Blind Assessment

An exotic, almost violent cup. The aroma is lush with intense, shifting ripe to overripe fruit and floral notes, blueberry most distinctly, with pungent, sweet spice undertones. In the cup the fruit notes turn markedly winy, or perhaps cidery. A fermented version of blueberry remains dominant, but the rich, complexly suggestive fruit notes hint at chocolate as well. A slight, pungent saltiness shadows the cup, but smoothes out reassuringly in a convincingly smooth, long finish.

Notes

A region of lush, rolling hills in south-central Ethiopia, Yirgacheffe is the most celebrated growing region for wet-processed Ethiopia coffee, meaning coffee that has been prepared by removing the fruit before the beans or seeds have been dried, resulting in a cleanly high-toned, intensely floral- and citrus-toned cup. The Yirgacheffe reviewed here, however, is a "natural" or dry-processed version of the great Yirgacheffe profile, meaning the beans/seeds were dried inside the fruit, producing a flavor profile that is lower toned and richer with a giddy, wild, slightly fermented fruit. Like virtually all Ethiopia coffees, this striking and unusual coffee is produced by villagers on small, garden plots interplanted with food and other subsistence crops. Paradise Roasters prides itself on roasting and shipping coffee only after orders are placed. Its metaphoric mission is to bring some paradisiacal warmth from the coffee-growing south to the cool environs of Minnesota. Visit www.paradiseroasters.com or call 763-433-0626 for more information.

Who Should Drink It

Coffee adventurers.

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