New coffee delivery today! And excited to be trying my first Ninety Plus "Level Up" Ethiopian. A really nice Sidamo with beautiful spice and caramel aroma. The cup is clean with a silky body and a taste that reminds me of a warm slice of spice cake drizzled with caramel. There is delicate dark fruit sweetness, but it is not overly sweet.

The last one! Ninety Plus "Perci Ruby" Level 195, Panama Gesha. The spiced fruit flavors are both delicate and crystal clear, lovely. The main problem is that this is a coffee that makes most other coffee you taste afterwards seem pallid.

And yes it is both ridiculously and prohibitively expensive, $125USD/100 grams, the most expensive bean I have ever ground. It was just 4 years ago I was stunned when I bought the then most expensive coffee I had ever bought at the time, 250 grams of a "best of Panama" for $25USD. I wish I could get that coffee again!

Bak Ta Lo wrote:The last one! Ninety Plus "Perci Ruby" Level 195, Panama Gesha.

I'm curious, what does Level 195 signify?

Chert wrote:I'm curious, what does Level 195 signify?

It means you need to mortgage your house to buy any.

If you want to try the Semeon Abay, pick whichever kidney you can live without. But it is the best coffee I've ever had in my entire life and likely won't be beat anytime soon.

And a straightforward answer would be, the higher you go up in Level, the higher you go in price, panache and desirability.

TomC wrote:It means you need to mortgage your house to buy any.

If you want to try the Semeon Abay, pick whichever kidney you can live without. But it is the best coffee I've ever had in my entire life and likely won't be beat anytime soon.

I better stay away. Last time I checked I had just two kidneys...and I probably need both for all the coffee of lesser price and panache I filter through them.

Tom, finally got my hands on the Semeon Abay! Wallet dented...

The flavor profile is not just really good, it is so unique. The ground beans are really something special in fragrance and the aroma when immersed in water was even better. The combination of red fruit, berry, and herbs is one of a kind.

There really isn't anything else in the world of coffee like it. It's extremely hard to roast. My 200g sample wasn't enough to dial in, but Dustin nailed it eventually, having a lot more.

I'm not going to bother.....I'll go broke, then be craving the best coffee on the planet....