New Guinea Sigri Estate Peaberry

For some silly reason, Papua New Guinea coffees are routinely lumped together with other Indonesian coffees, but this varietal is distinct in almost every way. The New Guinea Sigri Estate Peaberry was initially established in the early 1950's with plant trimmings from East Africa. All plantings are exclusively Arabica, concentrating on Arusha and Typica varieties, making for a truly worthy single-origin coffee. These beans are hand-picked, sun-dried, and tank fermented, making for a fruit-forward coffee with a wonderful and intense concentration of flavors.

The dry fragrance delivers beautiful polished notes of raw honey and bittersweet chocolate with just the slightest hint of dark fruit. What really stands out is that, along with its unique character, this cup preserves a mouth-feel akin to a Sumatra or Java. There's blackberry in the cup that mingles with rich, compelling chocolate. There's a wild and rustic note that reminds me of chewing unrefined, hand-pounded cacao, accented by an array of spices, from cinnamon and nutmeg to ginger. This is another astonishing peaberry with a gorgeous, clean finish. Enjoy!

Received 10/01/2013

Papua New Guinea
Sigri Estate Peaberry

Roast Color: Medium-Dark
Prep: Wet-Hulled, Sun-Dried
Body: Heavy-Bodied, Creamy Texture
Flavor Profile: Subtle Earthiness, Dark Caramel, Cinnamon Bark
Cupping Notes: In this smooth, deep cup, expect a heavy, dark caramel quality in the sweet end, with the kind of body typical of most Indonesian varietals. This is a wet-processed coffee, washing away the extreme earthiness associated with Sumatras. This is a clean, balanced coffee with just a hint of those rustic qualities celebrated in Indonesian coffee.

Bolivian Organic Peaberry from CENEPROC

I've never had a season that brought so many distinctive, high-quality coffees into the shop. Last week we roasted a most unusual Nicaraguan coffee, and now we're heading a little farther South, to the Yungas Mountains for another peaberry! Your Bolivian Organic Peaberry from CENEPROC is a smooth, candied cup that delivers velvety textures and sweet, clean flavors. Known as caracols (literally "snails") because of the shape of the seed, these delicious coffee beans are insanely rare.

I have never sampled coffee like this. There is no smooth ascension to taste in this cup. Rather than a nuanced progression of flavor, what you get with this peaberry is an instantaneous, intense coffee experience. The dry aroma hints at forest herbs and oriental tea leaves. But, once brewed, a sweetness creeps out of the grounds, giving way to Swedish coffee candy, caramel, and a distinct cut of burned, caramelized sugar. Beneath the crema are hints of cedar shavings & toasted almonds. Combining dark chocolate and sugarcane with a roof-of-the-mouth, zesty acidity, this is genuinely mouth-watering coffee.

Received 09/10/2013

Bolivia Organic Peaberry

Roast Color: Medium to Dark
Prep: Washed
Body: Heavy
Flavor Profile: Nutty, bold, sassafras and ginger root
Cupping Notes: Sweet, smooth, and creamy. Reminds me of old-fashioned coffee hard candy with that delightful, lingering sweetness.

Nicaragua Caracolito Peaberry

This is an insanely special coffee, and I can't even begin to emphasize enough how incredibly rare peaberry coffees are. Representing 3% of all the coffee harvested in the world, the bulk of all peaberry varietals come from Eastern Africa (Tanzania & Kenya) and Papua New Guinea. Your Nicaraguan Peaberry is, arguably, the most unusual coffee I've ever roasted. The flavors are as smooth and delicious as the coffee is rare, filled with bright, flavorful nuances. This caramel dream is easy to love.

The dry fragrance presents a smoky vanilla quality, with apricot and dark stone-fruits. The sweet notes here are unusually pronounced, reminding me of honey-nut cereal. The wet aroma reminds me of freshly cut white cedar and, once brewed, the front end proves incredibly floral with a crisp acidity. Expect a brusque, malty, salted-caramel sweetness in the aftertaste. With an elegant mouth-feel and subtle, creamy flavors, I can't imagine anybody not loving this coffee. I only have a limited number of bags, so expect this delicious brew to disappear quick!

Received 09/03/2013

Nicaragua Caracolito Peaberry

Roast Color: Medium/Dark
Prep: Washed, Euro-prep
Body: Medium, Buttery Body
Flavor Profile: Balanced with a crisp sweetness
Cupping Notes: Exceptionally clean with a bright acidity and a brusque, malty, salted-caramel sweetness in the aftertaste. A restrained cup with an elegant mouth-feel and subtle flavor notes.

Colombian Volcan de Tolima

I love roasting coffee from Colombia. The flavor subtlety intrigues me. The third Colombian coffee varietal I've cupped this year, your Colombian Volcan de Tolima aligns with the nutty flavors and great body I expect from a Colombian coffee. A silky mouth-feel and hints of fruit make this rich, volcanic crop exceptional.

Along with cleanliness, the sweetness of this coffee indicates perfect cherry selection. Careful picking and quality processing allow the exceptional flavors of brown sugar and raw honey perfume the cup. This slightly darker roast is heavier, almost like a stout, with the slightest presence of dark stone fruits. This is a brew that appeals to fans of subtlety. I hope you enjoy the artwork of Tolima. Cheers!

Received 08/13/2013

Colombian Volcan de Tolima

Roast Color: Medium/Dark
Prep: Washed
Body: Light-Medium
Flavor Profile: Sweet, clean
Cupping Notes: Along with absolute cleanliness, the sweetness of this coffee indicates proper cherry selection. Enjoy the brown sugar and raw honey that perfume the aromatics of this estate grown Colombian Volcan de Tolima coffee.

Burundi Sogestal Kirundo Estate

This Burundi Kirundo Estate shares very few similarities with most other African coffees. The most notable difference is the faint touch of earthen root akin to sweetened sassafrass, and white cedar. This distinctly dry and herbal cup boasts a wonderful collection of spicy undertones. Located in the Cogno Watershed, sharing borders with Tanzania and Rwanda, coffees from Burundi travel a great distance to milling stations. Fermentation occurs during transit adding a pleasant touch of musk.

This coffee has a much softer edge than I would have predicted. Inhale the exotic and deeply enjoyable aroma of toasted walnuts in the dry fragrance. Rich, volcanic ash and modern lowland agriculture has produced considerable depth in this brew. Discover dark stone fruits like plum and apricot, and a fine hint of black liquorish. The heavy body pushes forward a touch of bourbon which lingers in an elegant, long finish.

Received 08/06/2013

Burundi Sogestal Kirundo

Roast Color: Medium/Dark
Prep: Washed and kiln-dried
Body: Heavy, Syrupy
Flavor Profile: Old-world, robust coffee
Cupping Notes: There's an exotic and deeply enjoyable aroma of toasted walnuts in the dry fragrance. Volcanic ash and lowland agriculture has produced considerable depth in this brew, with dark fruits, plum, prune, and liquorish.