Sweet Maria's Ethiopiques Blend

Ethiopian coffees at medium roast levels can be quite delicious, albeit a bit two-dimensional compared to the aromatic cups they produce when roasted light. But extracting those dark roasts in an espresso machine produces something quite different, and very intense. This all wet process Ethiopia blend (our original "Ethiopiques" blend!) is a mix of coffees from southern and western regions that extracts brightly accented bittersweetness and the syrupy shot. Full City roasts bring fruited suggestions to the otherwise pungent, chocolatey dry fragrance. The wet aroma follows in the same footsteps, with more clarification of fruited hints, raisin and lime, and an herbal dark chocolate note. The espresso shot is surprisingly syrupy. The chocolate roast taste is pungent, aggressive, bittersweet, and long-lasting on the palate. But it is also very clean, with moderate sweetness that goes the distance, finishing with a caramel stroopwaffel note. On top of this are piney resinous notes, bright aspects of lemon oil and candied citrus rind, and a dried cranberry that comes through in flavor and tart intensity. The body seems bolstered by the intense cup flavors, and has the effect of satiny chocolate. It's fantastic! The ristretto shots were interesting and very intense. As usual I preferred an almost equal ratio of grounds to yield, with 18 grams of coffee in, to 20-22 grams of espresso out, over 30 seconds.