Wonderful combination of chocolate, caramel and nuts, the typical profile of great coffees from Brazil. This exceptional example also shows spices on the finish, especially a cinnamon note. The acidity is present but not heavy on the citrus, making it a interesting single origin espresso, reminiscent of an Illy light roast. Superb farming techniques from this superior single estate.

Back in stock for the holidays – our favorite Kona! 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. Not just a looker, this coffee is a talented star with real depth and complexity: a rarity indeed. This coffee has been purchased directly from the farm. Whole Bean. 250g/8.8oz.

So many good things to say about this Kenya. Starts with a very fragrant fruity nose. The cup is a super-typical combination of heavy black currants, a touch of meaty dried stone fruit like apricot and peach carried with through the mouth on unmistakable grapefruit acidity. The base notes are chocolate, cocoa powder and baking spices. The mouthfeel is smooth and bright and finishes with spicy-fruity notes. What makes this Kenya stand apart from so many East Africans is the superb balance of acidity to body to earth tones making it very easy to drink. Not only a sophisticated stunner but also a crowd pleaser.

This slightly darker roasted Indonesian has pleasant fruity-cherry notes on the nose that are quickly covered by leathery, tabacco aromas. The fruit in the cup, somewhat tropical in feeling, is only barely noticed against a dark chocolate-cocoa and pungent spice background and is reminiscent of a small beam of sunlight peeking through an overcast sky. The mouthfeel is smooth and dry and balanced. The peppery-caramel-chocolate finish lingers. An interesting bold flavored coffee.

Peregrinations: Monthly Coffee Club

February 2010 selection

Single Estate

Costa Rica, Lourdes de Naranjo, Herbazu Farm

This surprising single estate coffee from Costa Rica behaves quite a bit like a top Kenyan!  The cup starts with distinct citrus and mixed fruit aromas with a clear sweetness.  The brightness in the cup is definitely lemon blended with berries following with deeper caramel-sweetness notes – very Kenya!  A great example of a bright, complex Costa Rican.

From the Importer:

“Cafetalera Herbazu is a well-known farm in the West Valley region, the Lourdes de Naranjo area to be exact. It is on of the early pioneers in independent, small mill coffee farms, the work of the Barrantes family. They grow a type of Villa Sarchi cultivar that they have used for so long, it has become their own mutation in a way. It’s quite a short plant (Villa Sarchi is a dwarf mutation of Bourbon, as is Caturra). The mill and drying patios are right in the center of the farm, which ranges from 1550 to 1700 meters. They don’t employ much shade on the farm, and their particular type of Villa Sarchi seems adapted to this exposure. This offering is a wet-process style estate grade, which is a forced demucilage process (as opposed to traditional fermentation wet-process).”