Sweet Maria's Coffee Cupping Reviews: Archive A - F

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Ye Dusty Olde Sweet Maria's Coffee Review Archive
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Costa Rica

Costa Rican Dota - Conquistador
Country:	Costa Rica	Grade:	SHB	Region:	Dota, Tarrazú	Mark:	El Conquistador
Processing:	Wet-processed	Crop:	March 2008 arrival	Appearance:	0 d/300gr, 16-17 Screen	Varietal:	Caturra, Catuai
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.2	Notes: Dota is a small subregion adjacent to the Tarrazú valley proper, more remote than the areas where most of the coffee in Costa Rica is planted. And for years this particular coffee, El Conquistador, went primarily to a single roaster in Germany. Great Dota coffees are fairly small sized seeds, with greater density due to the high altitudes they are cultivated at. Some roasters used to believe that the unique Dota cup character was the result of extra fermentation times at the mill during the wet-processing of the coffee. But it fact it is processed the same way that other Tarrazú coffees are, with the same fermentation times. The difference is in the unique soils that are found in the Dota micro-region of Tarrazú, and the tradition of harvesting the coffee cherry very ripe. The result is a winey hint in the cup. We have stocked this coffee for several years now and in each blind cupping to new-crop Costas it is always a standout (but often in a slightly different way). City + roast of this lot has more of the winey fruited hints than a darker roast level. Depending on roast, this winey quality can taste more like ripe fruit than wine, really, and is a soft, muted flavor, not an aggressive wineyness of some Kenya auction lots, for example. There is chocolate throughout the roast range, from milk chocolate in the light roasts to a semi-sweet chocolate at FC+ or Vienna. Dota has a lower, more integrated acidity/brightness in the cup; the winey brighter note knits well with the body, and the chocolate roast tastes. At darker roast levels, especially FC or FC+, the cup has a really nice chocolate bittersweet, with a fruited/winey aspect moving into the background, or being completely overshadowed. The body is medium but has a fine, silky texture. Note: This just arrived but we have a limited amount of the Conquistador so we are limiting each order to 2 Lbs maximum. Sorry ... we want to spread it out and have it last a little while.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.5
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.5
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.7
Body - Movement (1-5)		3.4
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.8
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0.0	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild intensity / Great body, slightly winey and berry notes.
add 50		50.0	Roast: City to Full City+; this coffee takes a wide degree of roasts, with winey hints more apparent at C+ roast, and pungent chocolate notes emerging at FC+
Score (Max. 100)		86.0	Compare to: Deep Costa Rican coffees, with good chocolate roast taste at FC or FC+ roast levels

Costa Rica Finca Toño Miel
Country:	Costa Rica	Grade:	SHB	Region:	Santa Maria de Dota, Tarrazu	Mark:	Finca Toño
Processing:	Sun-dry raised bed "Miel" (pulp natural)	Crop:	February 2008 Arrival	Appearance:	.2 d/300gr, 17-18 Screen	Varietal:	Catuai, Caturra
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.5	Notes: This lot is from a single farm in hills overlooking the beautiful town of Santa Maria de Dota, within the Tarrazu region. Dota coffees are known for the high altitude they are grown at, and their winey cup character. This lot is what we call a "Miel" or Honey coffee, referred to as Pulp Natural or Semi-Washed in other countries. The coffee fruit is run through the de-pulper, but instead of beginning the wet-process by fermenting the cherry for 12-24 hours in a tank, this de-skinned ripe coffee cherry fruit is simply laid out on the a raised screen "bed" to dry by sun and air flow. This is called pulp natural or 100% Miel coffee. It has more rustic character and lower acidity than the true semi-washed lots where 50% or 75% of the fruity layer is cleaned mechanically off the parchment shell that encases the seed. The result is something between an Ethiopia coffee, and Indonesian coffee and a Costa Rica, quite strange. The dry fragrance is fruited and chocolaty: coffee flower, and fruity bittersweet chocolate. The wet aroma similar, and the fruited notes have a ripe, winey aspect. In the cup the first thing to register in the light roast is wild, dried strawberry, with a winey aspect to it and cocoa tones. As it fades, it suggests papaya, and melon (in the C+ roast). The body is very heavy for a CR coffee at both C+ and FC+ roast ... in fact this coffee is no less intense at the light roasts as it is dark. The difference is the level of chocolate, and the tonality of the fruited notes. The aftertaste is pleasant, with bittersweet chocolate as a backdrop, and dark raisin notes. Darker roasts are my favorite here, where the chocolate turns bittersweet, acidity is fairly low, and in fact we have made some great espresso shots from the FC++/Light Vienna roasts of this Finca Tono coffee.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.5
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.3
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.5
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)		4
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.5
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium intensity / Good body, Chocolate
add 50		50	Roast: Full City+ has best cup for the full-body-plus-chocolate character
Score (Max. 100)		86.3	Compare to: A cross between an Ethiopia, and Indonesia and a Costa Rica coffee

