Blind Assessment: Evaluated as espresso produced as a ristretto 25ml (.85-ounce) shot using a Nespresso capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated using a conventional steam wand. Distinctly chocolaty, gently and sweetly bright. Baker’s chocolate, sweet lemon zest, almond, rhododendron-like flowers, maple wood in aroma and small cup. Feathery, lightly buoyant mouthfeel; flavor consolidates but rings on in a balanced finish. Crisply sweet in three parts milk: sweet lemon and chocolate, floral hints.

Notes: This coffee took first place in the 2018 Rwanda Cup of Excellence competition. Cup of Excellence competitions are internationally juried contests for green coffees held around the coffee-growing world and are by far the most rigorous and prestigious of such events. This top prize-winner was produced by the Twumba washing station or wet mill in Nyaruyaga Village entirely from trees of Bourbon-related varieties. Difference Coffee aims to present only the finest of the world’s coffees as determined by green coffee competitions and other measures of distinction, tactfully roasted and presented in capsules compatible with Nespresso capsule brewing systems. For more information visit www.differencecoffee.com.

The Bottom Line: Delicately juicy, lemon-and chocolate-saturated, an exceptional example of a great Central Africa coffee in a Nespresso-compatible capsule.