The sweet smells from the cup evoke honey and peaches, and some of that is reflected in the cup as soft floral tones.  The dominant flavors that come through are dark and smoky chocolate notes combined with the more traditional nuttiness. The mouthfeel is smooth with no discernable acidity at all.  The finish starts off with a slight peppery edge in the throat, switching to a dark and earthy, long lasting aftertaste of quintessential coffee.  A very drinkable, not-too-complex decaf.

Peregrine Coffee is absolutely thrilled to offer our first Farm Direct bean.  After a few conversations with Roger Rittenhouse at Moki’s Farm in Hawaii, we will be bringing in small lots of this superb micro-lot coffee, direct from the farm.

These are gorgeous beans, so large, even, and smooth, you could make jewelry from them. The coffee smells like dulce de leche, caramel with sweet nuts (marzipan and hazelnuts), mixed with sweet pipe tobacco and a slight saffron dustiness. The cup starts out with a satiny mouthfeel with great body. It is very balanced and elegant with a slight bright-lime acidity.  There is a subtle, consistent, fast fading, clean, smooth finish.  All the right things one expects from a great cup of coffee with no single dominant note.

This is a wonderful example of a balanced, elegant cup of coffee.  The smells are familiar: coffee, flower-perfumy, citrus, with a touch of caramelized brown sugar.  The initial tastes are bright and crisp, like the first apples of Fall.  The dry mouthfeel doesn’t come across as acidic, but more high and bright, and it finishes slightly metallic. There are hints of dry nuttiness –a blend of almonds and cocoa powder with a slight malty-coffee-caramel thread. A new range of flavors emerges once it cools: complex layers of unusual fruit and spices.

The Santa Lucia Estate in Costa Rica took 16th place in the 2008 Cup of Excellence judging.  Farmers Ricardo Perez Barrantes and Rodriguez Villalobos have more than 30 years of coffee farming experience.