Blind Assessment:

Spice-toned, deep, resonant. Dried persimmon, perique (fermented) tobacco, cinnamon, dark chocolate, gardenia-like flowers in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory structure with engagingly citrusy acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. The finish leads with dried persimmon and dark chocolate, followed by pipe tobacco and cinnamon.

Notes:

Produced from trees of the admired SL-28 and SL-34 varieties of Arabica. Despite grower discontent and urban encroachment on prime coffee lands, Kenya continues to produce some of the world’s most elegant and distinctive coffees. 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. Bird Rock Coffee Roasters is a retailer and wholesaler focused on organic and socially responsible coffees; it was awarded the “2012 Micro-Roaster of the Year” title by Roast Magazine. Visit www.birdrockcoffee.com or call 858-551-1707 for more information.

The Bottom Line: A rich-toned Kenya carried by pleasing savory notes that support and balance the coffee’s deep sweetness.