Costa Rica Tarrazú - La Minita
Country:	Costa Rica	Grade:	SHB	Region:	Tarrazú	Mark:	La Minita
Processing:	Washed	Crop:	August 2007 Arrival	Appearance:	0 d/300gr 16/17scr	Varietal:	Hibrido Typica, Catuaí, Caturra
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.7	Notes: La Minita is a pedigree coffee for sure. You can open countless coffee books (Kummer's Joy of Coffee and Knox's Coffee Basics to name two) and read endless praise of the Bill McAlprin's La Minita farm and their exacting standards. It is so well thought of that at SCAA seminars I heard it referred to by 3 separate speakers: " When you cup the finest coffees, like a La Minita for instance ..." and so on. What's neat is that La Minita really does stand up as tall as its reputation (unlike JBM's, some Hawaiians, etc.). And it does so not by conking you over the head with its power. It's actually milder in acidity compared to some other Costa Rican coffees from the Tarrazú region. What it has is a refined sweetness in the cup, balance. It's a very mild, bright coffee. For me, it has a fresh red apple fruitiness to it, and in a slightly darker roasts it turns to a winey-berry flavor. There's some spice, hints of cinnamon and anise, and in the lighter roasts an almondy roast taste with vanilla hints. The aromatics are sweet and clean. It's always an elegant, refined, clean cup (it has something we call "great transparency" in cupping), but keep the roast light if you can (see roast notes below). The farm itself is a model of perfection in terms of technical standards and beauty. The coffee is milled and prepared meticulously and is not brokered by an indifferent third party, but by Hacienda La Minita themselves. It's also a model for how quality can sustain super-premium prices in a very unstable coffee market. The La Minita model is so successful that they begin to apply the same exacting standards to other coffees, and yielding premium prices.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.7
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.6
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.5
Body - Movement (1-5)		3.0
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.5
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0.0
add 50		50.0	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild intensity / Clean, delicate , sweet cup.
			Roast: City to Full City+: My preference with the La Minita is for a light City roast beacuse there are more floral notes in the cup, but FC has a good sweet brightness too.
Score (Max. 100)		86	Compare to: The epitome of delicate, refined, clean Central American coffee.

Costa Rica Dota Peaberry Special
Country:	Costa Rica	Grade:	SHB	Region:	Dota Tarrazu (Santa Maria de Dota)	Mark:	Coopedota
Processing:	Wet - process	Crop:	Oct 2007 Arrival	Appearance:	2 d/300gr, 17-18 PB Screen	Varietal:	Caturra, Catuai
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.5	Notes: We have focused much on the small growing region of Santa Maria de Dota in the past few years, namely because it has some of the highest grown coffees in Costa Rica, and unique flavor characteristics particular to the region. This was a special lot that the coffee Co-op prepared for Sweet Maria's this year, and I went down in February to cup this and many other small micro-lots from the mill. It all worked out quite nice: our peaberry was this best lot of the 50 we evaluated! The dry fragrance has ripe fruit, a touch of amaretto, and chocolate character. Wet aromatics turn to a zesty, ripe orange fruit, syrupy, a bit winey. There is a dash of spice there, definitely clove in the FC roast. In the cup there is a crisp, white grape juice flavor in the City and the City+ roasts, turning to a white wine note , and then at FC+, masked by tangy chocolate roast taste. Fruited notes, with perhaps a wine suggestion, is exactly what we expect from a great high-grown Dota coffee, and perhaps the result of the tradition in this area to pick the red coffee cherry very ripe, when it turns nearly crimson. This coffee is very sweet. The body is rich and velvety, which contributes to this overall impression that Dota coffees offer a rounder, more substatinal cup character than more light-bodied Costa Rica growing regions. There's just more weight, more heft, to this cup. While the lighter roast has a malty, almost graham-cracker sweetness, this turns to bittersweet chocolate (laced with fruit) as you reach FC and FC+ roast stages. But even as the chocolate notes increase pleasant bittering notes, the sweetness in the cup still prevails in the aftertaste.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.7
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.4
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.6
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)		3.7
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.5
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild intensity / Delicate of sweetness, chocolate.
add 50		50	Roast: City+ for maximum bright winey fruit, FC+ for chocolate with fruited hints lurking in the back.
Score (Max. 100)		86.4	Compare to: Balanced Central cup profile, more body and less brightness than other Costa Ricas.

