Notes: It's good to have a little background information on Tanzanian coffees; A good Tanzanian coffee from the North can be a treat, but many lots that arrive in the U.S. never had a chance. The Northern coffees are grown near Kenya (Mt. Kilimanjaro) and bear that out in the cup: more acidity, lighter body. Southern district coffees from the mountains of the northeast rim of Lake Malawi are full bodied, have milder acidity, and extremely long in the aftertaste. The problem with Tanzanian Peaberry has less to do with where it is from and the original cup quality it possesses. Poor cup character is the result of poor transporation routes to port, and while at port the shipping container that is delayed from leaving the country can bake the coffee in the humid, blistering sun ...not good. So even a good Tanzanian coffee can go bad en route. The result are harsh, baggy flavors in the cup. This flatbean coffee shows none of that, and is a sweet coffee without much of the characteristic East African hidey character. There's just a tad of wildness in the finish, just enough to remind you where the coffee is from! The Meru Nkoanekoli is a northern coffee, and has that zingy bright character with lighter body. I get a lot of variability on these cups, but I find them all to be sweet, a husky light mollasses/ butterscotch sweetness. The wet aroma is where the coffee starts to come to life, with a zesty acidity, hints of pear fruit, and an interesting sweet carbony note in the finish, (it reminded me of honey barbeque!) As the cup cools, the perceived body increases, making this a very nice cup to linger upon and taste throughout the temerpature range. Again, there was some variability from cup-to-cup, and from roast-to-roast, but overall it's a very interesting cup profile, and very Tanzanian in this way.
Wet Aroma (1-5)
3.5
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)
8.6
Flavor - Depth (1-10)
8.4
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)
3.4
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)
8.4
Cupper's Correction (1-5)
0
Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium intensity / Interesting acidity
add 50
50
Roast: City+
Score (Max. 100)
85.5
Compare to: East African brightness with slightly gamey "wild" note. Interesting sweetness and acidity.
Tanzania
NgoroNgoro Convent
Country:
Tanzania
Grade:
AA
Region:
NgoroNgoro
Mark:
NgoroNgoro Convent
Processing:
Wet-Processed
Crop:
June 2007
Arrival
Appearance:
.6 d/300gr,
17-18 Screen
Varietal:
Arusha, Bourbon
Dry
Fragrance (1-5)
3.6
Notes: Yes,
it is from a convent, as in nuns. The estate is owned and managed by
the Nuns of the Ngorongoro Convent. The name of the group is the "Daughters
of Mary Ngorongoro", with the coffee overseen by Sister Maggie and
Sister Zenobia! It is not as unusual as you might think: monks and monasteries
have often been tied to commercial endeavors as a means of support; Trappist
ales, cheeses, etc. Cappucine monks served coffee sweetened with heavy
cream, and in Yirgacheffe Ethiopia, coffee was grown by religious orders.
The average altitude is of around 1,800 mts and is located in one of
the most beautiful areas of Africa very close to the famous Ngorongoro
Crater. The dry fragrance has sweetly fruited brightness, with suggestions
of pear, apple, and a slight floral component. In the wet aroma you can
detect a rustic note, like fresh alfalfa, with sweet fruits (apricot)
and something I can only describe as "bread in the oven." When
I break the crust on the cup (in cupping, where you use the spoon to
release aroma from the floating grinds in the cup) there is a rush of
sweetness which reminds me of peach Jolly Rancher candy! In the cup there
are strong peach-apricot notes, with a nutty tone underneath. The acidity
makes this cup very lively, with an almost champagne-like effervescence
to it. There's an interesting interplay between straightforward sweetness
and rustic aspects here, something expected in the "origin character" of
a Tanzania coffee. (We used to just call it "that East Africa flavor.")
This gives the cup an almost Harar-like dimension, like the hidey note
in dry-processed Ethiopia, mixed with apricot brightness. But this coffee
is more lively than any Harar.
Roast: City+
to Full City+. The lighter end of this range is quite bright, the darker
has more bittersweetness.
