Blind Assessment:

Deeply sweet, subtly pungent. Honey, pear, tangerine zest, dark chocolate, pistachio in aroma and cup. Sweet and juicy yet crisp in structure (think ripe pear); plush and buoyant in mouthfeel. Resonant and flavor saturated in the short finish; simplifies around hints of tangerine and pistachio in the long.

Notes:

Southern Ethiopia coffees like this one are produced from distinctive traditional Ethiopian varieties of Arabica long grown in the region. Like virtually all southern Ethiopia coffees, this coffee is produced by villagers on small garden plots interplanted with food and other subsistence crops. Processed by the wet or washed method (fruit skin and pulp are removed before drying). This coffee tied for the highest rating in a tasting of 71 organic-certified coffees from Africa for Coffee Review’s November 2017 tasting report. Big Creek Coffee Roasters is a small, quality-oriented batch roaster located in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley. Visit www.bigcreekcoffeeroasters.com or call 406-375-7508 for more information.

The Bottom Line: A deeply and generously lush cup saved from sentimentality by a crisp, incense-like, slightly savory edge. Very wide range of aromatics.