Blind Assessment: Richly and deeply sweet. Molasses, baker’s chocolate, passion fruit, oak and gardenia in aroma and cup. Crisply sweet, lively acidity; light, silky mouthfeel. Passion fruit notes carry into the resonantly sweet and quietly tart finish.

Notes: The Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has very recently established itself as a source of specialty coffee with the development of cooperatives like Sopacdi. Overlooking Lake Kivu, on the opposite side of the lake from Rwanda, this rapidly growing cooperative now has 5,600 members and apparently is succeeding its goal to help heal the wounds left by the latest in eastern Congo’s seemingly endless string of horrific rebellions and civil wars. With two locations in Southern California’s Orange County, Kéan Coffee is an in-house coffee roaster and retailer established by Martin Diedrich of the distinguished Diedrich coffee family. The Kéan slogan, “Martin knows his beans,” should be true, considering Martin grew up in Guatemala where his family owned a coffee farm. Visit www.keancoffee.com or call 949-933-9164 for more information.

Who Should Drink It: Those who are interested in experiencing a sweet and zesty coffee from a newly revived and hopeful growing region.