Douwe Egberts: Dark Roasted Spicy India

The Second of the Douwe Egberts: World of Origins blends, this time the Indian one.
I will not be wasting a lot of time describing this one, it is a medium to dark roast, not like the name leads us to believe. I would call it a level 4 roast, the previous one, the Tre Forze, was slightly more dark. The name is giving us a clue on its origin, all Indian.Douwe Egberts is billing this coffee as a spicy, full-bodied coffee, hints of cardamon, vanilla, manga, pepper corns, ...
I have to say that such a description intrigues me, especially after trying other indian coffees like the "Monsoon Malabar", which was rather strongly flavoured.

Most indian beans are harvested at higher altitudes, this coffee is no exception. Like usual, big companies will never give out the actual blend recipee. I am especially curious when it comes to mysterious blends that are "single country origin".

But enough about that, let us move on to the delight called "Dark roasted spicy India".

First impression, the beans
Nothing really specific to mention here, it smells a little stronger than average coffee, nothing specific comes out.

Second impression, the espresso.
This is where it gets interesting, it smells absolutely neutral with a small hint of vanilla. I smelled it numerous times, I can't grasp any other aromas in it. My curiosity level just rose to a whole new level.

Third impression, tasting the espresso.
One word, awesome... I detect very little bitterness in this, indeed some vanilla and some kind of fruitiness, must be the mango, but I couldnt fully pinpoint that specific fruit in it. Great aftertaste, gentle, smooth, a little like the monsoon malabar, but more to my preference. The aftertaste lingers in the mouth for quite a while, but not once did I have the impression of a bad flavour. A little acidic maybe, my tongue is mostly responding on the middle, not the front, not the backend.
I am intrigued by this blend, a great melange indeed.

It's gotta be one of the better "cheap" coffees I ever tried, at 7 euro for half a kilo, it is rather cheap.
Another thing that deserves mentioning, the crazy amount of crema! I have those cool Bodum mugs and they aren't really small, but they had about 5 millimeters of crema in a preheated cup. Not many coffees produce such a nice and clean crema in such a big mug.


Rating: 8,9 / 10
Purchased in a dutch supermarket
Origin: India
Brand: Douwe Egberts