Score
(Max. 100)
88.1
Compare
to: East African brightness, Kenya-like, fruited and bubbly.
Timor
Timor FTO Maubesse
Country:
Timor
Grade:
1
Region:
Maubesse
Mark:
Fair Trade and SKAL organic certified co-op
Processing:
Wet-processed
Crop:
November 2006 arrival
Appearance:
.8 d/300gr, 18 screen
Varietal:
Timor Varietal
Dry Fragrance
(1-5)
3
Notes:After gaining political independence from Indonesia, Timor-Leste (formerly called East Timor) still has a long way to go ... it's a rough place. Many institutions are not self-sufficient and the economy has few bright spots. And coffee is one of them. Timor has 2 major regions producing coffee: Maubesse is higher-altitude terrain than Aifu region. I like them both. Maubesse is a little brighter so most brokers / cuppers prefer it over the Aifu, but if you selectively buy from the best lots the Aifu can be every bit as good. Early in the crop cycle the Aifu cups best, and later on the Maubesse is a little better. And of course that's why you will see us stock Aifu early in the new crop and the Maubesse later. Quality is def
initely up this year in milling and preparation; the beautiful jade-colored green coffee is evidence of this. The cooperative mills that are the source for our Organic coffee have invested in new facilities, new wet-processing equipment, and improved standards of receiving and sorting only red, ripe cherry. This lot is FTO too- fair trade and organic certified. As far as the cup, Timor is not a funky, earthy coffee like Sumatra and Sulawesi; it has a cleaner cup profile more like a Java, and is something I would call a "quintessential crowd-pleasing coffee". When I ran cafes it would be a "good house coffee" ... everyone will enjoy it. The cup definitely has an initial hint of its Indonesian roots, just a touch of pleasant woody forest flavor and a more pronounced sweet herbal note in the aromatics. It doesn't spike in scoring at any point; it is a balanced cup. Body is key here: viscous, oily body. While it is a striking coffee at City+ roast (and has a lot of body for a lighter roast treatment), I prefer the roast character at FC+, a few snaps into 2nd crack. I also made some oustanding SO espresso (Single Origin) with straight Timor at FC+ with 2 days rest.
Wet Aroma
(1-5)
3
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)
8
Flavor - Depth (1-10)
8.4
Body - Movement
(1-5)
4
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)
8.5
Cupper's Correction
(1-5)
0
Intensity/Prime Attribute:Mild/ Clean, refined cup
add 50
50
Roast:City+ to FC+ : I liked the darker roast treatment on this lot, and felt the body holds up really well.
Score (Max. 100)
84.9
Compare to: A wet-processed Indonesia cup profile, like Java, with heavy body and hints of Indonesia rustic, "foresty" flavors
Timor
FTO Maubesse
Country:
Timor-Leste
(East Timor )
Grade:
One
Region:
Maubesse
Mark:
Fair
Trade and SKAL organic certified co-op
Processing:
Wet-processed
Crop:
November
2006 arrival
Appearance:
.8 d/300gr,
18 screen
Varietal:
Timor Varietal
Dry
Fragrance (1-5)
3.0
Notes: After
gaining political independence from Indonesia, Timor-Leste (formerly
called East Timor) still has a long way to go ... it's a rough place.
Many institutions are not self-sufficient and the economy has few bright
spots. And coffee is one of them. Timor has 2 major regions producing
coffee: Maubesse is higher-altitude terrain than Aifu region. I like
them both. Maubesse is a little brighter so most brokers / cuppers prefer
it over the Aifu, but if you selectively buy from the best lots the Aifu
can be every bit as good. Early in the crop cycle the Aifu cups best,
and later on the Maubesse is a little better. And of course that's why
you will see us stock Aifu early in the new crop and the Maubesse later.
