2018-07-01 — Sumatra Raja Batak Peaberry

Roast Date: 1 Jul 2018
Roast Level: C+
Duration: 12m12s
First Crack @ 10m12s
Rating: ★★★☆☆
1.2lb → 1.019lb; 15% Weight Loss

Sweet Maria’s

The sweetness smelled in the dry fragrance has the pungency of black strap molasses with peppery tobacco accents. Both City+ and Full City roasts have potent, rustic sweetness, mixing syrupy fruit smells with earth-toned bittersweetness. The aroma is quite herbal, and a complex mix of bittersweet cocoa and green herbals are released on the break. The cup is complex, malt syrups with bell pepper and burdock root accents as it cools. A note of dried natural apricot comes up as you move through the cup, along with intense bittersweet chocolate, and a rustic date sugar accent in the finish. Full City roasts are brimming with bittering cacao/unsweetened chocolate flavors, and as the coffee cools, top notes like pipe tobacco, green pepper, peat, and hickory smoke come through in the finish. This coffee’s body is thick, so viscous and syrupy. Add to this a muted acidity level, and you have the makings for a wonderful espresso blend component, or even single origin. This is a Sumatra that shows well in light roasting, even at City roast, however my favorite brewed cup was in the City+ to Full City roast range, where earth tones find balance among rustic syrupy sweetness. I also prefer letting this coffee rest for a couple days before drinking, allowing the flavor notes to coalesce

Roast Notes

This is the first time I’ve roasted peaberry or Sumatran coffee. It was bizarre to me how long it took to get to first crack. I would have assumed peaberry would roast faster, not slower.

Cupping

Caveat lector: This is the first time I’ve had Peruvian coffee and so I am caught somewhat flatfooted tasting it.

Acidity: Up front acidity that reminds me more of limes than many other fruits, but not quite as tart.

Sweetness: There’s a weird sweetness I can’t place. The SM notes say apricot, and maybe that’s it?

Mouthfeel: Rich and thick.

Flavor: This coffee is so rich. To me it has a super condensed flavor that I would call punchy.

Finish: Pleasant! I taste the bell pepper here.

Balance: Good. We’ll have to see if it grows on me or not over time.