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Indonesian

Sumatra Gayo Washed

Sumatra Gayo Washed

Sumatran coffee is almost always processed using the Wet Hulled (semi-washed) method which gives it those classic earthiness and forest flavors. The difference with a fully washed Sumatra is that it has a much cleaner finish and less spicy notes which lets you notice more of the underlying flavors in it. You can also roast them a little bit lighter if you want to.
I personally like it best at just 5 to 10 seconds of 2nd cracks. About the same roast as what we would do with a washed Guatemala (although the Sumatra needs less heat when you roast it. It has a tendency to try to race through the roast so you have to watch it and keep it slowed down so you don't rush through the flavor development stage). At this medium roast level, you get all the great flavor and body of dark syrupy Sumatra, but none of the earthiness or smoke or burnt tastes.  In a french press, I pick out mild notes of dark fruits like pomegranate or blackberry or cranberry, hints of tomato, hints of citrus. There's a little bit of tangy dried fruit and butterscotch. It's quite pleasant!   As espresso, it has some apple candy and clove with a little oak. It's really nice espresso.

The lighter roasts?  Well, you still get that nice full body, and it's creamy, sweet, no earthiness at all, and it showcases some prominent herbal and roasted red pepper notes and has some sour bright citrus that screams at you a little bit.  Really dark roasts?  Definitely nice, but flattens out and you lose a lot of the flavors.  At that point it just tastes like a clean triple-sorted Sumatra with some of that smoky sweetness back. Either way, it's a fun coffee to try since it's so rare to see a fully washed bean out of Sumatra.

This particular one is an experimental microlot from the village of Pantan Musara in the Gayo region. 

Arrival October 2023

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