It's been 7 years, but here we are with a Congo coffee again! The problems with securing a source for Specialty grade coffee from the Kivu region (East Congo) are innumerable. Politics and the struggle over mineral wealth are at the top of the list, and farmers are the first to be displaced when unrest comes to the region. So we hope the offering of this very nice lot of Congo symbolizes the greater stability that has come to the area since the cease fire has been in affect, and the democratic elections held this month. Because this is an early attempt at offering Congo coffee again, and there is more development needed in terms of improving the milling and processing of the coffee, it does have a more rustic cup character than you find in the finely processed Rwandas from just across the border (and the lake, Lake Kivu). But I find the cup compelling. The dry grounds are intense, with fragrant cocoa, nut (macadamia nut), and vanilla notes. Add water and the rustic beast comes out a bit: fresh tobacco, wet earth but still a sweetness (molassesy) resides there. The cup is bright, as an East African coffee should be, but there is that unpredictable wild note too. Again, fresh tobacco with an earthy twist is the best descriptors for it. It's a little hidey, as a Yemen is, but there are delicate tea notes (Darjeeling), and even a trace of floral sweetness too. It lands somewhere between a more refined African coffee (Kenya) and a rustic Indonesia (Mandheling). For those who like either of these coffees, you will find something to hold your interest in this cup, as well as the fact it holds up well to a darker roast level.