This years crop is just extraordinary. Two years ago now, Dave Borton blew us away with this fantastic very high grown Yemen coffee that detoured far from anything typical from that region. Last years was nearly as good as the first, a bit less intense, a bit more challenging to roast due to more bean size variance, but this current offering is better in every way and equal to the first years offering. The first years crop was intensely Hawaiian Punch. This crop is a bowl of cherries.

It took a great deal of restraint to hold off brewing it till today, nearly 5 days off roast. Again, during the roast, the aroma that this coffee creates right as it's rounding yellow stage is just intoxicating. Heady cherry aromas and watermelon filled my kitchen. Grinding this coffee is equally a treat.

In the cup, the aromatics are sweet tea, rose water and buckets of cherries. Flavors very similar, cherries so sweet it leans more maraschino than bing coat your palate and don't let go. I developed my first roast of this offering just a tad darker than I normally would, figuring it would be fun to pull shots this time around. It's still remarkable for it's utter lack of utters. No animal hide, funk or other heavy, leathery descriptors creep into this cup. The mouthfeel has been well described as silk, it coats the palate and lingers forever. You'll taste and enjoy this coffee for a long time. It cools ridiculously sweet and still clean. I'm getting a nice cocoa finish.

Thanks Tom. I find it a stellar cup; probably the silkiest cup I have ever had. Absolutely love it. Wait till you try a shot.

Credit the farmers. Found an article which mentions the efforts to segregate quality in Yemen. It includes the broker in Yemen, Al Ezzi, who works with our NAmer broker. Good reading. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/origina ... -shop.html#

We grabbed 4 of the 5 bags of Red Haraaz that came into NAmerica. Yemen bags are an odd size, 64 kilo or 141 pounds. The Haraaz Traceable and the Anesi were outstanding as well. Quality heirlooms in an area where qat is more lucrative for the farmer and a civil war continues - -

We. Be. Lucky.

Tom,

Thank you for your take on this lot. I'm excited to get my paws on the Anesi!

But more importantly, "Thank you" Dave for all your hard work in bringing these exciting and rare finds to our roasting tables! Can't imagine how physically, emotionally and potentially financially draining making this happen in such an affordable and organized fashion must be!

You have our gratitude and blessings.



Kind regards,

Bryan

Contrabass_Bry wrote:Tom,

Thank you for your take on this lot. I'm excited to get my paws on the Anesi...


But more importantly, "Thank you" Dave for all your hard work ...

You have our gratitude and blessings.
...

What's a 1/2 ton of greens split into 5'ers among friends <grins>.

You're welcome. Watch that first crack -- very muted. Stay on your toes. Start at city plus and tweak from there.

(With a free product placement to our Orphan friends -- their Inker fire engine red High Spot mug).

Sure glad I could get some. Wish I could have bought more...

Hear, hear! A tart cherry bomb to say the least. I've been drinking the new crop next to the last crop all week, and the bright fruit complexity of the former is absolutely fantastic. Wish I had 25 pounds of the lot from two years ago in the deep freeze--I still of think of that coffee sometimes, on cold winter nights--but I'll get by Huge thanks to Dave for all the effort with making these gorgeous coffees available. Cheers,

Huge thanks to Dave for all the effort with making these gorgeous coffees available

...

The Haraaz and Anesi traceables will get overlooked in this -- understandable. But they are outstanding coffees in their own right and I will be moving more of them later this Fall before the snow flies.

No doubt true, but I've been kicking myself daily for missing out on those other offerings! Elated that there are more on the way! Dave, you are my hero

I'll be roasting this coffee for the first time tonight; I'm very excited! Dave, Tom, or anyone else, any recommendations regarding your favorite roast parameters? With a coffee this highly regarded, I'd hate to bungle a first batch.

Start at city plus and tweak from there. Stay on your toes -- that first crack is very, very muted.