Blind Assessment: Deeply sweet, fruit-forward. Grape candy, dark chocolate, grappa barrel, fresh-cut fir, gardenia in aroma and cup. Sweet-tart structure with gentle acidity; full, satiny mouthfeel. Crisp, dry, chocolaty finish with notes of sweet grape wafting up in the long, as well as sweet alcohol ferment.

Notes: Southern Ethiopia coffees like this one are largely produced from indigenous Ethiopian varieties of Arabica long grown in the region. This one was processed by a variation on the anaerobic or “limited-oxygen” method. Vennel Coffee is a Taiwan-based specialty coffee roaster. For more information, visit www.vennelcoffee.com.tw.

The Bottom Line: An intentionally fermenty, fruit-centered Ethiopia cup processed by an experimental method involving oxygen deprivation during the fermentation process: sweet, chocolaty, pleasantly funky.

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