Quality is def
initely up this year in milling and preparation; the beautiful jade-colored
green coffee is evidence of this. The cooperative mills that are the source
for our Organic coffee have invested in new facilities, new wet-processing
equipment, and improved standards of receiving and sorting only red, ripe
cherry. This lot is FTO too- fair trade and organic certified. As far as
the cup, Timor is not a funky, earthy coffee like Sumatra and Sulawesi;
it has a cleaner cup profile more like a Java, and is something I would
call a "quintessential crowd-pleasing coffee". When I ran cafes
it would be a "good house coffee" ... everyone will enjoy it.
The cup definitely has an initial hint of its Indonesian roots, just a
touch of pleasant woody forest flavor and a more pronounced sweet herbal
note in the aromatics. It doesn't spike in scoring at any point; it is
a balanced cup. Body is key here: viscous, oily body. While it is a striking
coffee at City+ roast (and has a lot of body for a lighter roast treatment),
I prefer the roast character at FC+, a few snaps into 2nd crack. I also
made some oustanding SO espresso (Single Origin) with straight Timor at
FC+ with 2 days rest.
Wet
Aroma (1-5)
3.0
Brightness
- Acidity (1-10)
8.0
Flavor
- Depth (1-10)
8.4
Body
- Movement (1-5)
4.0
Finish
- Aftertaste (1-10)
8.5
Cupper's
Correction (1-5)
0
Intensity/Prime
Attribute: Mild/ Clean, refined cup
Add
50
50
Roast: City+
to FC+ : I liked the darker roast treatment on this lot, and felt the
body holds up really well.
Score
(Max. 100)
84.9
Compare
to: A wet-processed Indonesia cup profile, like Java, with heavy
body and hints of Indonesia rustic, "foresty" flavors
Notes:Mount Elgon lies in the Eastern reaches of the country, straddling the Uganda/Kenya border. Judging by its enormous base it is thought that Mt Elgon was once the tallest mountain in Africa. The coffee shambas extend up and down the cliff faces, making use of natural water gullies and forest cover to extract moisture from the soil. The Sipi Falls is one of the great natural features of the Elgon region where this coffee originates, with small holder farms between 1,600 and 1,900 meters. It is a steep and difficult terrain to traverse in the rainy seasons; often there are no roads, only dirt tracks which are washed away by the rains. But the Bagisu tribesmen who live on the mountain have become expert coffee farmers and have developed their own transportation methods: Donkeys! It is also woth noting that this is the only certified organic coffee from Uganda at this time, and is also Utz Kapeh certified (this is what we call "fair trade lite." For more information visit www.utzkapeh.org). This cup is so different from other East African coffees, with a full body lower acidity than neighboring coffee origins; low acidty, heavy body, rustic aspects. It is more reminicent of Indonesian cup character than citric acidic coffees from Kenya and others. It took time for us to find a lot we really liked, something with some positive secondary characteristics. Here we have the deep tone range (lack of bright acidity), heavy body that reminds me almost of the oily Java mouthfeel, and mild rustic notes. But there is a unique raw Papaya flavor here too, giving added dimension to the cup.
Wet Aroma
(1-5)
3.4
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)
8
Flavor - Depth (1-10)
8.5
Body - Movement
(1-5)
4
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)
8.1
Cupper's Correction
(1-5)
0
Intensity/Prime Attribute:Medium intensity / Heavy body, rustic and fruited character.