Costa Rica La Horqueta "Top 50"
Country:	Costa Rica	Grade:	SHB	Region:	Llano Bonito de Naranjo	Mark:	Finca La Horqueta, Top 50 meters.
Processing:	Wet - process	Crop:	August 2007 Arrival	Appearance:	2 d/300gr, 17-18 Screen	Varietal:	Caturra
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.7	Notes: This is another example of "cherry-picking. " Um, it's coffee cherry of course, that's not what I mean. What we have here is coffee skimmed from the highest 50 meters of the all the planted areas at the excellent farm La Horqueta. The farm is in a region known as Llano Bonito de Naranjo, at an altitude of 1500 meters. This lot is from the highest points, from up to 1600 meters. Naranjo coffees have been some of my favorites lately, with classic Costa Rica character; bright and delicate acidity, mild citrus and floral notes, a clean finish. These are classic Central American profile coffees, and reminds me of the Tres Rios La Magnolia in that respect. The fragrance from the dry grounds is very nutty at the City+ roast, with vanilla traces. The wet aroma has a strong nutty aspect, lemon and zesty spices, with unusual mineraly highlights (terroir, literally? no.) The cup is clean and bright, with zesty lemon rind, and sweet floral high notes. It's a nuanced and mild cup, in the tradition of delicate Central coffees. The aftertaste is short and sweet, cleanly fading. With a bit more roast, heading into 2nd crack, the cup changes quite a bit, with tangy roast notes and chocolate coming forward. Body remains bouyant and light in all roast ranges.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.7
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.7
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.4
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)		3
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.3
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		.5	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild intensity / Delicate balance of fine floraland fruit
add 50		50	Roast: City+ to FC+ - nutty roast tastes in the City range and milk chocolate at FC+(ie. the usual for classic Centrals)
Score (Max. 100)		86.3	Compare to: Bright, Lively Cup; classic clean Central

Costa Rica Naranjo Caracol Peaberry
Country:	Costa Rica	Grade:	SHB	Region:	Naranjo District	Mark:	CooproNaranjo
Processing:	Wet - process	Crop:	July 2007 Arrival	Appearance:	.6 d/300gr, 17-18 PB Screen	Varietal:	Caturra, Catuai
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.5	Notes: This is another lot I found when I visited the Naranjo region this past February. Actually, in a way the lot found me ... the coffee Co-op in Naranjo set aside this peaberry lot thinking I might like it. They were right, in fact it was the best coffee I cupped in that region on the whole trip. If I am not completely disoriented by the Costa Rica apellation system, Naranjo area is considered a West Valley coffee, but the area around Naranjo is special in many ways. It has a highly organized coop (CooproNaranjo) for the mutual benefit of the coffee workers, it has a long history of high quality coffee production, and it has great altitude. The range tends to be 1500 meters to 1700 meters for the really nice Naranjo coffees, and it is necessary to give the coffee seed density, and impart that bright citric note in the cup. Caracol Peaberry is a bit redundant. In Spanish, peaberry is called "caracol", which is also the term for a snail! You can see the resemblence, in a way (not in taste, I hope.) The fragrance from the dry grounds is delicate, with tangerine-orange hints, and vanilla-toffee sweetness. That sweetness has the allure of ripe mandarin in the wet aromatics, with chocolate and toffee at FC roast. I get some spicey hints, white pepper and even a bit of cayenne in the cup. Speaking of ... the cup is so clean, with the addition of floral aromatic components, light syrup notes, pear juice, and citrus brightness (pink grapefruit in the City roast sample). The light roasts are very high-toned, perhaps too sour for some folks. I like that screaming alto high-note in the cup, and here it doesn't have the astringent tightness to the finish that makes brightness in coffee unpleasant. It just rings out, clear as a bell, and fades into the aftertaste, with a lemony trace. But I think the chocolate that develops at FC might be the better cup, more complex. The body is medium to light, depending a bit on roast and how long the coffee is rested between roasting and tasting. I find a nut fat waxyiness in the mouthfeel; I don't know if that description makes sense, but it is like the lipids that you sense after eating a walnut. I recommend C+ to FC. My City roast is awfully light and a bit grainy, like baked cereal, but still quite nice in the cup. If you get into 2nd crack, you lose track of what this coffee is about, bright, graceful high notes, clean fruited tastes.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.5
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.8
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.7
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)		2.9
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.6
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0.5	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild intensity / Delicate balance of fine floral and fruit, good chocolate at FC roast
add 50		50	Roast: See the description: C+ for the bright citrusy cup, FC to FC+ to add a dimension of chocolate to that.
Score (Max. 100)		86.5	Compare to: Bright, Lively , light-bodied cup, clean, classic Central character,

