A light flavour for a dark roast, but “La Flor del Café,” grown by private farmers (not corporate sycophants) in Guatemala’s “valle de Antigua” still has a prominent character of its own. With only a dash of skimmed milk, the brew is remarkably creamy, having an inherent sweetness not unlike raw chocolate.

The cup I have before me is somewhat watery, but like as not that’s due more to the venue than to the bean itself. Panera Bread Company, while a nice place, is still stuck in the unenviable and untenable position of catering to the mindless masses, who can’t have their coffee too strong or their conversation too subtle, lest they be driven off on the one side and bored on the other by the invitation to think. Still, “La Flor del Café is a beautiful coffee for everyday consumption for those who feel, as I do, an innate shrinking from anything with the term “breakfast blend” in the name.

“La Flor del Café” is especially suited to drinking black with a swirl of honey. (Make it in a French press and it’d probably move up several notches to “good coffee to sit and savour” or something like that.)

Summary

• The Brew: Panera’s Guatemalan Antigua “La Flor del Cafe”
• The Rating: Good everyday, slightly-exotic coffee
• The Sources:
• Wilson’s Coffee and Tea: Single-Origin South American Coffees
• Terroir Select Coffees: Guatemalan Coffees
• Notes: Brew it in a French press, and don’t drown the flavour with more than a dash of skimmed milk or a swirl of honey.