Blind Assessment

Impressive balance of roasty pungency and gently brisk acidity. Softly scorched cedar, a distinct, complexly expressed dark chocolate, hints of blackberry and grapefruit in aroma and cup. Roast-nuanced, softly bittersweet acidity; plush mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates around dry chocolate and a hint of berry in a crisp finish.

Notes

Produced entirely from trees of the respected Catuai variety of Arabica. In 2014 this coffee received the highest score a dried-in-the-fruit or “natural” processed coffee has ever received in a Brazil Cup of Excellence competition. Starbucks green buyer Ann Traumann bought all 2244 pounds of the winning lot. This is a limited edition coffee, one of an array of very select small-lot coffees that together demonstrate the entry of Starbucks into the new, highest-end specialty coffee arena. This coffee was roasted on a small-batch roaster and is only available for purchase at the palatial new Starbucks Reserve Roastery location in Seattle. Note that the majority of Starbucks Reserve coffees, including all of those that can be purchased online or at other Starbucks locations, are roasted on a considerably larger batch-roaster located on the lower level of the Reserve Roastery, and based on our sampling are on an average roasted darker than the highest-end coffees like this one that are only sold scooped out of bulk bins at the Seattle Roastery. For further information visit www.starbucks.com/roastery.

Who Should Drink It

Roasted to just shy of the second crack, this is not the way this coffee tasted to the Cup of Excellence jury that, on the basis of what was certainly a light-to-medium sample roast, awarded it an unprecedented score of 95. Nevertheless, at this moderately dark roast it’s a fine, elegantly chocolaty coffee with engaging hints of citrus and berry.

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