Blind Assessment:

Crisply sweet, spice-toned. Dried papaya, caramel, tangerine zest, pink-peppercorn, vanilla in aroma and cup. High-toned, sweetly tart in structure with juicy, bright acidity; lean, though satiny-smooth mouthfeel. The resonant, richly drying finish is laden with sweet notes of caramel and papaya in the short, turning more savory-leaning in the long, with hints of pink peppercorn wrapped in vanilla.

Notes:

Produced by David Gomez of of El Balso Farm entirely from trees of the Caturra variety of Arabica. Like almost all Colombia coffees, this coffee is wet-processed or “washed,” meaning the fruit skin and pulp were removed from the beans immediately after harvesting and before drying. Huila is one of Colombia’s most respected coffee-growing regions. Husband and wife team Samantha and Weston Nawrocki founded Manzanita Roasting on their family’s 127-year-old winery in San Diego. Committed to quality direct-trade sourcing and skillful roasting, they are happy to be a part of what they call San Diego’s new “coffee frontier.” Visit www.manzanitaroasting.com for more information.

The Bottom Line: Engaging Colombia cup with impressively juicy, bright acidity and zesty, spice-toned aromatics.