Cafe Bustelo – What I’m Drinking
The Drink: Cafe Bustelo
Type: Ground Dark Roast
Overall Rating: 2.5 coffee cups out of five
I remember seeing the yellow, black and red bricks of Cafe Bustelo in the neighborhood bodega when I was growing up in New York. The bodega was the type of place where the items were covered in dust, not the kind of place where I’d expect to find trend setting coffee.
This year, I was surprised to discover that Cafe Bustelo is making appearances at celebrity pool parties in Hollywood and cutting edge music festivals in New York. (article here, third link down) Through an aggressive marketing campaign, it’s becoming popular with the so-called in crowd. I wouldn’t say that I’m part of that crowd, but I couldn’t resist trying it out, seeing if it was worth all of the hype.
From the first sniff, I knew I was in trouble. I kept going back and forth, I couldn’t decide whether I could call the aroma mild or weak. Either way, there was nothing trendy or hip worthy about it. It wasn’t on the level of any of the better dark roasts that I’ve sampled recently.
It was hard to pick up any specific scents in the aroma, but I was able to pick up small hints of nuts and a floral aroma.
The first sip was too dark, over the top and a little bitter. It was a dark roast, but not what I’d call a pleasant taste. However, I will give it to them that it wasn’t burnt tasting like some of the coffees that start with star and end with bucks.
Overall, it tasted lifeless. I did buy it at my local grocery store, so who knows how long it was sitting on the shelf, but I still expected better.
There were three distinctive tastes. The first was a slightly floral taste. I’ve never eaten flowers, but I’m assuming that’s what they would taste like. There was a pleasant smoky taste. It was one of the stand out qualities about it and I’m not someone that will usually head towards the dark roasts. However, there was a chemical taste that washed everything else out.
As it cooled down, it became more bitter and a little funky tasting. I couldn’t pinpoint the funky taste, but I’ll just say it was sour and leave it at that.
While it was still hot, the after taste was enjoyable. It was a warm mix of nuttiness and the smoky dark roast taste, which was one of the other positive qualities.
For being hip and trendy, it was only $2.99 at the grocery store. Even at that price it wouldn’t be my first choice for grocery store coffee, but it was drinkable.
Cafe Bustelo earned a 2.5 coffee cup rating, which is slightly below average on the Daily Shot Of Coffee rating scale.
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Photos by Banalities and missdarling.
Category: Coffee Reviews
About the Author (Author Profile)
Mike Crimmins is the highly caffeinated blogger behind Daily Shot Of Coffee. Besides drinking way too much coffee, he's obsessed with the Yankees and getting dirty on his mountain bike.Subscribe
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I like Cafe Bustelo and other Latin coffees, and I also tend to like heartier European coffees. I need something that can make good coffee, even if i only want one cup at a time (I live alone).
I’m actually a Cafe Bustelo fan – but I like it made in a stovetop moka pot, or boiled in water on the stove and strained through a coffee sock. I can still get it for $1.99 or 2 for $3 a couple of times a month when it’s on sale at the corner store. It’s not a coffee I’d serve at a dinner party – but on those mornings when I want something hot and sweet to start my day..,mmmm.
I’m hearing a lot of positive things about Cafe Bustelo, it might be worth me trying another package sometime, seeing if that makes a difference.
As a student at North Texas, I need a coffee that accomplishes three things. It must be strong, good tasting, and most of all cheep. For me, this is the best. I absolutely love it and drink a full pot daily (sometimes two). this is truly my favorite coffee. its consistent from cup to cup and holds a caffeine kick that hits as hard as I need. Strip away the facade of fancy packaging and dumb sounding names and realize that you don’t have to spend a lot to get a lot. I put this coffee above all Folgers and Maxwell House along with everything Starbucks pushes. A truly great cup I look forward to every morning!
I love Cafe Bustelo. I had been buying Lavazzo until I lost my job, and started cutting back expenses. I found Cafe Bustelo at a low price and thought it was worth a try. It was surprisingly good–much better than American brands. The price has almost doubled in the grocery stores, but I found a website “Java Cabana” in which I buy a case of 10-oz. bricks which last for several months, and the price is lower than the retail price. If you like this coffee, you might try buying it from them and saving some money.
As a Puerto Rican, I’ve grown up with Cafe Bustelo in the house. It’s stronger than what I would call “American coffee”. I would never…NEVER make it in a drip coffee maker, the taste wont be the same. The best way to make it is on the stove with a moka pot. Don’t use cold milk. Warm up the milk on the stove. I use a strainer when I pour the milk in the coffee to help prevent, what I call “la nata” or the skin (or whatever you call it) from forming. Cafe Bustelo (when made correctly) is the BEST!
Judy is right. The drip machine makes it vile. The moka pot makes it taste great, especially with milk or cream. They are not kidding when they say it is “SPECIAL FOR ESPRESSO”. Heed this advice. The difference is like night and day. DO NOT RUN THROUGH DRIP MAKER.
Um, yeah, you never mention preparation method. I assume it would be pretty nasty if you ran it through a regular filter coffee maker. The moka pot is the way to go.