[djl4570]

A few months ago I scored a pound of "Black Pearl" at my favorite roaster, Boulevard Coffee in Carmichael, California. It was without any doubt the best coffee I have ever had. Better than any of the dozen pounds of Jamaican Blue Mountain I've enjoyed over the past thirty years. Better than the Celebes Reserve I once had. Better than the pound of Kilimanjaro Estate that someone gave me as a present.

Black Pearl is a dark roast that is of Panamanian origin. Lots of body, lots of flavor and almost none of the bite and harsh finish that is common among dark roasts.

The name isn't a trademark and there are two coffee outfits that call themselves Black Pearl unrelated to the coffee I had. Searching for this coffee on the net is dodgy because of the vast number of false positives that a search for "Black Pearl" will return. If they ever have this again I'm stocking up and badgering them for details on the beans.

[bigmike787]

bite and harsh finish from a dark roast? I can roast to a French Roast on my roasters and not get a bite or harsh finish in the cup. I don't like roasts that dark, because they are a bit too charcoal for my tastes. I'm thinking that you've been drinking stale coffee (which would produce bitter bite and harsh notes in the cup) and must have gotten some recently roasted coffee.
I've had Black Pearl from Chris' Coffee Service and it's really good as well.