Sumatras Reviews

Balanced, quietly complex traditional Sumatra profile. Gently pungent, sweet-toned in aroma and cup: ripe lemon, dark chocolate, cedar, a hint of earthy fresh-fallen leaves. Round, functional acidity; lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Clean, rich finish.

Lemon, apple, moist fallen leaves in aroma and cup, supported by a sweet pungency that suggests fresh-cut cedar or butterscotch. Round, full mouthfeel, quiet acidity, long, resonant finish.

Rich, gently pungent aroma with butter, floral and apricot-toned fruit hints. In the small cup medium body, syrupy mouthfeel, and rather sharply but sweetly cedary with continued apricot and flowers and an explicit moist, leafy earth note. At its best in milk: rich, strong-presenced but sweet with dark chocolate and sustained suggestions of moist earth and flowers.

Intense, deep aroma: distinct dark chocolate, spicy cedar and hints of orange and nut. In the cup low in acidity but rather astringent, with a rich, attractive cocoaish chocolate. Both chocolate and astringency carry into the finish, where the shadow nut tones turn (to my palate) slightly cloying.

Evaluated as espresso. As a drip coffee fell quite short of 80. As espresso revealed some virtues. In the aroma sweet-toned with distinct chocolate and butter notes. In the small cup medium bodied, round-toned and sweet, with earth, aromatic wood and herbal notes (I read fennel) and hints of nut and chocolate. The finish was simple in the short and mildly astringent in the long. Surprisingly disappointing in milk: leanish in mouthfeel with banana and chocolate in front but a slight though disturbing note toward the finish that for me suggested salted meat.

Intense, low-toned aroma with semi-sweet chocolate, crisp nut (walnut?) and hints of cedar and clay. In the cup fullish body, muted acidity, and a continued intense presence with complex chocolate, walnut and earth notes. A rather heavy astringency when the cup is hot softens as it cools.

In the aroma deep-toned with moist earth and fruit tones that suggest molassy fruitcake or banana bread or a fruity dark chocolate. The candied fruit, molasses and moist earth complex carries into the cup, riding richly over a slight flatness introduced by decaffeination. Sweet, long, rich finish, very slightly astringent when hot but impressively smooth as the cup cools.

Superb fruity, caramelly aroma with distinct brandy and chocolate notes. In the small cup medium body, dominated by caramel and cedar notes with only a hint of cherryish brandy intrigue. The fruity brandy tones intensify in the finish, though with a very slight bitterish edge. They reach their apotheosis in milk, however, where they finally free themselves from their slight bitter shadow and bloom with lush, powerful expressiveness.

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."

An extraordinary coffee in the earth and fruit style of traditional Indonesias. In the aroma moist leaves turning toward fresh earth, together with buttery, candyish top notes. In the cup full-bodied, with pungent, moist earth tones and crisp, low-acid fruit notes suggesting pear and cherry. The pungent tones smooth out in a sweetly rich finish.

This unusually light roasted Sumatra is very sweet and richly high-toned, and exceptional in its lush but delicate expression of the natural character of coffee fruit and flower. The fruit suggests cherry leaning toward unsweetened chocolate, but those who have visited coffee farms will recognize it as the taste of the coffee fruit itself, with shimmers of jasmine-like coffee flower. The short finish is cherryish and rich, though the long leaves us with just the slightest hint of astringency.

Lindsey Bolger was all positive on this one: "One of my favorites in the cupping. Chocolate laced with cinnamon punctuates the aroma. More sweet spice and cocoa, even some floral notes, emerge in the flavor. A fine specimen of a Sumatra -- tamed but not over domesticated!" (88) Ken was attracted by "an opulent, deep-toned fruity chocolate" that nevertheless hinted at various flavor ambiguities like ferment. Ultimately, though, a "rich, clean finish" convinced him to go with a very positive reading (89) of this complex Sumatra.

Lindsey Bolger exclaims: "A lovely, well-structured coffee! In the dry fragrance I detected a slightly rancid note, suggesting staling. But after the pour and upon the break, a delightful aroma of brown sugar and cocoa bloomed to mask any lack of freshness. With a maple-syrupy sweetness, bright but restrained acidity and refined fruit notes, this is an excellent example of a classic Sumatra that defies the origin's reputation for earthiness" (88). Ken concurred, finding "both aroma and cup dryly acidy yet deeply sweet, lush with a sort of spicy fruit suggesting pineapple. Rich, smooth mouthfeel" (89).

Lindsey Bolger: "Intense aroma of fresh-from-oven brownies. Flavors of dark chocolate and sweet caramel compliment the rather dark roast. I added points to acknowledge the roaster's skill in pairing the roast so appropriately to the coffee" (85). Ken also was impressed by the aroma: "richly low-toned, chocolaty, malty, spicy, complex. In the cup gently roasty, complicated by dry fruit and malt notes. A slightly astringent finish lowered my score" (84).