Tasting BonAroma Cup Of Joe Blend: My Review, Photos

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by Nigel Ong

Have you ever ended up buying some things because they caught your attention? Well, this happened to me. I have never heard of BonAroma as a coffee roaster. Still, its packaging caught my attention, so I bought one to sample and review. 

I will sample and review the BonAroma Cup Of Joe Blend in this post. I will brew the coffee several ways and then sample the coffee with popular flavorings. Finally, I compare the coffee with other relevant roasts and conclude if you should try it.

About BonAroma Cup Of Joe Blend

BonAroma Coffee is a line of coffee products from BonCafe International, a Singaporean coffee company founded in 1962. It is now part of Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group. This Italian coffee company also owns Segafredo, Hills Bros, and Chock Full O’Nuts.

BonAroma Coffee is not to be confused with Bona Coffee Roasters, a roastery based in Boulder, Colorado. 

Cup Of Joe blend is part of the BonAroma lineup, with other roasts such as Farmer’s Choice and Peck Me Up. Together, they represent the more premium offerings of coffee blends from BonCafe.

BonAroma coffee is sold in many countries worldwide, in regions such as Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America.

First Impression

I must admit that the coffee’s packaging is very well designed – in fact, I was attracted to it in the first place. The flavor description and important information about the coffee are also well described. 

Cup Of Joe blend is a medium-dark roast with an intensity of 4 out of 5. Some flavor notes claimed on the packaging include:

  • Cacao
  • Caramel
  • Fruits
  • Cream

Whether this is true, we will reserve it until the cupping (tasting) time. 

However, I found the packaging lacking the common things you would expect from a coffee bag. There are no foldable tabs to help you reseal the coffee once you open it. 

There’s also no one-way valve to allow carbon dioxide to escape the bag or for you to smell the coffee. And yes, the seal is so tight I almost tear the whole bag up, trying to open it. 

The coffee smells inviting, although slightly more muted in the aroma. I can pick up some cacao and a sweet smell from the coffee. The aroma reminds me of Robusta coffee, but let’s see if my hunch is right. 

My coffee is in ground form, so I cannot really look at the beans’ quality. I also cannot confirm if Robusta is inside. 

How To Brew BonAroma Cup Of Joe Blend

There are two major ways to brew coffee: immersion or filtration. Both produce coffee of slightly different characters, so I will use both to brew the Cup of Joe Blend. 

French Press

This brewing style makes a murky, full-flavored coffee with floating particles. This should allow me to sample the coffee in all its ‘glory.’ 

I will brew my coffee using the Bodum Caffettiera French press. My brewing process follows what Illy Coffee recommends.

In short, I’ll keep to the 1:12 ratio, using 15 grams of coffee and 180ml of hot water at around 185°F (about 85°C). I’ll then allow the coffee to brew for 4 minutes.

Pour Over With Filter Paper

If the French press immerses the coffee in water, pour it over instead of dripping hot water through the coffee.

This method produces a ‘cleaner’ version of the coffee without too much oil and particles floating about. This should help me to sample more of the subtle notes. 

I will be using these to make my pour-over coffee:

Based on a 1:18 coffee and hot water ratio, my pour-over brewing steps are taken from Starbucks. 

Espresso

It may not be common to use medium roasts to make espresso. However, the main goal here is to concentrate on the flavors so I can sample the coffee better.

For espresso, I will be using my Wacaco Minipresso GR to pull an espresso shot. This is a hand-held, manually-operated espresso maker.

How Does BonAroma Cup Of Joe Blend Taste?

French Press

As the coffee brews away, the aroma fills my kitchen. I can pick up notes of cocoa with some sweetness, too. However, the aroma also has a strong Robusta-like character, which made me suspect that  Cup of Joe Blend has Robusta beans inside. 

I sipped the coffee; the first taste was milder and bold with a medium level of earthiness. The coffee has a decent amount of creaminess, with hints of cocoa coming through as I sip along. 

At this point, I am sure there’s a blend of Robusta beans inside, as the taste reminds me of that. 

Checks with the packaging do not reveal anything, but there’s no indication of 100% Arabica. Since they do not claim it’s 100% Arabica, I can assume they blended the beans. 

