Actually, three awesome bags of fresh, small-batch, wood-roasted, organic coffee beans from Matt's Coffee in Portland, ME. A bag each of Map 40 Mohka Java, Bird Dog, and Early Riser.

I should have guessed when my ss indicated that the gift would be fresh. When I pulled the priority mail package out of my mailbox, and started opening it, I was immediately met by the gorgeous aroma that only comes from fresh roasted coffee. I actually held each bag to my nose and took a good, deep whiff of each one. I love that smell.

Caffeine is a necessary component to the proper care and feeding of any IT person, of which I am one. But unlike many of my associates, my coffee fix generally does not come from the pot of hours (or even days) old black stuff sitting on the counter. I prefer to make it one cup at a time, generally with my Aeropress, so off to the grinder I went.

I tried the Mohka Java, which is a blend of Ethiopian and Java beans. Dialing in the right grind and time with an unfamiliar bean can take a little trial and error. This is not a "put the ground coffee in the filter and hit the button" method of making coffee. As soon as the water hit the grounds it did a wonderful thing that only fresh beans do - it bloomed. And it made a great cup with a lot of interesting flavors that can only get better with some tweaking. I am excited, and not a little buzzed, to try the other beans.

Thank you!!