Blind Assessment

Evaluated as espresso. Although both Ken (94) and co-taster Sean Kohmescher (90) lavished a bundle of descriptors on this complex and challenging espresso, the real issue was how much to honor a pungent, musky character as it plays out in a well-pulled espresso. Both Ken and Sean were puzzled by the unusual aroma, but Sean, as he followed it into the cup, found it pleasing but just a bit edgy, perhaps musty, whereas Ken enthusiastically read it rich with the sort of pungent, earthy grapefruit character one finds in the best Sumatras. In two parts milk Sean found this flavor complex “musky” and “antique”; for Ken it was suavely nut-like.

Notes

Grown on Fazenda Aurea near the town of Serra do Salitre. Raisin refers to the practice of systematically allowing coffee cherries to dry on the trees before finishing the drying on tables. Coffee fruit dried on the tree is particularly vulnerable to the molds that create a musty or mildewed character because it is not protected from moisture during drying as patio- or table-dried fruit is (or should be). So this is a tricky process, but when carefully pursued and the stars are aligned and the clouds stay away it can produce a fascinating espresso, as it does here. Based in Morrisville, North Carolina, Muddy Dog Roasting is a small batch roaster focused on environmentally and socially responsible coffees and eco-friendly roasting. Visit www.muddydogcoffee.com or call 919-371-2818 for more information.

Who Should Drink It

A cigars-and-leather-arm-chair-style straight espresso for those whose tastes lean to single malts and the more robust styles of tequila and grappa.

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