Costa Rica Amapola Tarrazu (Beneficio Palmichal)

[bruceb]

I've had 5kg of these greens for some time. They're from the 06/07 harvest and I hadn't gotten around to roasting them until now. I even tried cupping them against the Yirg that is my de facto standard for my own taste. I roasted them just into second crack for cupping and then into rolling second for espresso.

I was surprised at the lemon flavour in the cup and was pleased to be able to detect it in the espresso. There is definitely a floral note, but it gets lost or covered up by the chocolate tones in the darker roast. Those chocolate tones, however, are delicious. I think a lighter roast would make this very bright, but that's not really what I enjoy.

The one disappointment is the aftertaste. It's quite lovely, but only lasts about a minute and then completely disappears.

I'm going to start using this in some espresso blends with the Columbia Bucaramanga that I have been storing for some time. I think this CR will definitely add a positive note to my blends. It's very nice as an SO and if you enjoy a zesty, clean, bright coffee for the French press or Aerobie this might just be your cup of coffee.

Edit: Added picture and corrected typo

[BazBean]

Nice in depth cupping review Bruce.

I wish I had some as I would love to sample it via the light roast profile to pull that floral and zest and then add it to some Brazil Cachoeria to create a post blend. I rearly have flashes of inspiration for blends but for some reason this just sang to me while I was reading your notes !!.

[CakeBoy]

Without wishing to repeat myself yet again, I will never forget your Yirg roast Bruce. It was totally different than any profile I had previously experienced with Yirg. It was also stunning and delicious. I totally get what you are describing with the Costa Rica, understanding as a result of that roast what you generally strive for in your profiling. It sounds great and very versatile