2018-05-17 — Costa Rica Helsar Santa Lucia

Roast Date: 17 May 2018
Roast Level: FC
Duration: 12m30s
First Crack @ 10m2s
Rating: ★★★★☆
1.2lb → 1.016lb; 15% Weight Loss

Sweet Maria’s

Cupping a City+ roast of Santa Lucia, the ground coffee brings a subtle sweetness to the table, bittering core coffee characteristics present with a layer of unrefined sugar sweetness mixed in. The coffee makes quite a transformation from this humble start, wet aromatics giving promise of a bigger coffee than the fragrance lets on to. A coconut and dark chocolate smell comes up in the steam, along with fruited accents that are still a little on the dull side, but their presence is definite. And the brewed coffee gives the final show, a sweet undercurrent of toffee and honey flavors, offsetting central bittersweetness. There’s life breathed into the fruited tones sensed early on in aroma, and they take form as accents of dried peach, whole dried banana, and coconut chips. Santa Lucia has lovely apple/malic acidic impression at this roast level too, which adds definition to the flavors in the cup profile. Body is noticeably juicy too, and I think taking a shade darker (Full City) will yield dense bittersweetness and viscous mouthfeel, not to mention make a good option for Costa Rican single origin espresso.

Cupping

Acidity: Light, straightforward acidity.

Sweetness: Very minor sweetness that I would associate with coconut.

Mouthfeel: Clean, light feel.

Flavor: I taste a bit of the apple, coconut, and dark chocolate.

Finish: Heavy on the dark chocolate.

Balance: This is one of my favorite coffees, still. I love the clean, clear, straightforward flavor.