Flores Bajawa Ngura

August 11, 2016 2 min read

Flores Coffee of the Month Banner - Mystic Monk Coffee

For our August Coffee of the Month we have the exotic Flores Bajawa Ngura. Long time Coffee of the Month club members will remember we also offered this fine coffee in 2012 and 2013.

Flores is an Indonesian island located east of Java. Unlike most of Indonesia the population of Flores is almost entirely Catholic. This coffee is prepared using the "wet hulled" process common to many Indonesian coffees and results in a very distinctive flavor.

Roasted Beans

Choir

Monk: These beans look very good! A little larger then most beans we've had but I can tell that they are roasted evenly. They have a sweet smell to them.

Lay Monk:Br. Roaster did a very good job on these beans. While most Indonesian coffees are roasted darker he did this one at a lighter roast nudging 430 degrees. It's going to be interesting tasting!

The Tasting:

Choir Monk: I'm curious to see how the Flores tastes - I haven't had an Indonesian coffee that I've really enjoyed in the medium roast so I'm interested to see how it turns out. We'll evaluate in the usual categories: Aroma Acidity Aftertaste Body/Mouthfeel Complexity and Darkness.

Choir Monk: Here's what I thought:

Aroma: Sweet and Delicate - I could smell hints of honeycomb and tamarind.
Acidity: Present but tempered. The initial acidity quickly flowed into dark chocolate notes perhaps due to the wet hulled processing on the beans.
Aftertaste: One of the most unique and enjoyable aftertastes I've experienced - light refreshing sweet and lingering.
Body/Mouthfeel: Smooth and full.
Complexity: Wonderful subtle complexity - grapefruit rose honeydew melon and charred cedar notes were all apparent to me.
Darkness: Medium to Medium-Dark

Choir Monk: Well I am impressed! The Flores is very complex, sharing many of the qualities of good Sumatran coffees but without the grassy taste that can often be detected in medium roasted Indonesian coffees.

Lay Monk: I agree! This was a grand medium roasted coffee. My notes were quite similar to yours.

Aroma: Nutty and intense with sweet hints. Volcanic Lake in Flores, Indonesia - Mystic Monk Coffee
Acidity: There was some initially but it faded into sweetness very quickly.
Aftertaste: I thought the aftertaste was nice. Light and fragrant.
Body/Mouthfeel: Syrupy and full.
Complexity:I really like the complexity - In addition to what you noted I also tasted hints of roses and berries.
Darkness: I'm calling it about a medium darkness.

Conclusion:

Choir Monk: I thought this coffee was very good! It was very smooth and the complexity was pleasing. I can definitely say that this year's Flores is every bit as the ones we enjoyed several years ago.

Lay Monk: It was very good! I thought that the complexity was perfect and the aftertaste is unlike any I've experienced recently. I highly recommend it!

Choir Monk: Our final assessment:

An Indonesian masterpiece the Flores Bajawa Ngura is a truly unique coffee. The gentle acidity effortlessly accelerates into finely layered rose berry and cedar notes. The especial aftertaste is refreshing and sweet completing one of the finest medium roasted Indonesian coffees you'll ever have.