Marathon Coffee Cupping

We fit in a marathon coffee cupping yesterday and tried five of Barefoot Coffee’s newest roasts.

I was wooed right away by the nose of the Laoyza Flor Rosa. Curry tickled my senses, followed by hazelnut and nutmeg. The curry carried on in the cup with sour cherries in the middle and finished by the flavors of those lovely dark chocolate covered biscuits, LU le Petit Ecolier.

Next up was a decaf Villa Borghesi. Once again, we were surprised to learn it was a decaf, as the complexity did not disappoint. The scents of Bananas Borrachas transported me to a realm of caramelized sugar, rum, and vanilla ice cream. The palate pleased with orange blossom, cocoa powder, toasted spice, roasted almonds, and dry grass.

Vista Hermosa presented aromas of fennel cookies and vanilla flowers. Its bright, smooth delivery of papaya and dragon fruit was a tropical lover’s dream.

Then it was time for some uber rich dessert in the forms of a Yellow Cutuai and a Maragogype. The Yellow Cutuai smelled of pound cake covered in vanilla ice cream and drizzled with cinnamon syrupy peaches and wowed with a huge gardenia aroma upon breaking the crust.  Flavors of thyme and hay were quickly followed by graham crackers and burnt chocolate. Maragogype was a lovely way to finish the day with its bouquet of Terry’s Milk Chocolate Orange Ball, leather, even more chocolate, sugar cookies, currants, and the faintest tease of cedar. The cup presented grass, currants, tangerine, and extra dark chocolate with once again, just a hint of cedar on the edges.