Roaster Location: | Chia-Yi, Taiwan |
Coffee Origin: | Chiriqui growing region, Panama |
Roast Level: | Medium-Light |
Agtron: | 55/79 |
Est. Price: | NT $750/4 ounces |
Review Date: | September 2019 |
Aroma: | 9 |
Acidity/Structure: | 9 |
Body: | 9 |
Flavor: | 10 |
Aftertaste: | 9 |
Blind Assessment: Exceptionally high-toned, delicately fruit-centered, intricately balanced. Mulberry, coconut, sandalwood, dark chocolate, lilac in aroma and cup. Richly sweet in structure with balanced, juicy acidity; delicate but plush, mouth-filling texture. The finish is a gentle reminder of everything the cup offers, in particular mulberry, coconut, and lilac.
Notes: This exceptional coffee was selected as the No. 20 coffee on Coffee Review’s list of the Top 30 Coffees of 2019. This coffee also tied for the second-highest rating in a cupping of coffees of the Geisha/Gesha variety of Arabica for Coffee Review’s September 2019 tasting report. Produced from trees of the rare Ethiopia-derived botanical variety Geisha (also spelled Gesha) at the Kalithea Estate. With its generally elongated beans and distinctive floral and crisp, often chocolaty cup, the Geisha/Gesha variety continues to distinguish itself as one of the world’s most unique coffees. This is a “natural” or dry-processed version, meaning the beans were dried inside the fruit, encouraging a flavor profile that is sweeter and deeper-toned than the more familiar wet-processed profile. Kakalove Café is a nano-roaster located in the small city of Chia-Yi in Taiwan that strives to procure and roast the finest quality coffee. Visit www.kakalovecafe.com.tw or email [email protected] for more information.
The Bottom Line: An exquisitely balanced natural-processed Geisha with the deep, sweet complexity the type can offer without a hint of ferment: crisply sweet fruit top and bottom notes, along with rich florals and chocolate tones in the mid-palate, all enhanced by a whisper of sandalwood.
This review originally appeared in the September, 2019 tasting report: Geisha Coffees Continue to Shatter Sales Records — Are They Worth The Hype?