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Barrington Coffee Roasting

Ketiara Sumatra

Blind Assessment: Sweetly pungent, earthy. Moist, fresh-fallen leaves, orange zest, fresh-cut pine, cocoa, lily in aroma and cup. Richly tart in structure, with a savory edge. Light but buoyant mouthfeel. The finish consolidates around cocoa, orange and a deep, lily-like floral note.

Notes: This coffee tied for the fourth-highest rating in a cupping of coffees from Sumatra for Coffee Review’s April 2019 tasting report. Coffees like this one from the northern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra are valued for their complex earth and fruit notes that appear to result largely from unorthodox fruit removal and drying practices called “wet-hulling.” Produced by the Ketiara Cooperative, the only women-led cooperative in Indonesia, with 867 small-holding members. Certified at origin as fair-trade (by Fairtrade International) and organically grown, but not so labeled. Barrington Coffee is an artisan roaster dedicated to elite coffees, fresh delivery and roasting that foregrounds the coffee and not the roast. Visit www.barringtoncoffee.com or call 800-528-0998 for more information.

The Bottom Line: Attractive choice for lovers of the traditional Sumatra wet-hulled profile: earthy, pungent, yet bright, offering bonus satisfaction for supporters of progressive, women-led cooperatives.