Costa Rica Coop Dota Dry-Process
Country:	Costa Rica	Grade:	SHB	Region:	Dota Tarrazu	Mark:	Coopedota
Processing:	Natural sun-dry process	Crop:	June 2007 Arrival	Appearance:	.2 d/300gr, 17-18 Screen	Varietal:	100% Yellow Catuai
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.4	Notes: This is about as unusual as it gets; a full natural, sun-dried coffee from one of the highest altitude growing regions of Costa Rica, the Dota valley. What does this mean? Basically, that a traditional Ethiopia dry-process was performed at a traditionally wet-process origin. The ripe coffee cherry is picked from the tree (in this case, more exotic because it is 100% Yellow Catuai, where the fruit ripens to a yellow, not red color). Then, instead of beginning the wet-process by depulping (removing the skin) and fermenting the cherry for 12-24 hours, this ripe coffee cherry is simply laid out on the sunny patio to dry. With all the skin and fruit of the coffee fruit intact, it dries like a raisin, the mucilage turning to a sweet, chewy, dehydrated form, encoating the green seed protected by its parchment layer. Once fully dried, it is left to rest for some days, then in one step the skin, dried fruit flesh, parchment layer and all are torn from the green seed. The result is something between an Ethiopia coffee and a Costa Rica, quite strange but, in this case, quite excellent. And it might appeal to those who have found typical Costa Rica too thin, lacking power, or body. Then again, it might appall those who relish the sweet, clean, bright CR character. This is monstrous, from that perspective. For the professional cupper, tasting this requires a willful "forgetting" ... forget all standards for CR coffees, cup it as you would an earthy Indonesia lot, or a fruited natural Ethiopia coffee. You just ask yourself, with the right roast (dark, FC or more), is it good? Is it fruited, or fermented? Is it rustic, or is it foul and dirty. For me, it is certainly a great, exotic, rustic cup. The dry fragrance is fruited: coffee flower, pineapple, fruity bittersweet chocolate. The wet aroma similar, and the fruited notes have a ripe, winey aspect. In the cup the first thing to register in the light roast is wild, dried strawberry, with a winey aspect to it. As it fades, it suggests papaya, and concord grape (in the C+ roast). The body is very viscous and dense at both C+ and FC+ roast ... in fact this coffee is no less intense at the light roasts as it is dark. The difference is the level of chocolate, and the tonality of the fruited notes. The aftertaste is pleasant, with bittersweet chocolate as a backdrop, and dark raisin notes. Let me be clear; this coffee would be thrown out of a CoE competition before the water ever hit the cup. It's considered defective by conventional standards. But as you can tell by my effusive description, I endorse it heartily. This cup character isn't for those who love traditional Costa Rica coffees.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.5
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.2
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.6
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)		4
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.4
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium intensity / Heavy body, fruited notes,
add 50		50	Roast: Full City+ has best cup for the full-body-plus-chocolate character, whereas City+ features the fruited notes.
Score (Max. 100)		86.1	Compare to: Fairly incomparable - similar to the pulp natural Centrals of the more rustic type.

