Blind Assessment:

Evaluated at proportions of 5 grams of instant coffee powder mixed with 8.5 ounces (250 ml) of hot water. Quietly zesty. Lemon peel, cocoa, caramel, fir, a hint of mango. Sweet/tart in structure, with a slight salty-bitterish edge. Light but silky/satiny in mouthfeel. Caramelly and sweet in the short finish fading toward wood in the long.

Notes:

This coffee tied for the third-highest rating in a tasting of soluble or “instant” coffees for Coffee Review’s for September 2018 tasting report. It was sourced and roasted by Tandem Coffee Roasters in Portland, Maine and solubilized and packaged as an instant by Swift Cup in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Tandem Coffee is a wholesale roaster with two retail locations in Portland, Maine. Visit www.tandemcoffee.com for more information. Swift Cup Coffee, based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is dedicated to producing quality instant coffees through ethical sourcing and a proprietary process. Visit www.swiftcupcoffee.com for more information.

The Bottom Line: An instant that captures some of the zesty, lemon-and-cocoa character of a good Yirgacheffe, with a subtle whiff of flowers and sandalwood as well.