I should toss in my favorites this year. I was surprised when I notice the Brazil Poco Fundo on the disappointed list. I found this years Poco Fundo to be quite good, more African than Brazil. Fruity and sweet with a playful acidity and nutty background, but it takes a light roast. If you hear the first pop of second, it is way over roasted. I stop just out of first crack. This years 2004 aged Sumatra Lintong, at under $3 a pound in the green it was one of the best coffees, and values, of the year. I managed to get 5 pounds of the Brazil Fazenda Pedra Preta #3 COE. That was the best coffee I have had this year, I am still stretching out the last of my green on that one. The most disappointing, I really have not had one, but if I had to pick something I would say most every Ethiopian I have had, I just haven't had one that made me stand back and go Wow!

My candidates are as follows:

(1) My Most Satisfying Coffee - This is really tough. There have been so many fine coffees this year, including the Jacu Bird Coffee; coworkers and I thoroughly enjoyed the dusty sweetness of the cocoa with a peppery note. However, there were several precursors to exquisite elixir that I thoroughly enjoyed (all from Sweet Maria's):

El Salvador SHB Pulp Natural - San Emilio @ $5.00/lb - A fantastic coffee that I thoroughly enjoyed at a Full City roast, no 2nd crack. I roasted some of this and sent it to Rob, but I think I ruined it by roasting it a bit too dark, thereby not doing the coffee justice. In the ideal roast, it was a dense-bodied coffee in which the fruited and nutty subtexts along with the chocolate notes created a marvelously complex, snappy and satisfying indulgence.
Bolivia FTO SHG EP Caranavi @ $5.60/lb - This struck me as an absolutely elegant coffee at a true City+ roast. The coffee produced a pure, soft, sweet, nutty chocolate with a hint of red apple that caressed the tongue and palate; long afterwards, there was still a layer of silky chocolate coating the palate.
Colombia Cup of Excellence #12 - El Descanso @ $8.80/lb - After a long dry spell, this coffee convinced me that I could love a pure Caturra coffee. At a Light Full City, the complexity of this coffee was compelling and made stare at the brew in wonder; there was a heavy body with a myriad of dark fruits, highlighted with some floral notes and accented with some raisin sweetness. It was both divine and sublime. I even enjoyed this more than the # 3 El Placer.

First place for me probably lies between the El Salvador SHB Pulp Natural - San Emilio and the Colombia Cup of Excellence #12 - El Descanso. A tough call, but perhaps leaning toward the latter, maybe.

(2) My Best Value Coffee - India Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold (from Sweet Maria's) @ less than $4.00/lb. We enjoyed this coffee at varitey of roasts and the flavors ran the gamut from dry-roasted peanut to chocolate with cherry to chocolate and toffee. A versatile, staple coffee for us.

(3) My Most Disappointing Coffee - for pretty much the same reasons, the Ethiopia Biloya Special from Paradise Roasters ($15.25/lb) - a great coffee for sure, but did not live up to the hype. My preferred roast for this one was a Cinnamon roast.

Happy Holidays to everyone!