Costa Rica La Candelilla Estate Gesha
Country:	Costa Rica	Grade:	SHB	Region:	Tarrazu region	Mark:	La Candelilla Estate
Processing:	Wet-Process	Crop:	August 2007 Arrival	Appearance:	0 d/300gr, 17-18 Screen	Varietal:	Gesha Cultivar (Geisha)
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.8	Notes: La Candelilla has had Gesha for years; in fact this special cultivar from Ethiopia was first established in the Americas at a coffee research garden in Costa Rica. From there it spread to a few farms, including the well known Hacienda Esmeralda in Panama. Now be warned, this cups has a very subtle Gesha-like floral character. It is there for sure, but not as it is in the outrageous Esmeralda Especial Gesha. I would guess it is a blend of Gesha and another cultivar based on the cup, but it is pure Gesha ... the difference is that the cultivar expresses itself a bit differently in different climates, soild, altitudes. You can think of it as a more balanced cup too, with the floral aspect encompassing deeper, fruited coffee-flower notes. There's a supporting layer of flavor, good honeyed-sweetness with some more aggressive bittersweet components too. The fragrance is sweet, dominated by caramel, which turns to dark brown sugar in the wet aroma. There are fruited and floral hints in the aromatics (especially in the lighter roasts) but they are subdued and emerge as the cup cools much more. The cup flavors range from chocolate to sandalwood, still sweetly caramelly, with apple and tamarind emergent. It has a juicy impression on the palate, and Papaya starts to come through in the finish. As mentioned, this cup comes to life as it cools, with the trademark Gesha floral elements becoming more animated as the temperature decreases. Other Gesha coffees are more extreme than La Candelilla Gesha, some so extreme they taste more like flaoring has been added, or like a tea! This might not be the Gesha-cultivar coffee that konks you over the head with it's uniqueness, it's not going to score in the 90's with me, but it might be more "drinkable" than the others because at the end of the day, it really tastes like a great balanced, complex coffee.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		4
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.5
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.8
Body - Movement (1-5)		3.6
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.9
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		1	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium intensity/balanced Gesha cup character
add 50		50	Roast: City reveals more Gesha character, but the strength of THIS gesha coffee is it's balance, which is best at FC roast.
Score (Max. 100)		88.6	Compare to: More depth and complexity that most Costa Rica coffees, with the added layer of floral and fruit from unique Ethiopia Gesha cultivar.

Costa Rica Tarrazú - La Minita
Country:	Costa Rica	Grade:	SHB	Region:	Tarrazú	Mark:	La Minita
Processing:	Washed	Crop:	August 2007Arrival	Appearance:	0 d/300gr 16/17scr	Varietal:	Hibrido Typica, Catuaí, Caturra
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.7	Notes: La Minita is a pedigree coffee for sure. You can open countless coffee books (Kummer's Joy of Coffee and Knox's Coffee Basics to name two) and read endless praise of the Bill McAlprin's La Minita farm and their exacting standards. It is so well thought of that at SCAA seminars I heard it referred to by 3 separate speakers: " When you cup the finest coffees, like a La Minita for instance ..." and so on. What's neat is that La Minita really does stand up as tall as its reputation (unlike JBM's, some Hawaiians, etc.). And it does so not by conking you over the head with its power. It's actually milder in acidity compared to some other Costa Rican coffees from the Tarrazú region. What it has is a refined sweetness in the cup, balance. It's a very mild, bright coffee. For me, it has a fresh red apple fruitiness to it, and in a slightly darker roasts it turns to a winey-berry flavor. There's some spice, hints of cinnamon and anise, and in the lighter roasts an almondy roast taste with vanilla hints. The aromatics are sweet and clean. It's always an elegant, refined, clean cup (it has something we call "great transparency" in cupping), but keep the roast light if you can (see roast notes below). The farm itself is a model of perfection in terms of technical standards and beauty. The coffee is milled and prepared meticulously and is not brokered by an indifferent third party, but by Hacienda La Minita themselves. It's also a model for how quality can sustain super-premium prices in a very unstable coffee market. The La Minita model is so successful that they begin to apply the same exacting standards to other coffees, and yielding premium prices.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.7
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.8
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.5
Body - Movement (1-5)		3.0
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.6
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0.0
add 50		50.0	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild intensity / Clean, delicate , sweet cup.
			Roast: City to Full City+: My preference with the La Minita is for a light City roast beacuse there are more floral notes in the cup, but FC has a good sweet brightness too.
Score (Max. 100)		86.3	Compare to: The epitome of delicate, refined, clean Central American coffee.

