Guatemala Chocal Keneth Merida Pacamara

This Pacamara lot from Keneth Merida shows impressive bittersweetness at a range of roast levels, and it's at the lighter end of the spectrum where subtle top note accents have the most clarity. The fragrance from the ground coffee has compelling sweetness of demerara type raw sugars, clean and slightly perfumed, with dark fruits in the background. The wet aroma brings a raisin note to the steam, with torched sugar bittersweetness, along with hints of purple fruits. At City/City+ levels, the cup yields very nice chocolate tones and accents of dark fruits, with a moderate level of acidity that has juicy characteristics. Base flavors of dark sugars, and high % cacao bar give way to hints of flame grape, black plum, and a fig note in the aftertaste. The coffee has a very nice roast bittering, even when roasted light, and comes off like extra dark chocolate, with some unsweetened baking cocoa in the long aftertaste. Full City roasts really showcase the bittersweet side, but still have a plump dark fruit accent, like chocolate drizzled blackberry.