This is a slightly unusual Kenya. The nose is floral and with a bit of citrus. The familiar grapefruit/blackcurrant combo that is typical of a Kenyan is evoked but what is most prevalent is a bergamot flavor. The dark chocolate backbone is present with a hint of washed out blueberry. The first impact reminds one of an odd Earl Grey tea.
This is a wonderful example of a balanced, elegant cup of coffee. The smells are familiar: coffee, flower-perfumy, citrus, with a touch of caramelized brown sugar. The initial tastes are bright and crisp, like the first apples of Fall. The dry mouthfeel doesn’t come across as acidic, but more high and bright, and it finishes slightly metallic. There are hints of dry nuttiness –a blend of almonds and cocoa powder with a slight malty-coffee-caramel thread. A new range of flavors emerges once it cools: complex layers of unusual fruit and spices.
The Santa Lucia Estate in Costa Rica took 16th place in the 2008 Cup of Excellence judging. Farmers Ricardo Perez Barrantes and Rodriguez Villalobos have more than 30 years of coffee farming experience.
The first smell from the cup is winter spices: slight nutmeg and cardamom. That leads into a sweet caramel-toffee aroma which combines to evoke sticky-toffee pudding. There is an initial caramel taste that quickly turns dark, revealing a leather earthiness and caramelized almonds. What is most memorable about this cup, though, is the rich, luscious creamy mouthfeel that contradicts itself as it becomes dry at the very finish – if you close you eyes while drinking it black, it feels like there is milk in it. It really is all about the mouthfeel. Additionally, it is very smooth and there is a juiciness at the end and as it cools it becomes even thicker and the profile more pronounced.
In light of the articles and talk about cooking more at home in tough economic times, I wanted to let you all know about Peregrine Coffee, which focuses on bespoke coffee for people who care enough to buy beans, grind and brew at home, or want truly special coffees to complement a specific meal/dessert. My husband Kevin Lawrence is the roaster, and not only do we have single-origin coffees roasted to order in our online store, Peregrine Coffee, but we also offer a free coffee consulting service, as part of the bespoke part of the business. If you know what you like in a cup of joe, you can call or email and work directly with the roaster to source and roast beans to your specifications. If you love coffee but don’t know why, you can try a sample pack and then use the contrasting flavors you find there to start the conversation and Kevin will help guide you to your ideal cup. We basically just love really fresh roasted coffee, and want more people to experience it too. We might not to be able to afford the 6-course tasting menu anymore, but we can treat ourselves to small things, done perfectly!
Posted on Serious Eats!
This India Anokhi is a different species of coffee, Liberica, and unlike Arabica and Robusta, rarely finds its way into mainstream markets. This is not your everyday coffee. The green beans immediately tell a story. There is a wild, pronounced fruity smell and visually, they are a mess, with an unexpected variety of shapes and sizes. Out of the roaster and into the grinder is when the 1970’s flashback happens: Boo Berry Cereal — an undeniable artificial blueberry smell. Things progress into the curiously bizarre once brewed, when the aroma emanating from the cup is a combination of funky-organic-sweetness with digested fruits (unfortunately, think baby poo). Once you get over the shock of everything going on with the smell and actually taste it, you realize that it is indeed coffee: sweet, sweet blueberries with a very slight woody/earthy note with a hint of chocolate. The overall impression also brings to mind the inside of a chocolate covered cherry; not the cherry or the chocolate, but the liquid – this coffee is just that sweet. Even with its strong smells and flavors, it is an exceptionally easy cup of coffee to drink since it is so low in acidity and so very smooth with light body. The finish is very long and surprisingly subtle.
