I've been lucky enough to grab a bag straight out of a container of the Nicaragua La Cumplida Estate Laurina Microlot. This is the Bourbon Pointu AKA Laurina varietal, "native" to Reunion. It's Bourbon, Jim, but not as we know it. The green beans are elongated to the point where they look more like large olive rice grains than coffee, and it's a bugger to roast.

When I get it exactly right the aroma is typically Bourbon, butterscotch and lemon with a hint of almond. The front palate continues the butterscotch sweetness with clean acidity, a neutral mid palate with not a lot of body, and a clean, short sweet finish. More or less what you'd expect from a wet processed high grown Bourbon varietal. The kicker is the caffeine content, 0.5 to 0.6% vs 1.2 to 1.8% in normal Arabicas. Apparently there's something in the biology that interferes with caffeine production..

I've been aware of the Laurina varietal for several years, but the price has always been prohibitive, Gesha level or above. This is a specialty grade Bourbon at a price that reflects its quality but not particular scarcity. I think there are likely to be a heap more of these from the more progressive Central and South American estates in the near future. A pic of the green beans is below.

Alan

Those are some impressive greens. Must be fun watching them through the drying stage.

Alan I am really enjoying this coffee, glad it is low caf as I will drink more of it