Blind Assessment:

Very sweet, delicately rich. Lychee, hazelnut, roasted cacao nib, honeysuckle, cedar in aroma and cup. Balanced, lightly juicy acidity; velvety mouthfeel. Lychee and roasted cacao nib go long in the sweet, resonant finish.

Notes:

Produced from trees of the Bourbon, Catuai and Mundo Novo varieties of Arabica by Celso, Gertrudes and Denner Augusto on their small farm Sitio Boa Vista. A “natural” or dry-processed coffee, which means the beans or seeds were dried encased in the entire fruit. Naturals form the backbone of the Brazil coffee industry, but this lot reflects a particularly refined approach to the method. This coffee tied for the third-highest rating in a test of natural-processed Brazil coffees conducted for Coffee Review‘s May 2016 tasting report. Artisan coffee-roasters in the northern California town of Ukiah, Black Oak’s mission is to bring to life each carefully selected coffee’s unique origins. For more information, visit www.blackoakcoffee.com.

The Bottom Line: A profoundly sweet cup (lychee, honeysuckle) with supporting nut and aromatic wood nuance.