Blind Assessment:

Delicate, crisply sweet-savory. Star jasmine, bergamot, roasted cacao nib, frankincense, maple syrup in aroma and cup. Richly tart, juicy acidity; delicate, silky mouthfeel. The gently drying finish is resonant with star jasmine and maple syrup notes in the short and hints of cocoa-toned bergamot in the long.

Notes:

Produced in Yirgacheffe, a coffee region in southern Ethiopia that produces particularly distinctive coffees from traditional varieties of Arabica long grown in the region. Yirgacheffe coffees like this one processed by the wet or washed method (fruit skin and pulp are removed before drying) typically express great aromatic complexity and intensity. Like virtually all Yirgacheffe coffees, this coffee is produced by villagers on small garden plots interplanted with food and other subsistence crops. This coffee tied for the second-highest rating in a cupping of coffees from roasting companies in the Southwestern United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas) for Coffee Review‘s March 2017 tasting report. Cartel Coffee Lab, based in Tempe, Arizona, approaches roasting as a craft and has, as its central mission, bringing consumers in the conversation about great coffee. Visit www.cartelcoffeelab.com for more information.

The Bottom Line: A graceful, pretty washed Ethiopia cup with deep floral notes up front, grounded by cocoa and citrus tones.