Tanzania Karmaro Micro-Lot

Blind Assessment: Co-cupper Jim Reynolds (92) admired the "spicy, floral qualities" of this coffee, as did Ken (94), who found blackberry and spicy rose in both aroma and cup. A medium-bodied coffee, but both Jim and Ken remarked on the impressively smooth mouthfeel. Ken showed perhaps a bit more admiration for delicate poise of this coffee, which may account for his higher score.

Notes: This sample consists entirely of peaberries, a kind of bean that results when the coffee fruit develops only a single, oval bean rather than the usual pair of flat-sided beans. Peaberries produce a somewhat different (often better) cup than normal beans from the same crop, from which they may or may not be separated during grading. Specialty coffee tradition particularly associates peaberries with Tanzania. This version is produced by small-holding growers in the Mbeya region, near Lake Rukwa in southwestern Tanzania. 49th Parallel is a distinguished small-batch roasting company located in the Vancouver, Canada area that specializes in high-end single-origin and blended coffees, many sourced directly from origin. Visit www.49thparallelroasters.com or call 877-773-4900 for more information.

Who Should Drink It: Crisp authority yet fine subtlety in this Tanzania.