I ordered some beans from Barrington Coffee roasting company, the first time I've tried anything from them at home (even though they're just out in western Mass). I opened up the first bag this morning, the Ethiopian Sidama Korate Natural from 2008.

The smell of blueberries was there as soon as I started grinding the beans, and it came through loud and clear in the cup. I've only pulled 3 shots so far (not sure if it's easy to dial in, or I just got lucky) and they were around 17grams at 199f for fairly typical looking shot in terms of time, flow and color (cut them at just a touch of blonding). They were nicely balanced, with complex flavors, although the blueberry was the obvious standout. Especially when I tried it with a little milk.

This is one of the best ethiopians I've tried in a long time, and the first time I've gotten such a standout blueberry flavor in years. Which I guess makes sense, since the green are from 3 years ago, I can only assume that however Barrington is storing their greens it's working. These were also roasted for espresso, and they've done a good job at that too. I'm not sure what kind of supply they have saved up, but I might buy an extra bag and just throw it in the freezer for safe keeping.

Barrington vac. packs but I don't think they freeze. I actually roasted some of the same 2008 beans from my stash last Sat. and pulled a shot on my Elektra MCAL for todays lunch! Sweet and fruity.