Archive for the ‘tasting notes’ Category

Hawaii 2008 Kona: Moki’s Farm, Roger and Vivian Rittenhouse

January 11, 2009 in tasting notes | Comments (0)

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Call central casting ask for a picture perfect coffee bean and this is what you get.  These are beautiful beans! The smells are sweet and spicy with buttery chocolate, cinnamon and cardamom.  Once you take a sip of this, you know that it is a special coffee —  it is very balanced, rich and smooth with milk chocolate, a touch of malty-musty-almonds and a citrusy-floral note.  What stands out is the magical mango-juice finish: just as the slightly dry acidity passes, out jumps the mango from side-stage, joined by sweet floral tones reminding one of lavender combined with the soapy sweetness of artichoke’s aftertaste.  Not just a looker, this coffee is a talented star with real depth and complexity: a rarity indeed.


Panamanian Esmeralda Geisha Hacienda Estate Lot #5

December 31, 2008 in tasting notes | Comments (0)

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The aroma from the cup is a mix of lemon and traditional coffee tones, with a sweet, funky-meaty-gauva tropical note.  What jumps to mind on first taste is honey-lemon tea, and that is the theme for this exceptional coffee.  The complex citrus blend of bright, fresh lemons and bitter Seville oranges are intertwined in a duet of floral chords and exotic, fragrant honey.  The citric acid bitterness carries through to the finish and surprisingly delivers a very deep smokiness, continuing with florals and fruit.  This acts much more like an assertive tea than a coffee and will reward one with a little sugar, but no milk.


Panama 2008 Esmeralda Geisha Hacienda Estate Lot #10

December 20, 2008 in tasting notes | Comments (0)

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The intense aroma is clearly fruit with sweet florals that run rich and deep, like a stroll through an orchard in bloom. The initial taste of passion fruit and other tropical fruits is what is immediately prominent, with a load of tart acidity. What follows is a wildly complex combination of peach-apricot nectar, honeysuckle and jasmine, with a sweet, grapy-violet note (like what one thinks of when one visualizes Choward’s Violet Candy). Then, there is the forever long, strong finish where the Seville oranges emerge.  This is a rare, unusual and impressive coffee that has a lot in common with a silver-tip Jasmine tea and one will be rewarded by treating it like that in the cup: no milk, maybe a little sugar.

Recommended Brewing Instructions
14g of coffee to 8oz of water
Medium-to-slightly-coarse grid
Single cup drip
200-205 degree water


Organic Honduras Marcala

November 29, 2008 in tasting notes | Comments (0)

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Snickers?  Lemonade?  You’ve got to be kidding!  The consensus here is milk chocolate with caramel and nuts mixed with a watery, citrus acidity.  Other layers include apples and a powdery cocoa experience.  We are thrilled to be able to offer this organically grown, artisanal  bean from one of our favorite importers.


Kenya AA Nyeri Kiamaina Estate

November 27, 2008 in tasting notes | Comments (0)

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Sometimes the first sip of a new coffee makes us giddy. The complexity in this bean is astounding. The tasting notes read like a Sauterne or a top notch Washington Riesling. Apricots and peaches abound. Smells like wild strawberries had a fling with the raspberry bush and that combo is what emerges on first sip. There is a lot of acidity but not in a sour or tart way — very crisp. The finish is extremely long and fruity. Extremely limited quantity.