Blind Assessment:

Big, round, ringingly sweet, vivacious. Caramel, roasted cacao nib, rose-like flowers, tangelo, saucy cranberry, pear in aroma and cup. Deep, nuanced, lively acidity; velvety mouthfeel. Cacao nib, rose and pear in particular saturate a long, sweet-toned, resonant finish.

Notes:

This exceptional coffee was selected as the #7 coffee on Coffee Review’s list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2014. This startling blend consists of coffee from the heirloom Bourbon variety grown in El Salvador plus a Kenya composed entirely of the celebrated SL 34 variety, selection of Bourbon that (along with the closely related SL 28), produces the finest Kenya coffees. The El Salvador Bourbon was produced by the Ruiz family on their El Aguila farm from trees claimed to be descended from the first Bourbon stock introduced into the region; the SL 34 was produced on Kenya’s Kabonge Estate. The result is a smoothly exuberant Bourbon extravaganza. Olympia Coffee Roasting is a small-batch wholesale and retail roasting company with a youthful, no-nonsense style and a commitment to high-quality organic coffees. Visit www.olympiacoffeeroasting.com or call 360-753-0066 for more information.

Who Should Drink It: It’s hard to imagine a more table-pleasingly versatile holiday coffee than this smooth, round, yet exhilaratingly complex blend, but aficionados also may find it worth seeking out for its complex expression of the classic Bourbon style.