Notes:Mountain Top is a farm in SE Australia, about 2 hours south of Brisbane and 5 minutes west of Nimbin. This selected area is unique because of the altitude and unique volcanic red soils. The farm itself is on the slopes of the extinct volcano, Mt. Warning. The area is a lush, subtropical environment, and is unique in coffee since this is the southernmost growing area I am aware of. It's also unique in that this growing area is quite distant from where most Aussie coffees come from, at least the Skybury from Mareeba in the north, which is a fully mechanized farm akin to Kauai coffee. And this is the first time we have bought an Aussie coffee, after years of evaluating Skybury samples and finding the flavors to be somewhere between copy paper and plastic wrappers, this is such a relief. What is Bin 431? It is a special designation for a lot that was screen dried directly after the skin was removed from the coffee cherry, and then double-sorted, meaning that it was run through the density sorting table twice to remove defects. It's a very sweet and rounded cup. It has a peculiar rounded form which is somewhat like Bourbon cultivar, and somewhat like Mundo Novo. Interestingly, Mountain Top is using the new mylar bag packaging pioneered by Daterra in Brazil to preserve green coffee as it travels across the equator and through greatly varying climates (namely, varying humidities). Now the cup ... the best part ... The cup has a unique sweetness to it. If you showed this to me blind, I would guess it was a mix of a super high-quality, sweet Brasil (body, rustic sweetness) and a Central (it has more bright, liveliness than most Brazils). But there is something of the Island coffees here too, a mild roundness to the cup. It's an odd term but very appropriate here: juicy! This cup is very juicy and has a very nice sweetness to it that is almost like pine sap, rustically sweet. How many times can I use the word "sweet" in describing this coffee? It would be a great training tool to show people what "sweet" coffee is... and it has brightness, something I have never truly experienced in an Aussie coffee. Overall, the flavors exist in a compact range, and the sweet aftertaste seems to linger for an appropriate amount of time given the quality of the body; viscous.
Wet Aroma
(1-5)
3
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)
8.3
Flavor - Depth (1-10)
8.6
Body - Movement
(1-5)
3.8
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)
8.4
Cupper's Correction
(1-5)
1
Intensity/Prime Attribute:Mild intensity / rustic sweet, viscous-bodied cup
add 50
50
Roast:I like true Full City, just before 2nd crack. Even a bit into 2nd is nice - at this stage it is more bittersweet than sweet. I also notice that, with rest of several days, the body is much greater than I score here in the review.
Score (Max. 100)
86.1
Compare to: Sweet Brasils in part, and Island coffee qualities in some regards, a sweet and straightforward cup that is, nonetheless, quite incomparable.
Yemen
Mokha Haimi
Country:
Yemen
Grade:
n/a
Region:
Haimi
Mark:
Haimi Mokha
Processing:
Natural Dry
Processed
Crop:
April 2007
Arrival
Appearance:
1.4 d/300gr,
15-16 Screen
Varietal:
Heirloom
Yemen Seedstock
Dry
Fragrance (1-5)
3.4
Notes:
Haimi is a distinct regional coffee, but has often been sold as Sana'ani
since it is geographically contiguous with the area around the capital,
Sana'a. Many moons ago, I found a Yemeni exporter willing to separate
the Haimi (he refers to it as Haimah: Haimi simply means "of Haimah).
I found it's unique cup character appealing. Now we are working with
another group, and they are finally able to separate Haimi from the Sana'ani
coffee. The light roasts are a great contrast from the dark roast treatment
here, but both are excellent on their own merits. The dry fragrance of
the City+ roast has an earthy sweetness to the cup, at once caramelly
and fruited. There are cardamom spice notes and fresh ginger. The Full
City+ roast aromatics are much more pungent, black-peppery, with a dark,
tarry molasses sweetness, and humus-laced intense roastiness. There is
a slightly hidey, fresh-leather quality in the light roast ... I know
that sounds a bit unappealing but it is actually quite exotic and attractive
in this cup (and quite "true" to Yemeni origin character).
Darker roasts have a rooty, tangy roast note, and waxy, dense body. The
light roast is much less intensely "brooding"
in the cup, with chamomile tea character, but funky, rustic, tea (we're
not talking milquetoast tea character here). Haimi delivers on several
levels: it offers the right Yemeni cup experience (a taste-equivalent of
an Arabic street bazaar, perhaps), and as a complex, unique cup that is
as far from clean, uniform Centrals as you can get.
Roast: C+
to FC+ … there's a very different cup character for these two roasts
(see review), and I also recommend a 50-50 blend of the two roast levels
- very interesting! HotTop
users, be aware of small bean size. All roasters: Yemen produces a large
amount of chaff.
