2019-05-22 — Guatemala Acatenango Gesha

Roast Date: 22 May 2019
Roast Level: C+
Duration: 13m55s
First Crack @ 10m53s
1.2lb → 1.016lb; 15% Weight Loss

Sweet Maria’s

The cup is both floral and brisk, a flavor combo not necessarily unique to Gesha cultivar, but certainly unique to most Latin American coffees. The dry fragrance might lead you to believe otherwise showing more of a cinnamon/sugar combination that is still alluring, but not the perfumed smell I expected. It wasn’t until breaking through the wetted crust that I uncovered attractive jasmine flower aromatics, along with wafts of honey and tea. An herbal sweetness marks the aroma, as do licorice tea, and a palm sugar scent as you near Full City. This coffee shows well in light to middle roasts, where layers of raw sugar sweetness are accented by floral hints and an herbaceous Darjeeling tea note. As the cup cools, sweetness builds in strength, and what starts out as transparent simple syrup sweetness, ends up with suggestions of toffee malt and molasses. The cup has moderate acidity that comes off very tea-like, and with a citrus element as well. And while I don’t recommend Full City roasts for brew, as most of the floral and tea notes will be compromised, it makes for a chocolate-y and floral espresso. A sweet toffee taste is underscored by fine, bittersweet cacao bar, and these shots produce incredibly thick body that weighs heavy on the palate.