The past few days have been busy and a lot of fun due to the arrival of 47 bags of coffee. Some real gems have become available today.
My favorite from the latest batch would have to be the El Salvador Cerro de las Ranas. While cupping various roasts of this coffee, I found several good yet radically different cups. For a while I wished that I could sell four different roasts of this bean, but I believe I've found a roast that captures all of the flavors I like in this coffee. Cinnamon highlights dominate the initial impression. Continued tasting as the coffee cools reveals subtle pepper notes. Had I roasted the coffee a little darker, this could have been brought out to a greater extent or minglede with hints of carbony flavors, but that destroys the cinnamon notes. The third distinct flavor element consists of delicate jasmine notes. This was surprising as it was not present in the cupping.
Java Jampit Estate is another coffee that can be interpreted in a couple different ways. The roast I chose produces a rich, flavorful brew with lots of body and spice notes. The second best roast I found had a unique marshmallow aftertaste. There are several reasons I decided against that roast.
Marketing for Colombian coffee claims that Colombian coffee is the richest coffee in the world. I don't think that description does justice to the wonderful diversity available in Colombian coffees, but with the arrival of the new decaffeinated Colombian, it is the richest decaf at Wilson's Coffee & Tea. It also makes a tasty French Roast.
Nicaragua Matagalpa Mama Mina Estate is a smooth, buttery coffee.
Finally, the new decaffeinated Kenya AA is fantastic. The brew has a tart fruit aroma and the flavor is bright, crisp, and floral.
My roasting list was long enough today that I decided to roast in two sessions. Between these sessions, I made signs for the El Salvador and Nicaraguan coffees. These feature photographs taken during the 1997 trip to various coffee farms and facilities in Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.
