Blind Assessment

Intensely rich, deeply sweet, complex. Chocolate fudge, lavender, grapefruit zest, moist perique-style tobacco, coconut-covered date in aroma and cup. Balanced, sweetly savory in structure with lively acidity; buoyant, syrupy mouthfeel. The flavor-laden finish offers chocolate-toned spicy florals in the short resolving to rich date notes with undertones of perique tobacco in the long.

Notes

Coffees from the northern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra are admired for their complex earth and fruit notes that appear to result largely from unorthodox fruit removal and drying practices called “wet hulling.” This is a splendid example of the potential of the type. Ulos Batak is the name applied by the cooperative exporter Klasik Beans to a premium grade of its small-producer wet-hulled coffee from the Lintong region south of Lake Toba. Lintong is one of the longest-established growing regions in Sumatra and probably the most admired. JBC Coffee Roasters’ vision is simple: “let the coffee lead the way” through sourcing and roasting the best and most unique coffees available and rewarding the farmers who grow those coffees with substantial premiums. Visit www.jbccoffeeroasters.com or call 608-256-5282 for more information.

Bottom Line

An intricately layered, superb Sumatra cup saturated with chocolate, spicy floral and sweet fruit notes, with gentle intimations of rich perique tobacco.

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