“City to FC: Elegant flavor and acidity, Asian pear, apple, and peach. Caramel sweet and toffee-like finish. SO espresso.” – Sweet Maria’s
Initial sips did show reveal a nice toffee sweetness up front, but little acidity. Of course, that usually develops a little more as the cup cools down, and the initial sips were only a few minutes out of the french press, so it was still hot. As the cup cooled, the acidity increased, as well as a nice dry cocoa finish. I got more impressions of the pear and apple than I did of peach, but I usually do my tastings sipping from my coffee mug. Aspirating from a spoon, like at a tasting, did reveal some of the more subtle hints of flavor, and I did get a light peach flavor on the initial spoonful. When done correctly, this is a great way to get the flavor experience, but it can also lead to coughing fits if done incorrectly. Believe me, I know.
Still at a medium temperature, the acidity is starting to creep into the finish, but the flavors are still nicely balanced. The apple, initially like a red apple sweetness, is now leaning to the green apple flavor as the acidity increases. The sweetness is still very smooth, and it does have a caramel overtone, but there is a slight bittersweet flavor in the finish as well, almost molasses like. As the cup cooled down, the pear and apple are still evident, and the finish is more dark tea like, but the sweetness is still well balanced.
Overall, this is a great first cup of coffee in the morning, with it’s bright flavors and balanced sweetness with the acidity, it is a palate pleaser. As for the roasting details, the roast was done in the Gene Cafe roaster, with a heat setting of 460 degrees, for 15.5 minutes. First crack started approximately around 13:30 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.