Our sample of Diedrich Colombia was provided by Qwowi friend, Ken Rhodes of 1 Great Cup. This is only the second Diedrich blend I’ve had the opportunity to taste, but, as you may recall, I absolutely loved the Paradiso House Blend (review here) I sampled a couple of weeks back.

This time around I’m taking a crack at the Colombia blend. If my recollection is correct (and it may not be), this is the first true Colombian I’ve tried so far, which leaves the people at Diedrich with the responsibility of making a good first impression for Colombian beans as a whole. No pressure guys, really.

Before we get to the review, for those of you (like myself) largely unfamiliar with Diedrich Coffee, here’s a quick little “About Diedrich” blurb:

For over 20 years Diedrich Coffee has been fresh roasting and serving the world’s finest premium coffees from our collection of Southern California coffeehouses. We are proud of our long held reputation as the local favorite, well known among coffee enthusiasts. For decades, family brown roast recipes have been placed at the heart of Diedrich’s fine coffees. A coupling of tradition and meticulous care mark the individuality if each premium roast. Some of the world’s most exquisite coffee beans are contained in this bag, offering you all the subtle flavor nuances unique to the great coffees from around the globe.

I’m not sure I qualify as a coffee enthusiast, but I surely qualify as a Keurig and K-Cup enthusiast, so hey Diedrich, thanks for making great K-Cups for my home (B70) and office (B140) brewers.  And now on to the review…

The Description

Soft sweet acidity and wholesome body are the attributes which give this coffee such notable harmony and superb balance. It is somewhat nutty and has a caramel aftertaste.

What it Says on the Box

“Clean, Sweet, Bright” (not really leaving me much to go with here guys)

The Aroma

Perhaps there is a subtle nuttiness to the aroma.  I also got a bit of a smoky vibe, but mostly it smelled like really rich, really good quality coffee is supposed to smell.  It smells so good you could probably use it to replace your bathroom air freshner, although that does seem like a waste of good coffee.

Drinking It Black

You can blame Diedrich Colombia for the unusually long gap between K-Cup reviews.  It took several cups to pinpoint what I was tasting.  In fact, I had to solicit some tasting notes from my wife.  After much discussion we settled on, earthy, a little woodsy, definitely smoky, with just a hint of nut.  Oh, and I should probably mention, it tastes pretty good too.

Day by day I’m become more and more of a black coffee drinker.  The complex Colombia from Diedrich is incredibly smooth, and completely devoid of any harshness or bitterness.  It’s well-balanced, and, at least for me, didn’t lead to any unpleasant stomach rot.

With Cream and Sugar

When sweetened up a bit, the caramel flavors mentioned in the description really come out.  In my opinion, medium roast coffees are ideal recpients for cream and sugar.  Diedrich’s Colombia is no exception.  It sweetens up without a fight, but doesn’t loose any flavor or get to feeling watered down in your mouth.

Final Thoughts

So we’re 2 for 2 with Diedrich K-Cups.  I’m quickly becoming a fan of the brand, and am really looking forward to cutting into the rest of my Diedrich stash.  Since I’m new to Colombian coffee, I can’t say fans of the Colombian beans will definitely love this stuff.  That said, fans of good coffee won’t go wrong with this blend.

I’d tell you that I’m adding it to my rotation, but the simple truth of the matter is that I’ve got so many K-Cups to go through, my “rotation” is, for better or worse, a new variety almost every day.  It’s a mixed blessing, I’m trying a lot of coffee, but it means I don’t have the opportunity to really enjoy the blends I like best.

Diedrich’s Colombia is in the top tier of the blends I’ve tried thus far.  Maybe it’s time to develop some sort of arbitrary rating system or something…I really don’t know.  Let’s call it 9 Juan Valdez’s and 1 donkey.  Then again, maybe I should stay away from dopey rating systems altogether.  What I would suggest…

Shameless Plug

Go out and get yourself a Diedrich Coffee Variety Pack from 1 Great Cup.  There’s no better way to get a feel for the Diedrich brand.  It includes 5 each of the previously reviewed Paradiso House, Colombia, as well as Colombia Decaf, Sumatra, and French Roast.  Trust me…it’s the right thing to do.  My sponsors get your business, I get more great K-Cups to review, and you, well you get a great box of Diedrich coffee delivered to your door.  Just like Teeball, everybody wins.

While your here at Qwowi.com, check out the entire archive of reviews from The K-Cup Challenge.