Costa Rica Cup of Excellence "SLGLA" (Santa Lucia, Génesis, Los Anonos)
Country:	Costa Rica	Grade:	SHB	Region:	Naranjo and Zarcero, Alajuela Region	Mark:	2007 Costa Rica Auction Lot #16
Processing:	Wet process, sun-dried with covers	Crop:	September 2007 Arrival	Appearance:	2 d/300gr, 17-18 Screen	Varietal:	Caturra, Catuai, Villalobos
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.9	Notes: This lot was my hands down favorite auction lot in the first ever 2007 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence Competition. I couldn't believe that it wasn't at least a top 10 coffee, if not top 5. But that’s how competitions go … it's a group consensus of judges who may or may not share your opinions ... in other words, a democracy! That's a good thing, but as in politics, sometimes things end up a bit inverted and senseless. SLGLA??? Let me explain. Here we have a small lot from 3 small farms who pulled together to enter a coffee in the competition. While a "blend" of the farms might sound improper to some purists, they all share a common cup character, and the results are (as I have said) outstanding. They are all from close proximity in the Naranjo- region. The farms are quite little: Ricardo Pérez Barrantes' Santa Lucia is 12 hectares, Oscar Méndez Acuña's Finca Genesis is 16 and , Marvin Rodriguez' Villalobos Los Anonos farm is 9. (Many C.R. farms are 150-250 hectares.) SLGLA ; I admit it is such a sloppy apellation for such a clean, beautiful, dynamic coffee ... but what else can I do with all those farm names tossed in togehter? Anyway, while this lot is not certified, all three farmers are using organic methods. And all have amazing altitude, averaging 1775 meters! The result is this very lively, bright, bubbly flavor profile. I recommend a light roast here, City to City +, and my comments are based on that degree, but if the cup is too citric for you, it works as an outstanding darker roast too. The dry grounds are very nutty, laced with Dutch Cocoa and some spice (anise) hints. The wet aroma is so sweet and citric, full of lemon blossom, with honeysuckle flower and light malted sweetness. The cup follows suit: a very clean, bright coffee. There is a sweet lemon quality, floral-citric, with a dynamic "alto" range tonality to the cup overall. It's not a big, rounded, expansive type of cup; rather it is structured, well defined, and articulate. The coffee fades from the palate with a pinpoint sweetness. Interestingly, it is quite mild in other categories, with an appropriate, but not excessive body. What a classic cup though, everything in such proportion, as if someone had balanced and measured the flavor "ingredients" to result in this exact cup profile. It's for those who like bright and dynamic coffees, not necessarily overpowering, but also very approachable. (For great results, try a vacuum brewer with this coffee. We brewed this in a Yama with a Cona filter rod, had outstanding results).
Wet Aroma (1-5)		4.2
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		9
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		9
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)		3
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		9
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		1	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild intensity / Incredibly clean, bright, citric and floral
add 50		50	Roast: City to City+ for the bright, intense cup I describe. But this coffee makes an outstanding FC+ roast too. It's an especially roast-sensitive coffee so expect to see flavor shifts with each batch.
Score (Max. 100)		89.1	Compare to: Classic bright Central American coffee with excellent structure. It's an easy coffee to "drink" rather than "taste". Slow down and pay attention to it's subtle charm!

Costa Rica Vino de Arabia
Country:	Costa Rica	Grade:	SHB	Region:	Central Valley, San Isidro de Heredia	Mark:	Brumas del Zurqui Estate
Processing:	Pulp natural process, screen dried	Crop:	May 2007 Arrival	Appearance:	2 d/300gr, 17-18 Screen	Varietal:	Caturra, Catuai
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.6	Notes: This coffee is a micro lot that originates at a larger farm, Brumas del Zurqui, located in the area of San Isidro de Heredia, Central Valley. Instead of their wet-process/fermentation method, this is a pulp natural coffee where the mucilage is mechanically removed (not totally) and then the parchment coffee is allowed to sun dry. The results of this method allow for some subtle changes based on the technique used, and how much fruity mucilage is allowed to remain on the parchment-coated green bean. It also requires effective, rapid sun-drying, and to this end the farm uses raised beds in the African style, so air can circulate all around the coffee. While we have offered some pulp natural coffees that are very rustic and fruited in the cup (perhaps due to larger amounts of fruit left on the parchment seed, and longer dry times) here we have a different cup result. The Vino de Arabia is quite elegant, with a rounded full body and distinct winey notes (hence the name!) The dry fragrance has both wine and chocolate hints with the wet aromatic having chocolate-nut balance and good intensity. Right away there is a clear sense that this is not the simple, clean, thin, bright Costa Rican cup type. Instead, this is incredibly rounded in terms of mouthfeel, with silky chocolate body, accented by red wine notes. It has a great sweet-bittersweet balance (like a nice chocolate like Vahlrona). The finish has ripe fruit, and as it cools the well-defined winey aspect comes to the foreground. This has a more moderate acidity than other Costa Rica coffees, but this rounded, balanced cup, lush wine-laced fruit and chocolate result in a very appealing cup profile.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.6
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.5
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.8
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)		3.8
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.8
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild intensity / Delicate balance of fine floral and fruit
add 50		50	Roast: City+, seriously … the bright notes are buried at FC+
Score (Max. 100)		87.1	Compare to: Winey, rounded Central America coffees: this is neither like a typical Costa Rica nor is it like a Pulp Natural, although it is!

