Sulawesi Aged Dry Process Napu Robusta

Robusta is inherently low-toned and intense. But the bitter bite that typically accompanies those flavors has been rounded off by cellaring the coffee for 1 year. The result is a coffee with deep bass notes, low acidity and sweetness, with complex earthy accents. At Full City+, the ground coffee has pronounced bitter notes in smell, roast-tinged, foresty, with savory accents of wheat, dry roasted nuts, and burnt popcorn. At first, the wet aroma smelled like opening a can of unsweetened baking cocoa, with an umami accent of burnt tamari. But running my spoon through the wet coffee crust released nuanced hints of spice, and burnt sugar. The cup has just a spot of sweetness underneath, but it's far from the focal point. Bass notes dominate, but aging the coffee has taken the bittering edge off. I'd almost characterize it as "smooth" Robusta flavors, but don't want to give the wrong impression! It just doesn't have the mouth-grabbing bite, which makes it a more pleasurable Robusta to drink, in my opinion. Other notes included tobacco, clove oil, and roasted whole grains. Recommended for dark roasts. If not for cup flavor, for the fact that the 'snaps' are very subtle until entering 2nd Crack. Keep an eye on it while roasting so that you don't go too far. That said, both my roasts hit 2nd Crack and I don't think I'd roast any lighter.

*see our notes on visual grade, and general Robusta comments, in Farm Notes