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87

Cuvee Coffee

Sumatra Mandheling Supergrade

Roaster Location: Spring, Texas
Coffee Origin: Mandheling growing region near Lake Toba, North Sumatra Province, Sumatra, Indonesia
Roast Level: Medium-Dark
Agtron: 38/46
Review Date: January 2006
Aroma: 8
Acidity: 7
Body: 6
Flavor: 7
Aftertaste: 6

Blind Assessment

Delicate but intense aroma: sandalwood, hints of cherryish fruit. In the cup lean in mouthfeel; the aromatic wood notes settle toward chocolate while the fruit displays a distinct and pleasant grapefruit twist. The chocolate and fruit persist only momentarily in the finish before they are lost in astringency. Reader Frank Baker nominated this coffee as "a quintessential Sumatra, absolutely the best I have ever tasted."

Notes

Mandheling is the traditional market name for an admired coffee type grown in the region around Lake Toba in north-central Sumatra. These coffees are marked by low acidity and idiosyncratic flavor notes that appear to result from serendipitous taints - mild ferment and mildew - acquired during unconventional drying procedures. Cuvee Coffee is a small-batch, artisan wholesale roasting company located in southeastern Texas near Houston. Visit www.cuveecoffee.com or call 281-288-2780 for more information.

Who Should Drink It

Those who, like Frank, prefer their Sumatras lean-bodied and grapefruity rather than heavy and earthy.

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This review originally appeared in the January, 2006 tasting report: Romance and Perfection: 2006 Readers' Choices

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About the Author: Kenneth Davids

Kenneth Davids is editor, chief writer and co-founder of Coffee Review. His latest book, 21st Century Coffee: A Guide is an unprecedentedly thorough survey of specialty coffee in all of its aspects, authoritative yet engaging. He has been involved with coffee since the early 1970s and has published three earlier books on coffee, including the influential Home Roasting: Romance and Revival, now in its second edition, and Coffee: A Guide to Buying, Brewing and Enjoying, which has sold nearly 250,000 copies in five editions.

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