Costa Rican Tres Rios - La Magnolia
Country:	Costa Rica	Grade:	SHB	Region:	Tres Rios	Mark:	La Magnolia
Processing:	Wet-processed	Crop:	April 2007 arrival	Appearance:	0 d/300gr, 16-17 Screen	Varietal:	Catuai and Caturra
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.5	Notes: This is going to sound ridiculous, but this coffee has a lot of "coffee flavor". I just don’t know how else to describe the clean, balanced charm of this cup profile, and it has been like this for years. We have been stocking the La Magnolia, a coffee milled to exacting standards, for quite a few years now. The coffee comes from a small beneficio, and used to be sold exclusively in Europe. And year after year this mill is producing a consistently excellent cup under the classic La Magnolia trade name. Each year I put it up against all the other Costa samples in a blind cupping, and it simply shimmers. By now it's no surprise when I turn over the I.D. card for the sample and see it's the La Magnolia. There are both mid-range floral and hazelnut hints in the dry fragrance, along with a mild secondary aroma of caraway seed. The wet aromatics turn much more lively and dynamic, with citrus-flower blooms and the smell of sweet bread baking. The cup has a light body and a mild intensity to match, a beautifully delicate and refined cup. It has nippy tangerine-citrus flavors with just a twist of rind, a crystalline sugar sweetness, and a beautifully sweet finish. Roasted to a City+, this is one of the most beautiful and delicate coffees my palate has had the pleasure of enjoying (note that FC is a great roast this year - see below). It is especially true with the La Magnolia that any dirtiness in your brewing system will show up very clearly in this cup, about as desirable as stepping on a thorn ... so keep your stuff clean and enjoy this sweet nuanced cup! I think it's a more complex cup than previous years, but still has the top end of the flavor spectrum, that crystal clear brightness that defines the really good Costa Rican coffees. I was joking with someone that this coffee has such a clean, delicate cup, you could use it to test the quality/cleanliness of coffeemakers. If you pick up any bitter, acrid note, clean your coffeemaker, because it definitely isn't the La Magnolia causing it!
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.3
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.7
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.2
Body - Movement (1-5)		2.9
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.4
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0.0	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild intensity / Delicate acidity, floral and citric, pristine clean cup
Add 50		50.0	Roast: City Roast is my usual recommendation for La Magnolia- but I think this year I am enjoying FC more.
Score (Max. 100)		85.9	Compare to: More complex than the usual Tres Rios coffees, a bright, clean cup with good spice and fruit.

Costa Rica Tres Rios WP Decaf
Country:	Costa Rica	Grade:	SHB	Region:	West Valley, Tres Rios Region	Mark:	Tres Rios SHB Lot
Processing:	Wet-processed	Crop:	December 2006 arrival	Appearance:	0 d/300gr, 17-18 Screen	Varietal:	Catuai, Caturra, Costa Rica 95
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.3	Notes: It used to be that water decafs were generic coffees; you really couldn't verify that the source coffee was a good cup, or even specialty coffee at all! It was possible for large roasters to send their own lots to Swiss Water for decaffeination, but that was impossible for everyone else. Now we have been able to buy coffees that we cup as regular coffees and verify the quality, then re-cup after decaffeination to see the effect of the process. This is from the West Valley area, Tres Rios region (where Magnolia comes from) and is from the La Laguna mill. It really has appropriate Costa Rica cup character: This comes through very well after the Water Process decaf in this cup. It is medium-bodied with a bright snap to it and good sweetness. I get sweet pepper hints too, like red bell pepper and even a touch of cayenne in the finish. The body is light, but seems totally appropriate for the snappy, lively cup character. What is most distinct about this cup is the nutty roast character that emerges at a City+ roast stage and is the dominant theme through the Full City+ stage. And Vienna roast of this lot is very nice too ... It also makes a good addition to a decaf blend to add a higher note to the cup, for example, a blend of 50% Sulawesi or Sumatra for the bass notes and 50% CR Decaf for the brighter notes.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.3
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.4
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.3
Body - Movement (1-5)		2.8
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.3
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	Roast: City + is ideal to maintain the brightness in the cup - Nuttiness persists from City+ to Full City+
add 50		50	Compare to: Bright, clean, nutty decafs like the Panama decafs
Score (Max. 100)		84.4	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild / Nutty

