“City to FC: Fruited cup, balanced bittersweet underside, black tea, fruit juice note accents finish. Big body too, darker roasts have inky chocolate tones.” -Sweet Marias
The first sip is sweet initially, but there is a definite bittersweet note that clashes with the fruit, and a light black tea accent on the finish. The body comes through immediately as well, giving the fruit notes time to linger before the bitterness comes on. The fruit notes have a slight malic acidity to them, like a light hint of apple. The finish is syrupy, with a bittersweet chocolate note that coats the tongue and lingers. As it cools, the bittersweet notes have lessened in the cup, and it is balanced with the fruit sweetness, as the stronger black tea notes have taken over the bittersweet notes. The fruit note in the finish is more noticeable as well.
Overall this is a good first cup of coffee in the morning. It is big in body and the fruit and bittersweet notes clash initially to give it a big body, but as it cools, the black tea notes take over and integrate the cup. I roasted this to a City+ level, but I can see it gaining more body at Full City and definitely can see the chocolate notes getting stronger. I might have to take the next roast a little darker and see how it fares with espresso.