“City to FC: A transparent cup with jasmine tea, peach hard candy, juicy fruit flavors of green grape, asian pear and melon. Dark brown sugar and coffee cake at FC.”
Initial taste definitely yield jasmine in the light aftertaste. There are fleeting hints of peach and light citrus flavors. The body is juicy and the slight tartness is balanced with the sweetness. There is also a dark chocolate flavor in the aftertaste that does linger, but it is also balanced against the lighter fruit notes. As it cools, the brighter fruit notes become more apparent, and the darker notes in the aftertaste have become smoother.
Overall, I think this first roast might have gotten closer to Full City than the targeted City+ roast. The roast was done in a Whirley Pop, with a low flame (gas stove), and was preheated to approximately 176 degrees celsius before the beans were added. After the temperature stabilized at 112 degrees celsius, it took approximately 7.25 minutes for the beans to reach first crack, which lasted 1.5 minutes, and allowed for a much more even roast. After first crack ended, the roast was allowed to progress for another 30 seconds before the beans were pulled. They were cooled with a strainer, agitated over an air fan to ensure they did not coast very much after being removed from heat. They reached room temperature within 3 minutes.
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Overall, this is a light bodied cup, but it definitely has a complexity to it. The bright acidity cools down and is balanced nicely with the darker notes. I can see this as a first cup, waking the taste buds with its bright, juicy flavors.