“City+ to Full City: High percentage cacao bar, black currant, dark grape skins, brown sugar sweetness, mild yet clean fruit juice-like acidity.” -Sweet Marias
The first sip is lightly sweet and the bitter cacao note is very noticeable, however the brown sugar helps tone it down. There is a very light acidity on the finish, which lingers with a nice fruit note. The body is light, juicy, and aside from the strong cacao upfront, the fruit notes come through in the finish.
Now at a medium temperature, the acidity is stronger, and a light grape skin tartness is starting to appear. There are small flashes of fruit, like the black current, but between the cacao up front and the tartness in the finish, it is a little difficult to identify. The brown sugar sweetness does tie everything together nicely, allowing both the bitter and tart notes to blend. The finish is smooth, and doesn’t linger much now, as the bitter cacao, tart acidity, and sweetness are nicely balanced, not letting either dominate the cup.
I liked the acidity on this batch. It started light, with just a hint of fruit in the finish, but it got stronger, enough to stand up to the cacao notes that initially dominated the cup. The brown sugar sweetness allowed all the bitter and tart fruit notes to blend together. The sweetness was light, but it paired well against both the cacao and acidity. This roast was targeted at City+, and I think it was in the right spot, as it retained the light fruit notes and had a finish that did not overpower the cup. I think the cacao would get stronger in a darker roast, overshadowing the light acidity. As for the roasting details, the roast was done in the Gene Cafe roaster, with a heat setting of 460 degrees, for 15 minutes. First crack started approximately around 13:00 minutes and continued for about 1.5 minutes. Cooling was done in the Gene, down to 215 degrees, and then removed and cooled in a colander until room temperature.