Blind Assessment: A purists cup: big, authoritative, powerfully but sweetly acidy, complete. The roast rounds the dry fruit tones toward chocolate but leaves the robustly rich acidity intact.

Notes: Brocksen Gate won the Gevalia Kona Coffee Cupping Contest in 1998 and was a finalist in 1999. The small farm is transitional organic, meaning it follows organic growing procedures, but has not done so long enough to receive full organic certification. Pele Plantations offers several boutique Kona estate coffees by mail, all roasted to customers preferences on a small Sivitz air roaster. Pele roast is a proprietary name for a medium-dark roast typically called Vienna or full-city. Visit www.peleplantations.com or call1-800-366-0487 for more info.

Who Should Drink It: Those who can handle the cabernet-like richness and acidy power of a classic pre-robusta American cup.