Score
(Max. 100)
87.2
Compare
to: Intense, complex and wild cup. It is very interesting to cup
this directly against Sana'ani; both uniquely excellent.
Yemen
Mokha Sana'ani
Country:
Yemen
Grade:
n/a
Region:
Sana'a (mountains directly around the capital of Sana)
Mark:
None
Processing:
Natural
Dry Process
Crop:
March
2007 arrival
Appearance:
2.2
d/300gr, 14 -16 Screen
Varietal:
Heirloom
Yemeni arabica seedstock
Dry
Fragrance (1-5)
3.3
Notes: Sana'ani
refers to any coffee grown in the high altitudes around the Yemeni capital
of Sana'a (also Sana). These are perhaps lower in intensity than other
Yemeni origins but have a bright, light cup profile with more fruited
notes. In general, a Sana'ani coffee roasted lighter yields a unique
cup compared to the brooding Mattari and prized Hirazi coffees. I cup
them Sanani-type coffees regularly but don't buy often because they vary
in quality. Our favorite was Yemen Sana'ani Saihi-type and the excellent
Haimi-type, but these have has been unavailable for some time. This Sana'ani
sample and it cups like the Haimi, and that's what itched my buy bone;
bright fruitiness at the light roasts (City) , a winey depth to the acidity,
a touch of tobacco in the cup, and strong flavors of "fresh leather".
I love the way this coffee passes through your senses while drinking
it: it begins with a burst of pungent, spice flavor; as the curtain lifts
on the first wave of flavor a light, delicate peach-apricot fruitiness
is revealed, and in the end a bit of cinnamon spiciness. The coffee has
a good tannic edge and dried fruit character but it will depend on your
roast treatment of the coffee: At City+ in an air roaster, you get the
maximum bright, fruited, light body cup. Slow down the roast and put
it in a drum and the body is more accented (remember to rest the roast
48 hours for increased body) and a bit is taken off the top end. It has
great fragrance as a dry coffee and great wet aromatics, becoming more
intensely tobaccoy and leathery in the later. In the long aftertaste,
as the heat dissipates, an herbal sweetness emerges, with a clear nutmeg
accent. I especially enjoyed light Vienna roast here also, where a dark
caramelized sugar sweetness was still present, the fruit had turned broodingly
winey, and the overall cup intensity made me want to play bongos and
recite beatnik poetry. Okay, maybe not, but this lot is very nice! It
also underscores the fact that leathery rustic flavors can be a very
positive attribute.
Roast: Full
City Roast or darker. It certainly is outstanding and powerful in the
darker stages. A light Vienna roast of this lot is delicious! You need
to rest Yemens 2 days to allow the body to develop. Then again, cup aromas
are best with a short 12-24 hour rest. HotTop users, be aware of small
bean size. All roasters: Yemen produces a large amount of chaff.
Score
(Max. 100)
87.6
Compare
to: A brighter Yemen than the Mattari or Hirazi, more fruited and
winey, perhaps thinner in body but still with good intensity and quality
of mouthfeel. An interesting cross-cup comparison to the Ismaili. Small
bean, expertly prepared coffee (but a natural coffee so occasional
suprises - a small rock -- are possible.)
Notes:Zambian coffees recent to the Specialty trade and perhaps yet to emerge from the long shadow cast by the East African powerhouse, Kenya. But like their cousins from Zimbabwe they can be uniquely endowed with both balance, sweetness and interesting wild notes emerging in the aromatics and aftertaste. It takes some searching and patience to find a good single-Estate Zambian though. There were some generic lots in the U.S. last year, peaberry in particular, where off flavors dominated to cup, and there was no sweetness to provide balance. The Lupili has a range of flavors within the cup, and can produce a range of cups: it can take a wide altitude of roasts and produce interesting cup character as a result. Roasted to a lighter City Roast stage (through first crack completely, stopping before any hint of 2nd Crack) the cup is lively, zested with a bit of tangerine acidity (with a bit of rind), caramelly, and having that distinct East African wild note (sage/goldenseal herbiness, a little leathery-?-) emerge in the aftertaste. And on the subject of aftertaste, it is extremely long given the balance of the cup. Candy-malty caramelly roast taste shift to bittersweet tones as you go from a City Roast to a Full City+, a few snaps into 2nd crack. The coffee is excellent in an case and invites your interpretation in terms of "degree of roast". The drum roaster create nice roasts of this coffee too. Espresso: I made incredible straight roast espresso with this, roasted to a light Vienna and rested 2 days.
