Blind Assessment: Richly sweet-savory, complex, nuanced. Butterscotch, hop flowers, sandalwood, dried apricot, candycap mushroom in aroma and cup. Bittersweet structure with gentle, round acidity; very full, syrupy-smooth mouthfeel. The resonant finish consolidates around notes of sandalwood and hop flowers with apricot undertones.

Notes: Produced by Girma Eshetu on his single-farmer estate from trees of varieties of Arabica long grown in the region. This coffee represents an effort to assess the effect of adding yeast to the tank during the fermentation process. Purchase comes with a sample of the traditional washed-process coffee, so consumers can compare the two. Columbia Street Roastery is a family-owned business in Champaign, Illinois, founded in 1998 with the mission of offering its community quality specialty coffee at affordable prices. For more information, visit https://csrcoffee.com/.

The Bottom Line: A bargain opportunity for coffee lovers to compare a sample of coffee from the same trees processed using a commercial yeast added to the tank during ferment and a sample fermented in the usual way, influenced only by wild yeasts.

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