Thursday, May 10, 2012

Coffee review - 2011 El Salvador Cup of Excellence #6

Man I really love this coffee!  Freshly roasted on 3 May 2012, just over a week ago, I had it for the first time this morning.

When I first cracked open the vacuum sealed bag, the aroma was rich and heady, yet delicate, and I thought: "hello?"  Then faithful Miss Silvia made me a cup (that reminds me, it's time to give her a bit of a back flush) and the liquor that slowly and gently eased out of her fonts was thick, rich and a warm chocolate colour, swirling in the cup with fresh, flavoursome oils from the coffee beans.

And then I took my first sip and said "hello!" (think Cat Empire).  This is amazingly good.  The nose is all rich cocoa powder - the kind of stuff that smells so sweet and good that you are compelled to just spoon the powder straight into your mouth.  The taste is a complex mix of more sweet, thick cocoa with loads of crisp citrusy goodness - the perfect thing to wake you up in the morning - and underlaid by soft caramel to put a smile on your face.

I certainly like this a lot more than the Brazilian Cup of Excellence #1 that I previously reviewed (don't get me wrong - that was good, but compared to this, it's like chalk and cheese!)

So what is it?  Brought to you courtesy of Sergio Reyes, a renowned El Salvadorian coffee farmer who has previously been a Cup of Excellence and Presidential Award winner.  His farm is located in the Alotepec-Metapan mountain range in El Salvador.

Go buy yourself a bag from Ristretto or the Howard Street cafe before it's all gone!

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