2017-10-26 — Kenya Muranga Riakiberu AA
Roast Date: 26 Oct 2017Duration: 11m16s
First Crack @ 8m34s
Rating: ★★★☆☆
1.2lb → 1.016lb; 15% Weight Loss
Sweet Maria’s
The smells in the dry grounds of Riakiberu are attractive, City+ roasts offering a mix of malty sweetness, and berry jelly. Fruits are present without overpowering the aroma, and while smells of baked goods, caramelizing sugars, and such billow in the steam from the hot coffee, subtler accent notes like berry and melon compliment this sugary base. Riakiberu brews really well, City+ roasts promising flavors of sagarcane juice, cantelope, and an interesting herbal note of celery soda. There’s a honey-wheat flavor too that comes through in the finish that while a little odd for Kenya, but is just an afterthought as you pass through flavors of fruit tea, tart limeade, and lemon-rhubarb. Acidity is bright from the get go, the perception of citrus is apparent, and we noticed that the citric overtones gain momentum as the cup temperature cools. There’s a tannic aspect in the finish that’s similar to slightly over extracted black tea, and flavors of unrefined sweeteners like barley malt and rice syrup round out the finish.
Acidity: Not much.
Sweetness: A little bit sweet, but hard to tell through the complex (or is it muddied?) flavor.
Mouthfeel: This is a little astringnet, making it feel dry to me.
Flavor: The flavor of this is fine, but it’s either too complex for me, or the flavors are blended so much that I can’t pull them apart. I can definitely taste a fruity note but it’s less like fresh fruit and more like fruit jelly.
Finish: The finish here is punchy and strong. It toes the line between great and gross.
Balance: Good coffee.