Costa Rica Vista Al Valle

Country: Costa Rica

Region: Alajuela

Farm: Vista Al Valle

Producer: Oldemar Arrieta Lobo & Marlene Brenes Morera

Altitude: 1500-1600 masl

Varietal: Villa Sarchi

Process: Honey Washed

Roaster: Fritz Coffee Company

Price: 30SGD for 200g

Tasting Notes: Plum, Dried Fruits, Molasses

_________Intensity____Quality

Aroma_____ ⚃__________⚃

Rich, honeyed aromas of sweet stonefruits emanate from the freshly brewed coffee.

While not remarkably distinct, it intimates a robust and sweet tasting flavor profile.

Acidity ____ ⚂__________⚂

There is a muted acidity coupled with a big dose of dried fruits retronasal aromas.

It is accompanied with brief hints of bitter acidity.

Sweetness ⚄__________⚅

A clean sweetness that is seemingly distilled from the vivid taste of plums is evenly balanced out by the generally translucent intensity of acidity.

Body _____ ⚅__________⚄

As the darkness of the roast indicates, the coffee indeed has a good body which is ample, big, and dark. This gives volume to the entire drink profile and provides alternate dimensions to the taste, which would be a little too unmodulated otherwise.

Finish_____ ⚅__________⚃

There is a good finish that builds on from the body. It has clean hints of white sugar, evolving into a touch of spiced, earthy, dark taste that continues to remain on the tongue and lips.

Notes

It is not common to be able to lay hands on freshly roasted coffees from overseas roasters during this period, so I was highly excited to be able to brew these beans.

The roast of the coffee beans were quite well developed, but at the same time, it was still able to retain a hint of acidity, sufficient to whet the tastebuds and provide an equal but opposing dimension to the overtly clean sugar sweetness of the coffee.

Being able to drink coffees from overseas roasters really allow us to expand our horizon of understanding as to what different people look for in the very same drink. With this coffee, I do find that the body and the finish are a dominant aspect of the drink, indicative of the style of roast, which aims to build balance in a full bodied drink with flavorsome acidity and sweetness.

Overall ⚃