Monthly Archive for August, 2009

8-20-09

Cafe San Ramon

Matagalpa, Nicaragua

A beautiful coffee that begins with a sweet, chocolatey-orange aroma that, once broken, fills out with some herbaceous and subtle, spicy notes.  Once you take a sip you notice a flash of orange that is both a sweet intensity, and a restrained acidity.  The flavors are intoxicating and sweet, boasting milk chocolate, caramel, and roasted nuts.  This coffee blankets your tongue like whipped butter, but is swept away by a lingering yet clean finish of milky chocolate.

This coffee is a Mocha-chip, chocolate malt-shake with some orange flavored whipped cream on top!

1 Favorite

Thunguri

Nyeri, Kenya

What more could one ask for in a coffee?  There is nothing like the balance that this coffee exhibits:  Fruity sweetness, a delicious savoriness, and a bright, citrus acidity.  This coffee just about hit every taste receptor that we had and both satisfied and left us wanting more.  And we will happily go back for cup after cup.

This coffee is that cold, snappy summer ale that you can’t drink enough of during those humid DC saturdays!

Gayo

Jagong, Sumatra

Man, what a coffee experience!  A very complex and sweet aroma jumped out of this coffee and held our attention with it’s heady, vanilla/lavender/winey break.  The lower acidity coupled with the darker flavors, were very appropriate for the leathery, tobacco and fresh soil that it brought to our attention.  We felt that the full, rich body was pleasing and consistent with our expectations.  We were still thinking “chocolate” thanks to the long-lasting aftertaste.

This is a Pinotage from South Africa…Full, rich, and leathery with a spicy kick!

2 Favorites

Cupping 8-14-09

El Lechero, Finca Pashapa

La Labor, Honduras

This coffee’s aroma was blowing up with sweet fruits and spices!  it was like walking into a patisserie right after the first batch is coming out of the ovens–raisin bread, cinnamon, chocolate, nectarines, caramel, plums and nutmeg.  The break was a savory/sweet one summed up by one word the best: Teryaki!

When we got into the taste portion, we were pretty stoked on the brightness that the coffee offered.  Most people thought it was high, but there were some other votes for low and medium as well.  Citrus was a common descriptor and that, along with blackberries and honeydew melon, really painted a nice picture of the acidity.  The flavor was fruity and refreshing with some chocolate, green veggies, and some red wine tannins at the end.  The body filled out very nicely and we all hovered around descriptors like silky, smooth, and full.  El Lechero finished clean and pleasant with a minty, drying sensation at the end.  A great cup of coffee for sure!

3 Favorites

Finca El Puente,

Marcala, Honduras

We are cupping the coffee that was previously described (in former DC cupping) as “sitting in the grass on a warm summer’s day” and oh did it show some of that again!  Right off we had some dandelions, hay, sunny, berries, and leaves, along with hints of  chocolate, orange, apricots, and cookies.  We also found some savory notes that weren’t noticed last time:  Veggie, sourdough bread, tobacco, and black beans really showed up well in the aroma.

Our brightness was unanimously high with a nice hint of strawberry and chocolate.  It tasted like the beach and brought forth memories of warm berry pies and black tea and citrus!  The body was medium to thin, but percieved as heavier than the Lechero.  Finally, the coffee finishe a bit dry like a Syrah with some tannins, bitter lemon notes, and a dark chocolate aftertaste.  Yum!

2 Favorites

21st de Septiembre

Zaragoza, Mexico

Welcome back, old friend…we’ve been anxiously awaiting your return!  The fragrance for this coffee was light flowers, grassy, popcorn, and woodsy all settling over some sweet vanilla bean, cloves, and molasses aromas.  The break was sweet and meaty (like honey-glazed ham), chocolate, and warm peanuts.

We got  a muted brightness, sort of like a gala apple, that turned into some sweet floral top notes (hibiscus, lavender).  The sweet chocolate+spicy+nutty was there, comforting us like our favorite spicy chocolate gelato!  It had a thinner than desired body and felt slight and watery.  The aftertaste was nice and smooth, and lots of folks said chocolate…like 7 out of 12.  killer.

7 Favorites

Cupping 8-07-09

La Golondrina, Popayan, Colombia

Fragrance: Earthy Tobacco, caramel, cacao solids, cherry, strawberry, molasses, nutty

Aroma: Mild roasty, slight burnt, fresh-cut wood, mulch, play-doh, citrus, grapes

Break: complex and roasty, peaches/cream, nuts, plums, apples

Brightness: lower acid, high, medium, medium-high, drying, tangy apple

Flavor: Apple cider, light tobacco, cinnamon, spices, grape juice, lavender, sweet

Body: light, medium, juice, fullest, not heavy, light

Aftertaste: Slight bitter, lighter, short finish, woody, chocolate, clean and smooth.

0 Favorites

Valle del Santuario, San Ignacio, Peru

Fragrance: Fruity, winey, floral, citrus, cigar, tart, lemons, vanilla, cooked carrots, linens, cotton

Aroma: Raisins, figs, caramel, smoky, balanced, black tea, pine needles, squash, brown sugar

Break: Wine, wood, chocolate, caramel apple, hazelnut, juicy fruit gum, cedar, carrots

Brightness: Medium high, low acidity, mellow, clean, balanced, dried fruits, cantaloupe

Flavor: Milk chocolate, creamy, seaweed, lemon, orange bitters, licorice, cinnamon, syrup, rose water

Body: light, grainy, flour-water slurry, thin, smooth, tea-like

Aftertaste: Thick, long finish, astringency, sour, clean, raisins

4 Favorites

Rusenyi, Kibuye, Rwanda

Fragrance: Hint fruits, vanilla, peanuts, chocolate, jasmine, pistacchio

Aroma: Sweet tobacco, mild, musty, cherry, cooked fruits, heavy, tapioca pudding

Break: Black tea, mild roasty, tart, simple, asparagus and lime

Brightness: Medium, lowest, sour cherry, delicious

Flavor:  Black tea, mellow, punchy, cinnamon, spice, cherries, citrus, nectar

Body: Thin, light, syrupy, smooth

Aftertaste: Sour, earthy fruits, winey, buttery

4 Favorites