.

Stuff the FTC Wants Me to Say

Neither myself or anyone else at Qwowi.com received any compensation for this review and any recommendations made within.  Green Mountain doesn’t pay me to say nice things about their coffee, which is probably good, because I don’t always say nice things about their coffee.  Just because I like it doesn’t mean you will.  I make no promises or guarantees as to what your own experience with Spring Revival Blend (or any other Green Mountain Blend) will be.