A few years ago the national concern Whole Foods Market bought out another, but smaller, upscale food store chain in our area, the Merchant of Vino.  At first, the two stores coexisted in Ann Arbor.  But eventually the "powers that be" combined the two stores into one.  Closing both original locations, they built what is, in effect, a Whole Foods super-megastore in a new, very well-positioned site.  Where the Merchant of Vino once was, a brand new market opened, by the name of Bello Vino -- a very nice place that rivals the old Merchant of Vino (of pleasant memory).  And in the original Whole Foods site, a national concern named Trader Joe's opened a new market.

While I had continued to shop with Whole Foods in their new mega-location and have also frequented the new Bello Vino, I had never taken a look at Trader Joe's.  Until recently, that is.  Brandy pointed me there to take a look at their chocolates, coffees, etc.  I'm glad she did.

A really fun place to shop, Trader Joe's fills a unique niche as a discount, but upscale market.  As such it offers a full line of house coffees, from very light to very dark.  All their coffees are specially-packed and nitrogen-flushed to preserve freshness.

Today I will review their premium coffee, the Bay Blend Ultraroast.  It is a dark roast that is designed to appeal to lovers of the deep, strong coffee traditionally served in the Bay area (alas! I'm not certain whether they mean the San Francisco or Seattle bay area -- probably the latter).  I was impressed to discover that the coffee comes in a resealable cylindrical container, rather than the traditional foil bag.  And for a premium whole bean coffee, it was particularly reasonable in price; I paid only USD 4.49 for the lion's share of a pound (12 oz.).

The beans were indeed dark and fairly oily.  The brewing was particularly aromatic.  The resulting nectar was very dark brown, almost rosy in color.  But the first taste was somewhat disappointing.  There was a certain harshness about it that did not please.  Something's wrong, I mused.  Perhaps it was my preparation.

So I tried again.  Thinking that it might be better suited as a slightly weaker brew, I lessened the number of scoops I put into the grinder.  And voila!  It worked! 

This coffee is not designed to be made as strong as are some other premium blends.  And as it turns out, it needn't be.  Made medium-strong, it is a very flavorful, full-bodied, beany dark roast beverage.  I enjoyed it black.  However, after having experimented a bit, I determined that this coffee, being full of flavor even when prepared medium-strength, stands up fairly well to cream or half-and-half.  Caffeine content is moderate, as premium coffee should be.

Despite its sensitivity to preparation strength, this is a hearty, authentic West Coast dark blend, full of fine flavor and enjoyable aroma, and at an almost unbelievably reasonable price.  Trader Joe's Bay Blend Ultraroast is definitely recommended.  Try some for your morning wake-up.