Bali Blue Moon

All of the coffee grown in Bali is organic, because pesticides and insecticides and chemical fertilizers are strictly forbidden on the island. Importers can either buy it as Blue Moon (the wet-hulled lots) or as Kintamani (the natural processed lots).  This is the wet-hulled Blue Moon which is going to remind you of a Sumatra, but cleaner and more complex. (the unroasted beans have that nice blueish hue and are really quite beautiful -- always some of the nicest looking Indonesian coffee we see come through)   Some real nice undertones in here with herbs like vanilla bean and cinnamon, a little bit chocolatey, a thick syrupy body, lingering but not earthy finish.  It is a super dense bean that you can roast really dark without it turning to ash.  It is like a really nice Sumatra, and one that has nicer looking green beans and an exotic story.  

As with other wet-hulled Indonesians, this is a coffee bean that you want to take to the darker side of roasting.  At a minimum, you will want to take it to the verge of 2nd cracks.  At this level, the coffee tastes smooth, full bodied, and a little bit earthy.  It's a little boring, however, with no stand-out undertones.  At 15 seconds into the rolling 2nd cracks, it starts to get really nice.  It's like a really chooclatey Sumatra -- slightly earthy, some baking spices like black pepper and licorice root notes left on your tongue - but mostly just thick mouthfeel, rich, chocolatey coffee.  No burnt tastes at this level.  This is a coffee I would happily drink several mugs of.  30 seconds into the 2nd cracks is less complex, but rich, smooth, so full bodied, cedar, smoky, chocolate.  So drinkable.  Less bitter than Sumatra.  Phenomenal aroma as the oils come to the surface.  Take it 60 seconds into the rolling 2nd cracks, and you have an Italian roast -- I was surprised that I could still drink it at this roast level without putting cream in it.  Usually the very dark roasts are not coffees I care to drink black, but this one holds up on sweetness and minimizes the bitterness and makes a great Italian roast option.  There are some smoky ashy tastes at this level, but that's the whole point of Italian roasts.

This is always a popular bean with our green coffee hobbyists.  It's easy to roast and a great mug of coffee.

US Arrival: October 2024