Costa Rica Dota Tarrazu -Hermosa
Country:	Costa Rica	Grade:	SHB	Region:	Dota, Tarrazu	Mark:	Coopedota RL, Hermosa
Processing:	Wet-Process	Crop:	August 2006 Arrival	Appearance:	.4 d/300gr, 18 Screen	Varietal:	Caturra
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.6	Notes: Dota is a sub-region of Tarrazu, a valley that is, well, sort of bowl-like. Not only is the altitude exceptionally high (5,000 to 6,000 feet) but the physical shape of the valley also contributes to a unique cup character that (if you follow our track record buying Dota coffees) is extraordinary. Caturra culitivar may contribute to the fruited note in the cup, and altitude makes this bright, snappy acidity possible, so the winey notes we might attribute to the special weather and soil of the Dota microregion. The dry grounds have a very chocolate bittersweet to them, but there are toasted almond accents too. When the hot water hits the grounds, I get a pleasantly surprising black tea aroma laced with floral notes. The City+ roast I did of this coffee is outstanding: I get blackberry tea flavors, floral elements, and that unique winey fruit found in great Dota coffees. It's sweet from start to finish, with fairly light body. I get some mint herbal hints in the finish, fading to red grape. This is an excellent Dota coffee, with true origin character (or terroir, if you prefer the wine language). The long aftertaste has this pesistent clean berry-to-grape sweetness, a cleanly disappearing cup.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.8
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.7
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.8
Body - Movement (1-5)		2.8
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.8
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		1	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild-to-medium intensity/winey fruited notes, berry, tea
add 50		50	Roast: City+ is recommended for the delicate cup I describe, but FC has great chocolate bittersweetness.
Score (Max. 100)		87.5	Compare to: Very Dota-like in character, bright, berry like winey notes.

Dominican Republic

See the 2001-2002 Review Archive

Ecuador

See the 2003-2004 Archive

El Salvador is filed under S for Salvador

Ethiopia

Ethiopia Organic Idido Misty Valley DP
Country:	Ethiopia	Grade:	1	Region:	Idido, Gedio Area, Yirga-Cheffe	Mark:	Idido town, "Misty Valley" mark
Processing:	Screen Dry-Processed	Crop:	October 2007 Arrival	Appearance:	.2 d/300gr, 16-18 Screen	Varietal:	Longberry and shortberry Ethiopia cultivars
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		4	Notes: This is a special lot of dry-processed (DP) coffee from an area within Yirgacheffe: Idido town in the Gedio area of Yirgacheffe. This is quite different from the Natural Yirgacheffe lot we had earlier this season, a much better preparation of the green coffee, uniform roasting, and unique in its flavor profile. As you know, the tradition in Yirgacheffe is wet-processing, whereas Harar has a dry-processing tradition. Wet-processing is the method used in Central America and the like, resulting in a green seed with a cleaner cup profile, and less earthy or rustic cup flavors. Dry-processing involves drying the entire coffee cherry in the sun, and later removeing the skin, fruity mucilage layer and protective parchment shell that surrounds the green seed ... all in one fell swoop. Excellent dry-processed coffees are difficult because the milling method for wet-processing allows for separation of ripe and unripe coffee cherry (and other defective seeds) using water and machines. But in dry-processing, sorting ou under-ripes is done visually, either by sorting the ripe cherry, or later, sorting the "green" bean. (You probably know from experience with Harar and the like that the dry-processed green bean is in fact yellow, mostly because it has more of the silverskin, the chaff, still attached to it). The problem in Ethiopia is this: traditional dry-processed coffee is NOT pre-sorted to include only ripe red coffee cherry and it is sun-dried in a rather haphazard fashion. The difference with this lot is night and day (as an experienced eye can see when you look at the unroasted coffee), this originates with ripe cherry, is uniformaly screen-dried in the sun, and has been dry-milled using the same screen and density-sorting techniques as wet-processed lots. And the result is amazing: it is both a traditional "moka" type coffee flavor (chocolate and fruit) with Yigacheffe accents (floral, citrus) and no distracting, overly-earthy notes. Given that, the darker roasts (FC+, Vienna) are surprisingly pungent, with a intense tobacco aromatic, dark chocolate roast taste, and tannic grape skin notes in the background. But it is the City+ roast where the cup has intense sweetness, and liveliness. The dry fragrance is honeyed, with strawberry and cherry fruit notes, and vanilla. Add water and the sweetness becomes sharper, and sweet mango fruit aromas emerge, with floral and citric hints. Cup flavors are like fruit candy, like marmalade. There are tropical fruits, and sweet orange, dried strawberry and citrus flowers. Unlike light roasts of other dry-processed Ethiopias, there is a noticeable refinement and clarity to the finish of the Idido Misty Valley cup.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		4.4
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.6
Flavor - Depth (1-10)