Wet Aroma
(1-5)
3.6
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)
8.5
Flavor - Depth (1-10)
8.8
Body - Movement
(1-5)
3.5
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)
8.8
Cupper's Correction
(1-5)
0
Intensity/Prime Attribute:Mild to Medium / balance, wild accent notes
add 50
50
Roast:This can take darker roasts and the wild note in the coffee will turn into a bittersweet pungency, but I like it at the lighter City stage and rested for 24 hours, where the aftertaste comes as a surprise in a balanced and somewhat sweet caramelly cup. But there is more balance and softness as the coffee nears 2nd crack.
Score (Max. 100)
86.4
Compare to: Really nice Zimbabwe: balanced cup with unique "wild" note.
Notes: The best estate Zimbabwe coffees are prized for their balance in the cup ...which might sound like it is mild, but that is not the case. Balanced coffees are a "complete cup." They have all the desirable qualities. A really good Zimbabwe has moderate acidity, rich flavors, good body and aftertaste. The problem is, there are many coffee lots sold as generic Zimbabwe which theoretically can be good but in reality are often not. (part of this is the difficulty with shipping coffee from this land-locked nation. Coffee steaming in 100 degree weather in a metal shipping container for 6 weeks while waiting for pickup is not good for cup quality!) So simply being a Zimbabwe coffee is by no means enough. That said, there are the uncertain political environment affecting agriculture and commerce now, and so good coffee from Zimbabwe is hard to come by. To be honest, I don't know much about the Dandoni Estate, except that it has been owned by the Fennell family for some time. This is from a green coffee broker who (like me) has had trouble finding a really good reliable source from a single Estate. But without the "provenance" I found the sample to have an exemplary Zimbabwe flavor profile - balanced, complex, with that East African "gamey" hint in the cup. This can come across a bit vegetal in nature, but (and I can't believe I am writing this) it is a good vegetal flavor, not bad. It leans toward herby, sagey, not ...uh ...cabbage, broccolli and the like; definitely not flavors you want in a coffee. It also has a zest of Daikon (white) radish. Oh lord, is anyone going to buy this coffee! Well, who cares - it's a great cup with a few flavors from the garden itn it. Is that so bad? Okay, moving along ... It has a low-toned, mildly citric quality (not a biting grapefruit-like acidity), and rooty/spicey interjections that, for me, come off like sasparilla. I did my usual City, City+ and Full City roasts but I really found a cup with deep flavors reverberating throught it at the Full City + stage, with just a hint of 2nd crack. This cup is sweetly tarry, still has ripe citrus notes, and spicey suggestions - a very good balance between body and overall cup intensity at this level of roast. The situation in Zimbabwe is very difficult, but I understand (from a relative's email) that the Dandoni Farm owners are staying, and will not be forced to cede their property. We wish them luck. So rumors of their departure were incorrect, and we hope to see this coffee offered again next season!
Wet Aroma
(1-5)
3.5
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)
8.5
Flavor - Depth (1-10)
8.8
Body - Movement
(1-5)
3.3
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)
8.7
Cupper's Correction
(1-5)
0
Intensity/Prime Attribute:Medium / balance and unique East African gamey flavors.
add 50
50
Roast:City to Full City+: (wide range, depending on your taste). Note the above comments about FC+ roast level.
Score (Max. 100)
86
Compare to: Excellent complexity/depth and a unique origin flavors that shift greatly depending on roast... Very much an East African cup profile...
