Starbucks Guatemala Antigua

Country: Guatemala

Region: Antigua

Producer: Mixed

Altitude: 1400 - 1700 masl

Varietal: Mixed

Process: Washed

Roaster: Starbucks

Price: 15 SGD per 250g

Tasting Notes: Lemon, Chocolate, Soft Spices

_________Intensity____Quality

Aroma_____ ⚅__________⚁

The coffee dry aroma is predominantly of fully developed beans with faintest hints of spices. Upon brewing, the smell was reminiscent of that when green wood is fed to an open fire.

Acidity ____ ⚀__________⚂

As with darkly roasted beans, there is little to no discernible acidity in the cup of coffee.

Slight tinges of lemon notes do appear towards the end of the taste profile.

Sweetness ⚂__________⚂

There are identifiable notes of spice and nuttiness in the middle of the profile.

In light of a lack of citric acidity, the lemon notes give some sweetness to round up the drink.

Body _____ ⚅__________⚁

The coffee is heavy and full-bodied, but leaves behind a dry mouthfeel.

Finish_____ ⚅__________⚀

The nutty notes in the coffee gradually dissipates to leave behind a chocolatey finish.

However, this is undermined by an smoky profile that spans the entire drink.

Notes

While it is described as a medium roast, the coffee beans are actually well and thoroughly roasted dark. The coffee is consistently smoky across aroma, body, and finish, and the finish bear striking resemblance to the way one feels a peaty whiskey in the chest. It is recommended to brew these coffee beans in less concentrated ratios (1:20 or more).

The darkness of the roast and the bitter taste are a facsimile of most common market coffee, where the deep roast is often used to reduce inconsistencies in flavor of coffee beans.

However, it is a pity as one can definitely identify lemon and chocolatey notes in the coffee, even at such a dark roast. It would have been interesting to see what such coffee beans would have yielded if roasted true to its purported medium roast.

Overall ⚁