I just picked up my Ninety Plus sampler for the 2014 selection. I already sampled them all at a cupping and was really impressed again this year. I will have a busy and caffeinated weekend working through this set, will be fun.

Silivia N2 - Silla Del Pando, Volcan, Panama
Nekisse N2 Ethiopia, Sidamo
Perci N2 Silla Del Pando, Volcan, Panama.
Lycello W2 Silla Del Pando, Volcan, Panama.
Juliette H2 Silla Del Pando, Volcan, Panama.
Lotus H2 Silla Del Pando, Volcan, Panama.
Tchembe N2 Ethiopia, Yirgacheffe
Hachira N2, Ethiopia, Yirgacheffe

Anyone else tried brewing up any of these, any brewing or tasting notes? I'll update here as I try each one.
Used the new mobile interface to take and add the picture, awesome new feature! Much less hassle to add pics now.

Tasting the Tchembe first:

Ninety Plus website
Ethiopia Tchembe N2
Taste Profile: Tchembe
Taste Profile Category: N2
Selection Level: Level 7
Taste Profile Notes: black cherry, raspberry, honey, citrus, thick, juicy, clean
Although 2013 Tchembe is a Yirgacheffe, the name is inspired by the Hachiro and Bolo varieties in the Amaro Mountains, which taste of carob and banana when natural processed. Tchembe coffees tend to be thick with earth and chocolate and variable layers of citrus and berry.

Brewed 30g of these light roasted beans, ground on setting 3 in the Fuji Royal, with 450g water, 92 degrees C in the Chemex. The dark berry flavor is very mild, and there is a subtle earthiness in the aroma. A subtle citrus note emerges as it cools along with honey. This is a clean, balanced, sweet, and juicy cup that is pleasant, but not spectacular.

I was fortunate to get to profile a bit of the ultra premium Semeon Abay from them. It's one of the craziest coffees I've ever tried, and I didn't have enough to do more than one profile (of which I didn't nail well). The taste descriptors on that coffee could fill a dictionary. The complexity and intensity of those notes were unlike pretty much anything else I've ever tried. Too rich for my blood though.

Yeah the prices can be out there, luckily my local roaster makes these small 50g per bean sets, so testing them is less painful to the wallet. I would love to try that Semeon Abay.

Lotus H2, this one is what I was expecting from Ninety Plus, their Panama Gesha Estate coffee is simply delicious. The first post brew aromas remind me of spiced fruit punch. My tasting notes don't match the label, but it's so complex there is a lot to identify. The light body has amazing candy cherry sweetness and the flavors mutate and change as it cools. Big thumbs up on this one!

Hachira N2, I like this cup, not a fruity natural process bean. It has a deep rich complexity, balanced, a clean Ethiopian natural. The herbal and floral flavors balance nicely and become sweeter as the cup cools.

Thanks for posting these. I've never had a chance to try any of the ninety plus coffees, but it's fun to hear your descriptions of them.

Great Jofari, I am trying to record my impressions as well to help remember my notes when next year's 90+ arrives. I did this same set last year but didn't take any notes, and now wish I could remember how last year's samples tasted. Also, hope to help anyone thinking about buying some of these beans with another impression of the beans, maybe to assist someone in finding which profile suits their tastes.

On that note, I will add today's Clever Dripper brew of the Juliette H2, level 39, here in my office brewing station. Since this profile has the same name as my little Sister and Grandmother, I always feel happy to see a new bag of it.

This Panama Gesha is the cleanest and most complex so far out of this set, the floral aroma from the brewed coffee makes me hesitate to drink it, I want to just keep smelling it. The first taste on the tongue hits me with so many flavors I struggle to pick out one dominating note. As I sip the coffee cools and I start to notice each sip has a more and more pronounced lemony acidity right at the finish, the next sip tastes of mango and tropical fruits, then fading back to a sweet lemon candy right at the end. The end of the cup just makes me want to brew more.

Perci N2 Level 39

This gesha profile has a chocolate and cocoa nib dominant flavor along with cherry, apple, and pineapple sweetness. The body is very silky. This one was not exactly what I was expecting, the cocoa particularly, my wife however loved it.

Jeremy,

Enticing descriptions of coffee also too rich for my blood (Nekisse N2 is $1600/16 oz roasted according to a review on Coffeereview). I would like to know the origins. Please could you edit your original post, eg Nekisse, Sidama, Ethiopia if you know those origins. The bags only specify the Panama Gesha Estates on those two bags.

Thanks,

Flint

[Edit: Looking at the Nekisse review, the coffee reviewer notes that Ninety Plus sources in Ethiopia and Panama. If Nekisse is that expensive, what does Panama Gesha roasted demand for a price? I guess I also need to convert from NT$ ]