Blind Assessment: Nut, prune, cedar and citrus, perhaps grapefruit, in the rich, low-toned aroma. Very sweet in the cup, pungent, with continued walnut and citrus notes and suggestions of earth or moist leaves. Everything settles toward chocolate in the rich finish. The cup roughens very slightly as it cools.

Notes: A prize winner in the 2005 Nicaragua Cup of Excellence competition, where as a green (unroasted) coffee it placed second out of hundreds of entries, attracting a score of 91.2 from an international jury. Produced from trees of the Pacas variety of Arabica on the "Las Nubes" farm of Reginaldo Castellon Paguaga. This coffee appears to have been subject to an unusual roast protocol, since the external color of the roasted beans is very similar to the color after grinding. Coffee Masters is a leading, quality-oriented wholesale roaster founded in 1985. Visit www.coffeemasters.com or call 800-334-6485 for more information.

Who Should Drink It: Those who are willing to overlook just a little fading in the green coffee or a mild roast-induced flavor dampening to experience a fine example of a richly complex, sweetly low-toned Nicaragua cup.