Blind Assessment: Evaluated as espresso. Crisply sweet-tart. Frangipane, dark chocolate, cedar, tamarind, jasmine in aroma and small cup. Crisp, velvety mouthfeel; nut-toned, richly tannic finish. In cappuccino-scaled milk, invitingly bittersweet, with notes of dark chocolate and jasmine in harmony.

Notes: Yirgacheffe is a coffee region in southern Ethiopia that produces distinctive coffees from traditional varieties of Arabica long grown in the region. This is a “natural” or dry-processed version, meaning the beans were dried inside the fruit, encouraging a flavor profile that is less predictable and deeper than the more familiar wet-processed floral- and citrus-toned Yirgacheffe profile. Like virtually all southern Ethiopia coffees, produced by villagers on small, garden plots interplanted with food and other subsistence crops. In addition to his retail roasting operation, Aroma Roast Coffees, Simon Hsieh also operates Soaring Phoenix Trading, a business focused on purpose-built commercial espresso blends and high quality single-origin coffees. Visit www.facebook.com/4ArtsZeroDefectCoffees or call 886-0983-749876 for more information.

The Bottom Line: In the straight shot, dark chocolate and tart fruit reign; in milk, spicy floral notes wrapped in chocolate carry the day.

Click here for more information about coffees from Ethiopia.