Coffee Bean DirectItalian Roast Espresso, Whole Bean Coffee, Dark Roast, 5 Pound Bag (Pack of 1)

Since this feedback concerns at least four different Coffee Bean Direct coffees, the overall rating tells you nothing about any specific coffee. Below are recalculated ratings for the four coffees I was interested in:Six Bean Espresso, $35.21, 4.0 starsItalian Roast Espresso, $38.21, 4.33 starsDark Brazilian Santos, 40.75, 4.61 starsDark House Blend, $40.75, 4.67 starsThe ratings were primarily for whole bean coffees and the price was the Coffee Bean Direct current price for the 5 pound bag as of the date of my order.Note that there are reviews here for quite a number of other coffees. The reviews I reported above formed only a small percentage of the entire set of coffees reviewed in this feedback.To extract the reviews for any individual coffee, you need to search the feedback using keywords that will select out only the coffee you are interested in. I used keywords such as "Italian", "six", "Brazilian", and "Dark House". As Amazon doesn't recalculate the ratings for such selections, you will need to calculate it yourself; a very tedious task.Note that I did disregard a couple of reviews:a 1 star rating complaining that the bag was punctured when delivered anda five star rating complaining that they were unable to receive a shipment to their military address.As neither re view concerned the qualities of the coffee, I felt they were meaningless.My experience with these coffees agrees with their relative ratings.I found the six bean blend to be quite uninteresting and fairly weak.The Italian roast contains only the deeper, more earthly flavors of the coffee; there was little of the more delicate, aromatic flavors. Several reviewers stated that this coffee has become less robust over time. I agree. Italian roast tends to deliver a bit more coffee dust than do the others. A few bags of this coffee were quite acidic, but the majority of the bitterness was left in the grounds after vrewing. I preferred to mix the Dark Italian roast with a more aromatic coffee to give me a fully flavored coffee. Works quite well with the Dark Columbian Roast.The Dark Brazilian Santos gives a good tasting coffee somewhere between the earthiness of the Italian and the fuller flavor of the Dark House Blend. This will be my fall back coffee if my preferred Dark House Blend is either unavailable or too pricy.The Dark House Blend is the coffee I was searching for. It has a good deep flavor with plenty of the more complex flavors of the less robust blends. It is a coffee that's worth rolling around in your mouth to savor the complexities of its' flavor. The Dark House Blend is listed as a bit more acidic than the others, but it did not produce a bitter taste. When I tasted the grounds after brewing, I did not discern any bitterness; there was little flavor left over after vrewing. This is going to be my preferred choice until the price exceeds what I'm willing to pay.A couple of other notes:I prefer my coffee quite strong. I use about a coffee measure (2 Tbsp) per 5 ounce cup. That means that I find most restaurant coffees quite insipid - same thing for coffee brewed by friends and aquaintances.It is well worth comparing the delivered price of the coffee both directly from CoffeeBeanDirect and from Amazon. Coffee Bean Direct has two shipping prices: $5 for shipments of less than 25 pounds and free for 25 pounds or more. If you have the freezer room, consider buying several bags at a time and storing them in the freezer until needed.While some Amazon sellers may sell these coffees for significantly less than Coffee Bean Direct, some people have reported that such sellers are selling off old stock that has deteriorated over time. Coffee Bean Direct sells only freshly roasted coffee. A reasonable approach may be to order popular coffees through Amazon, counting on the high demand to ensure that the received coffee is reasonably fresh. Note that some reviewers have reported that coffee received directly from Amazon were as much as six months old.Amazon provides good buyer protection in case of non receitp or receipt of damaged goods. Coffee Bean Direct does not. According to their terms, the buyer bares the risk of loss or damage during shipment. However, their terms also state: "If you are dissatisfied with your order, you can return it for a refund of the product value." This should be consider as not overriding the shipping terms. I.e., you must have recieved an undamaged order before you can take advantage of the return terms. And, then there are the issues of loss or damage during the return shipment which I assume is your responsibility. Having said all that, I have had no problems ordering directly from Coffee Bean Direct; all shipments have arrived very quickly with no damage.Coffee Bean Direct accepts Amazon payments as well as Paypal and credit card payments. However when purchasing direct from Coffee Bean direct, their shipping terms apply, not those of Amazon or Paypal. attempting a chargeback on a lost or damaged order may well not prevail, no matter which payment form you select.

I have been buying this coffee for around 5 years. I use the dark French roast. It never disappoints.

I had this coffee for a few weeks. I wanted to wait until I finished my gourmet coffee that cost me $14.00 for 12 oz. The coffee that I am talking about is Clive Coffee's Love Joy. Love Joy provides that Chocolate flavor that I have been searching for. I have tried all the Big names like Lavazza and Illy etc. All with great disappointment. I have found the Illy to have a much better flavor than the Lavazza. These are not the only brands I have tried. I just don't feel like listing all of them.What they all have in common is that they are over rated and not worth the money. I do not mind spending top dollar for great coffee but if it is going to be mediocre then what is the point? I may as well buy coffee in the Super Market.The Love Joy by far is the Best For Me. The problem is that it is hit or miss. I own the IZZO Duetto 3 and the Electronic Mini grinder. My Machines are pretty much top of the line. So I do not get the fact that the flavor is not consistent. I have been doing this for a while. I know someone will comment that maybe it is my Tamping. That is not it. I have used over 12 bags of the Love Joy and in between waiting for my order to arrive I have used other brands. The first few bags gave me that Choco taste and then hit or miss. This last order of six has not really been that great.This is a Review Of Coffee Bean Direct Italian Roast, Not Love Joy. I am just trying to lead into why I am giving the Coffee Bean Direct Five Stars.When I opened the Bag of Coffee Bean Direct the first thing I noticed was a fairly dark roast that had that Oily coating. So it looked great. I have switched from Dark to medium roast over the last year, but reading reviews about this coffee I expected it to be a dark roast. I decided to order it anyway. What do I have to lose? I am looking for my dream coffee and I will try anything.This Coffee is not my Dream Coffee but it is every bit as good, if not better than all the other coffee brands. There is no way I will get that Chocolate taste from this. I know that and the reason is because it is a Dark roast. I had no great expectations about this coffee too be honest. I basically would not have been disappointed either way.I spent time writing this Long review because maybe someone out there is like me? Trying to find the right combination. I will purchase the Love Joy again in the hopes that it will be consistent for my taste buds. Mean while I am going to stick with the Coffee Bean Direct Italian Roast. It does not have that severe Bitterness of the Lavazza and the coffee looked fresh and the taste wasn't bad.I am giving this Five Stars because of the Cost Factor. It was fresh in appearance and the flavor was pretty good. I would suggest if you have a Food Saver to seal up one pound portions as soon as you open this bag. This is Five Pounds of coffee and unless you are going to use it all in a few days? You may want to protect your investment.