Blind Assessment: Delicate, complex, lively. Distinct honey and crisply sweet cacao-nib with lavender-like flowers and an herby hint, cilantro perhaps, in aroma and cup. Lively, floral-toned acidity; very light but silky mouthfeel. Lavender in particular carries into a quietly rich finish.
Notes: Ninety Plus is a distinguished boutique exporter and importer of innovative small-lot coffees from Ethiopia and Panama. Grown near Neji in the Sidama/Sidamo growing region, this Ethiopian coffee is a dry-processed or “natural” coffee, meaning the beans were dried inside the fruit rather than after the fruit has been removed, as is the case with wet-processed or “washed” coffees. Barrington Coffee is an artisan roaster dedicated to elite coffees, fresh delivery and roasting that foregrounds the coffee and not the roast. Visit www.barringtoncoffee.com or call 800-528-0998 for more information.
Who Should Drink It: A nicely conducted extreme light roast develops the lyric sweetness and delicate complexity of this very pure dried-in-the-fruit coffee. Those who enjoy sophisticated lagers with floral-toned hops might be particular candidates for this one.