This coffee has a rich smoky flavor with low acid. I have been drinking the CBD (Coffee Bean Direct) Estate Java. I like that, but it is a lighter roast. The CBD Dark Sulawesi Kalossi has a rich smoky flavor that the Estate Java lacks. Use a good grinder and you should be happy with the flavor. I'm making espresso, but this coffee should be good for drip machine or french press as well.Great coffee, way too expensive!!!This coffee is good, not great. At $11 a pound I've found comparable coffee locally for half that, and LESS. I purchased San Francisco Bay fog chaser and French roast @ 2 pounds for under $10 and was equally satisfied. I was SHOCKED that Amazon charges almost $23 for the exact same coffee I bought locally for $9.92 for 2 pounds. As convenient as Amazon is,.. it's not worth being screwed over on prices. You can bet your beans this guy will be comparing prices from now on!! WalMart has fast free delivery and local groceries offer online ordering with curbside pickup and BOTH at significantly less gouging than the big "A".I'm used to a superior grade Indian monsooned. These are smaller underdeveloped beans. They have a bit of a sour after taste. But they will do till I can access my favorite.*** Updated Review:Be Aware of Roast Date to avoid older roast date Beans.Coffee Beans are to be enjoyed when they are fresh roasted.They are a perishable product that can go stale.I have been subscribing to this product, and have often being sent older stored roasted date beans.Fresh roasted coffee beans reach their "peak" at about 2 weeks after roasting, and diminish from there.My last shipment was 3 month old beans under my 'Subscribe and Save'.The original beans are quite good, but no longer being 'fresh roasted' by the time I receive them was disappointingI had to discontinue the Subscribe and Save as a result of this...How to read a Coffee Bean Direct Date Code at the bottom of 5lb bag:First off, the "Expiration Date" is exactly 1 year from the Roast/Packing Date.Second, the date code is written as such: (example) "26714.02 "EQUALS "267"th day of year (20)"14" . batch "02".267th day of year is Sept 24th; 14 is year 2014; .02 is 2nd batch of day....Being sent 3 month old beans is the fault of warehouse inventory control.I believe the vendor does freshly pack his beans, and sends to Amazon warehouse.Then Amazon stockpiles it into warehouse storage, and ships out older stockpiles...I really want freshest roast date product, so I have to again change vendor sources...**** Original Review***I have been using Malabar Monsooned beans for about 8 Years, and I am glad to have this new source to choose from.I feel that monsooned malabar is optimal for Cappuccinos, as its smoothness complements micro-foamed milk quite well.My first pull from this new order had a very nice crema, dark golden colored as hoped for and expected. Smooth and rich.City Roasted, roasted till the first crack and allowed to rest before finishing, had the characteristics I wanted, not too darkly roasted...So for people who want to grind their beans via a burr grinder, and pull a golden shot via their dialed in espresso machine, I can recommend this.I don't use this for drip coffee, so I can't comment on that, but this makes a pretty good cappuccino via my Gaggia Classic.4.25 StarsWow! What an amazing deal! Thanks to the incredibly wide scope of Amazon's "Always please the customer!" thinking, I'm subscribing to a monthly delivery of a 5-pound bag of totally awesome fresh Dark Sumatra coffee beans (from Coffee Bean Direct Coffee Roasters). These fresh-roasted beans make an exceptionally terrific, totally smooth, rich and deliciously tasty cup of coffee, some of the very best ever. And the price is just right. With Amazon's flexible coffee bean subscription plan, I get the freshest beans exactly when I want and need them, I don't have to fret about going to the coffee store or market or running out of anything. I just grind my fresh aromatic beans before bed each night and I have absolutely fabulous hot Dark Sumatran coffee the next morning. These fresh beans are so richly aromatic that my [non coffee drinking] partner likes to grind and set-up the coffee at night just so he can enjoy these Dark Sumatra beans in his own fashion.Amazon.com sends me my 5-pound bag of fresh roasted beans promptly each and every month. I can suspend my order or purchase more beans, change my delivery dates and of course, I can always choose from Coffee Bean Direct Coffee Roasters' excellent stock of the very best fresh-roasted coffee beans available from almost anywhere in the world.I once lived in Hawaii's famed Kona coffee district and had my own absolutely fresh, just picked-off-the-tree coffee beans from my own trees, I could roast those fresh, tasty Kona beans myself whenever and however I wanted. This was a totally unique coffee lovers' experience, but Coffee Bean Direct Coffee Roasters' coming straight to my door courtesy of Amazon.com expertise is just as awesome and a lot less messy and time-consuming. I have the worlds' best coffee from the worlds' best retailer every month with absolutely no fuss.Please Amazon.com, find a way to stop by in the mornings, brew and serve some of my deliciously hot Dark Sumatra coffee (don't forget to wash the pot and used cup please!), that would be almost perfection. Oh, and did I mention making fresh, hot scones?Maybe?Thank you Amazon.com, you've changed the way I shop! And it's great!