Kenya Kiambu Spike Peaberry

I was really impressed by the level of sweetness in both my light and medium roasts of Spike Peaberry, and couldn't really settle on a favorite. Both revealed flavors of complex sugars, along with very nice fruit suggestions that shifted depending on the roast level. City roasts were accented by dark berry and stone fruits, whereas Full City brought out a darker fruits tempered by more intense chocolate bittersweets. The sweet smells in the fragrance were accompanied by notes of black currant, cooked sugar, cinnamon caramel, and dark grape. The wet aroma had a syrupy berry smell, like raspberry reduction with brown sugar. Brewing a City roast, there's a potent burnt sugar note that leads to some complex bittering aspects in the aftertaste. I think we all agreed the Peaberry had more of a fruited dimension than AB, but it's still well balanced by the cup sweetness. Notes of blackberry tea, dark orange, and dried currant are mild-mannered, but come through the compact sweet base flavor nicely, along with fragrant spice accents in the finish. The cup develops some very nice roast tones at Full City, bittersweet and boomy, with notes of spiced blackberry, and tamarind sauce.