Some time ago, I signed up for a "beta testing", but not the kind most people on the web are used to. This was for Joffreys" coffee. I never received my sample, and eventually forgot about it. However, yesterday in the mail, there was a package from Joffreys. Sure enough, it was another sample. Today I received an email outlining exactly what the sample was. As the original survey/sample was aimed at today's army of internet workers (for a lack of a better phrase), they took the responses and developed a flavor geared towards this crowd. Billed as "a highly caffeinated, yet smooth blend of java that would keep you working longer and buzzing stronger. We took your specs, and engineered a brand new flavor".

This morning I took it for a spin. In their talking points, they say it's engineered for both drip and espresso machines, which was immediately appealing to me, as I rarely use the drip coffee maker, and almost solely rely on my espresso machine. Mind you, it would take an knock your socks off coffee to get me off what I consider the standard in Cuban style espresso Naviera Blue. it is roasted right here in Tampa, and though I may be jaded by the shear fact I've been drinking it my whole life, I've yet to really find anything that is better. But that's not the point of this post! (though if someone wants to buy a t-shirt, I'd love it).

I must say, the marketing angle is very smart. The label, sporting an obvious unordered list:

• Feedback incorporated from 1,500+ bloggers
• Upgraded flavor and taste featuring smooth caramel and smoky overtones
• Increased focus power for less distraction
• Faster, more efficient mental processing
• Amplified energy for blogging, coding or gaming output
• Regular drip coffee and espresso capabilities
• The ultimate gift for the Web 2.0 guru in your life

also has a sidebar with a list of tags and categories. All obvious catch-phrase elements geared towards the internet savvy, and work from home free-lancers. However, the proof is in the pudding, or in the case, in the demitasse.

First impression was that it was a bit thin compared to espresso, but not to the point of being watery. Aroma wise, again, first signs said coffee. Let me say at this point, I wouldn't say I'm a coffee connoisseur, I simply like a rich, dark, and strong coffee flavor. I couldn't tell you the difference between Kona or Blue Mountain, or anything in between. However, wanting to be somewhat pure in my review, I tasted it straight, without the organic natural cane sugar or plain soymilk I often use to create my own version of cafe con leche (that's a latte to you Starbuck's folks – I think).

Surprisingly, it did have a stronger overtone than regular coffee, and a well balanced flavor. It held it's flavor to the sugar, as well as the addition of the steamed soymilk, and made for a fine Tuesday morning cup of java. I'm not so sure it would handle a typical Monday ;-), though it did seem to pack a decent caffeinated punch.

Bottom line, it's fine coffee, with very smart marketing, and certainly would make a great gift for the tech heads in your life, but I'm not going to trade my locally roasted Cuban espresso for it, especially considering I can buy almost 3 pounds of my coffee for the price of one of the 2.0.