Christmas Blend

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December 12, 2016 2 min read

This fine coffee received an excellent 91pt review from coffee expert, Kenneth Davis! Here is what he said:

" Rich, roast-rounded. Almond, dark chocolate, strawberry guava, rhododendron-like flowers, orange zest in aroma and cup. Mild, sweet-toned acidity; plush, syrupy mouthfeel. The chocolate-framed finish is quietly resonant and deeply sweet, with continued hints of flowers." - Kenneth Davids, CoffeeReview.com, November 2016

For our December Coffee of the Month we have the Christmas Blend 2016. With a special mix of some of the finest Latin American and Ethiopian beans around the Christmas Blend 2016 is our best blend of the year.

Roasted Beans

Choir

Monk: Choir Monk: These beans look great! It's a little lighter than last year's Christmas Blend and I can see that some of the beans are quite a lot smaller than others. I can also smell hints of passionfruit.

Lay Monk:The smaller beans are the Ethiopian component of the blend - although they are small the flavor is highly developed and really adds a lot to the blend. We cupped a lot of coffees before settling on the Ethiopian we used in this coffee. I can detect notes of malt and citrus.

The Tasting:

Choir Monk: I'm looking forward to tasting this year's blend! Last year's blend was a personal favorite of mine so I hope this one is similar.

Choir Monk: Here's what I thought:

Aroma: Sweet and Delicate - I could smell hints of honeycomb and tamarind.
Acidity: Sweet, deep-toned acidity.
Aftertaste: Very good! Tropical fruit and dark chocolate tones.
Body/Mouthfeel: Smooth and full.
Complexity: Very complex - tropical fruit, berries and chocolate tones were all present.
Darkness: Medium.

Lay Monk: I thought the Christmas Blend was great too! Here is what I wrote down:

Aroma: Passion fruit, malt and caramel.

Acidity: Rich with bittersweet notes of grapefruit.
Aftertaste: I thought the aftertaste was amazing. Sweet and full of fruit and chocolate notes.
Body/Mouthfeel: Syrupy and full.

Complexity:Very good! Chocolate-covered orange zest, passion fruit and a hint of mango.
Darkness: I'm calling it about a medium darkness.

Conclusion:

Choir Monk: Wow! This was my favorite Christmas Blend that I have ever had! It was smooth and complex, and about 5 seconds after the first sip, I noticed an explosion of passion fruit and orange notes.

Lay Monk: It was very good! The Ethiopian component was paramount to this year's Christmas Blend, and I am happy we were so assiduous in finding the right bean. Just amazing.

Choir Monk: Our final assessment:

Crafted using the best Latin American and Ethiopian Arabica beans of the season Christmas Blend 2016 has rich initial tones of passion fruit and malt. The dark chocolate and citrus tones combine with a hint of honeydew melon and culminate with a smooth lingering chocolate-toned aftertaste. The perfect coffee to serve with a traditional Christmas dinner!