Blind Assessment: Delicately fruit-toned, richly cocoa-driven. Ripe strawberry, dark chocolate, almond, freesia-like flowers, a hint of wine barrel in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with crisp, high-toned acidity; full, syrupy mouthfeel. The flavor-saturated finish sustains all of the aroma and flavor notes promised by the cup.

Notes: This exceptional coffee was selected as the No. 9 coffee on Coffee Review’s list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2019. Bourbon Pointu, botanical name var. Laurina, is a rare variety of Arabica that is a natural mutation of the famous Bourbon variety, first selected on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. The Bourbon Pointu is famous for its natural low levels of caffeine, bean shape (small and tending to be pointed at the ends, hence “pointu”), and pungently fruit-toned, Bourbon-like cup. This version was produced in Kona and is a dry-processed or “natural” coffee, meaning the beans were dried inside the fruit rather than after the fruit has been removed, as is the case with wet-processed or “washed” coffees. Hula Daddy is a boutique coffee producer with farms at the 1,400 and 2,500 foot levels of the Mount Hualalai volcano near the northern end of the Kona growing district, five minutes above the town of Kailua-Kona. This rare coffee is only available on the Hula Daddy website through their allocation list. Visit www.huladaddy.com or call 888-553-2339 for more information.

The Bottom Line: A bright, juicy, berry-toned Hawaii cup from the extremely rare tree variety Pointu Laurina, worth a splurge for its clean fruit and sweet, cocoa-laden richness.