Blind Assessment:

Big, intricate; vast but coherent. Black currant, vanilla, sandalwood, violet-like flowers, hints of chocolate and coconut, more in aroma and cup. Forceful but juicy sweet acidity; delicately syrupy mouthfeel. Sandalwood and coconut, in particular, resonate in a richly drying finish.

Notes:

This exceptional coffee was selected as the No. 5 coffee on Coffee Review’s list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2016. Produced from trees of the celebrated SL28 and SL34 varieties of Arabica associated with Kenya’s finest coffees. Wet-processed using meticulous traditional methods at the Gatomboya washing station operated by the Barichu Cooperative Society. This sample consists entirely of peaberries, a kind of bean that results when the coffee fruit develops only a single, oval bean rather than the usual pair of flat-sided beans. Peaberries produce a somewhat different (often better) cup than normal beans from the same crop, from which they may or may not be separated during grading. Paradise Roasters specializes in micro-lot coffees and espressos from Hawaii and other premier coffee growing regions. The company prides itself on quality and freshness, craft-roasting coffees in small batches only after orders are placed. Visit www.paradiseroasters.com or call 763-433-0626 for more information.

The Bottom Line: An extraordinary Kenya, intense yet balanced and accessible.