Last weekend I won a bag of this coffee in one of Bodka's giveaways, so I thought I would share my thoughts on this coffee. I was looking forward to brewing it as I haven't had a single-origin Sumatra in years. I received it on Friday, 6 days post roast, so have been playing around with it this weekend. The beans look to be a nice med. roast. The bag hit was like a sweet cocoa nib flavored cigar. I do mostly straight shots and Americanos, and the occasional 6oz. milk drink. I started out with 18g. These grounds do not tamp down much, and found this too much for my basket (not enough head space). My 3rd shot turned out very nice: 16.9g in, 26g out, for a 65% brew ratio. What struck me about this coffee is not what it is, but what it's not. It is not unclean, it is not overly earthy, it is not devoid of acidity, it is not like every local roasters generic, darker roasted Sumatra Mandheling. The only fault I can find is a slightly tannic, drying finish on some shots, but that's just me. On an Americano, the finish was clean and lightly savory. There is also a fine leather element in there somewhere which I found enjoyable.
All in all a great drink on a cold wet day. So slow down, relax, ponder if you must...and enjoy.
BTW, if you want more brightness, you can pull your shot into a cold cup like I did...accidently.
And THANK YOU DAVID for your generosity!

I too won a bag of this coffee... It's funny you mentioned "A sweet coca nib flavored cigar" because sweet tobacco leaf is what came to mind when I first tasted it. Overall much different from my past experiences with any Sumatra (in a very good way). The biggest complement came from my SO... Now keep in mind she could care less about my "fancy" coffee... I make her coffee every morning and normally not a word is said. The first day I made her a cup of this coffee she says "not bad". Now that might not seem like much, but she knows I'm always looking for a response. She always plays it cool and that simple "not bad" exposed a weak link in her armor.

I was the final winner from the recent selection and was waiting to complete my review until I got back to work where my Aeropress is located.

Drank solely with several different brew methods: Espro Press, Chemex, Aeropress, Brazen Plus, and Clever Coffee Dripper (CCD). Had the best results from the CCD, but I did not revisit the Espro Press where a slightly longer steep time would likely have produced a better brew. The other methods did not produce poor results, instead I just liked the results from the CCD more. Utilized Hausgrind grinder for all brews except Brazen Plus (Lido 2). Brew ratios were generally around 15/16:1. I did not try these beans for espresso.

Was expecting a medium-dark or dark roast (most Sumatra beans I have tried have been roasted toward the darker end of the spectrum), but was happy to find more of a City+ roast. Whole beans had a nice aroma and when brewed the aroma from the cup was mild and earthy. Enjoyed the mouthfeel from the CCD brews - almost silky. I found mild acidity with these beans and medium body. I did get some earthiness in my brews but less than previous Sumatras I have tried and not at all negative. Quite enjoyed these beans as a change of pace as I have mainly been focusing on espresso for the past 1.5 to 2 years.

I want to thank David again for his generosity and for holding these giveaways so often.

Bkultra wrote:I too won a bag of this coffee... It's funny you mentioned "A sweet coca nib flavored cigar" because sweet tobacco leaf is what came to mind when I first tasted it. . .

I used this Lintong with the Yemen Red Marqaha, 50/50 - 15.5g/23g output on the Cremina. Sweet, heavenly mango drops in the shot. Cocoa and red fruits in a cortado. Wonderful coffees.

Vig wrote:almost silky

I looked back at my notes and had jotted this down but left it out of my post - "almost" silky. lol