There is some sweetness in the coffee, especially in the finish. Swallow the coffee down, and I can sense some caramel-like sweetness on the tip of my tongue.

Pour Over With Filter Paper

Filter paper usually produces lighter coffee since the filter paper removes some of the coffee oil and fine particles. It’s the same case with the Cup of Joe Blend. 

My coffee looks lighter in color, and when looked at from the bottom, there’s less sediment.

The coffee tastes lighter and with more clarity. The coffee has less earthiness and smoke, and I can taste the cocoa taste better. With less smoke, I can also detect a bit of fruity notes. There is also some acidity, but gentle enough that you enjoy it as part of the coffee. 

Of these two, I prefer the French press coffee, probably because it has a stronger and more ‘dirty’ flavor. 

Espresso

The result is a great espresso with rich, thick crema. The crema in the Cup of Joe Blend espresso is lighter, without the charred, smoky smell most dark roast espresso has. 

I can also pick up more cocoa and fruity aromas. The espresso is extremely nice to sip because the Robusta beans are intense and creamy in flavor. 

It does not have the punch typical espresso drinkers want, but this can easily become a casual espresso you sip if you prefer something lighter. 

With Sugar

With sugar, I added a brown, coarse sugar stick into my cup of Cup of Joe Blend, French press style. This should be around two flat teaspoons of sugar.

Sugar usually adds sheen and slightly thickens coffee. I get the same results with this coffee, too. The coffee feels more textured in the mouth, with more ‘rubber band effect.’

This is one of the few smokier coffees that I enjoy sweetened. This could be because of the quality of the smoke in Robusta beans; they seem to blend better with sweetness than typical Arabica beans. 

With Sweetener

I have my cup of Cup of Joe Blend a try. two drops of Equal. Equal are brands of Aspartame, which means the sweetness here will be different from regular sugar or other sweeteners such as Stevia.

The sweeteners made the coffee a tad more enjoyable. However, I still prefer to have the coffee, either black, with milk or regular sugar. 

This is because it has a rather unnatural sweetness. The sweetness comes late and stays in my palate for too long. The whole synthetic feel of the coffee makes it less enjoyable.

With Milk

I made another French press brew with the Cup of Joe Blend. Then, I added a shot (about 30ml) of fresh, whole, UHT cow’s milk.

The taste is as I expected. The slight sweetness from the lactose in the milk feels natural to my palate. The creaminess from the milk also blends well with the coffee, making it even more mellow and easy. 

I also like how the coffee gets thicker and glides in my mouth easily. 

In fact, I would easily say that I enjoy the Cup of Joe Blend the most this way, with milk, without sugar. It tastes the best this way, even better than if I drink it black.

With Creamer

I added two teaspoons of Coffee Mate creamer to my Cup of Joe Blend cup. The creamer alters the coffee in about the same way as milk. 

It mellows the coffee further and cuts into the smoke, making my cup of coffee smoother and easier to enjoy. I also enjoy the richer, sweet taste. 

However, I still prefer milk. Creamer does not seem to have the right creaminess I want – it somehow feels a bit more hollow and lacks that creamy body than milk.

BonAroma Cup Of Joe Blend vs Other BonAroma Blends

I have the other two BonAroma coffees, so I thought I’d compare them here. 

I pulled out the Farmer’s Choice and Peck Me Up blend, brewed them in French press, and drank them side by side. 

Taste-wise, I prefer the Farmers’ Choice the most, as it leaves me most satisfied. It is not as intense as the Cup of Joe Blend but has more flavor and depth than the other two.

I particularly enjoy the stronger chocolate notes in the Farmers’ Choice blend and some tea-like flavor in it, too. I’ll have the Cup of Joe blend second and the Peck Me Up blend last here. 

BonAroma Cup Of Joe Blend vs. Popular Medium Blends

Next, I’ll compare the Cup of Joe Blend with popular medium coffee blends. These include:

I would place the Cup of Joe Blend last on the list here. This is because, as a Robusta blend, it cannot compete with full Arabica coffee roasts – there is just not enough flavor nor depth to challenge these blends.

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