Seattle's Best Coffee
Organic Sumatra
Location: Seattle, Washington
Origin: Lake Tawar basin, Aceh Province, northern Sumatra, Indonesia.
Roast: Medium-Dark
Est. Price:
Review Date: November 2002
Agtron: 53/44
Aroma: 7
Acidity: 7
Body: 7
Flavor: 7
Blind Assessment:
A typical shape-shifting Sumatra that gives us something different in every cup. Lindsey Bolger: “Characteristic of a Sumatra prone to schizophrenia, with multiple personalities ranging from toasted grains and nuts to chocolate and spice. This confusing, sometimes combative complexity seems to improve and stabilize as the coffee cools” (82). Ken: “Some cups rich, sweet, fruity chocolate with an utterly clean finish; others still sweetly chocolaty but with leathery, spicy undertones and a heavy finish” (84).
Notes:
Certified organically grown. Based on a reading of the cup, a traditionally processed Sumatra. Although such coffees are technically washed or wet-processed, a series of peculiarities in how they are processed and dried give traditional Sumatras their characteristic low-key richness and idiosyncratic, often unpredictable, flavor notes. Seattle’s Best Coffee is a large, quality-oriented specialty roaster and retailer. Visit
Who Should Drink It: Those who find consistency boring.
This review originally appeared in the November, 2002 tasting report: What Makes Sumatra Coffees Taste The Way They Do?
