Burundi Kayanza Gakenke

This lot from Gakenke has impressive sweetness in the light and middle roasts, with spiced accent notes, and clean, dynamic acidity. The dry fragrance let off a scent of raw sugars accented by complex baking spices and tea. The aroma smelled deeply sweet, and breaking through the crust peeled back layers of honey, sugar cane, and cardamom tea. Burundi coffees can be really complex, and Gakenke definitely treads familiar territory from this incredible coffee origin. The cup flavors at City and City+ roast levels were underscored by saccharine sweetness, and accented by aromatic spices and tea notes. Staying north of Full City will pull out cup characteristics of black teas with citrus, Earl Grey, orange peel, and cinnamon stick in the aroma. The finish was brisk, echoing the black tea tasted up front, with faint cocoa roast flavors. Lght roasts are lively and bright, a core component to the coffee's structure. Roasting Gakenke to Full City brought out sweetness that rode the line between simple raw sugars to caramelized and complex, with a note of cinnamon-spiced dark chocolate in the long finish.