Bean: San Jose El Yalu, Guatemala CoE #3
Cafe: Ritual Coffee Roasters
Rating: 4
All I can say is WOW! This is definitely one of the best cups of coffee I’ve had this year and it was brewed with a plastic cone, unbleached coffee filter and blade grinder. I can only imagine what this must be like in a clover. Comparing this coffee with some of the others that I’ve enjoyed so much this past year (Novo’s Lake Tawar from Sumatra and Stumptown’s Colombia La Esperanza) has helped me realize something: as much as I like lightly roasted coffees and bright acidity, I prefer something more, but not too substantial to anchor all that lightness. The best coffees to me have that light burst of acidity or strong fruit notes which are balanced by something rich and steady, yet aren’t too dark. The bottom line is that I need something that tastes like coffee! The San Jose does just this. It’s incredibly complex with hints of pear and raspberry but smothered in a velvety milk chocolate, but not just any milk chocolate. It’s that type of Swiss Milk chocolate that’s hard to find in the US – Lindt makes a particular bar – that’s rich and smooth without being cloying or sweet.
