Today’s coffee tasting went exceptionally well.  A special thanks to Mike and Edna for hosting; Jen and Kristen for helping; Cameron for running the show; and to Cory, Pat, Scott, Becky, May, Karen, Pat, Sue, Dan and Janet and Don for joining us this morning.  We sampled the following: Panama Robusta Rustico, Colombia Huila Piedras de San Augustin (light and dark), Brazil Cerrado and the Kenya Kiamaina Estate.

At Peregrine Coffee we love to explore. Not only the different regions of the coffee-growing world, but also the variety of coffee species. The high-quality Arabica and the low-quality, weed-like Robusta are most common. Robusta is typically used to “fill the bag,” boost the caffeine content and add bite to cut through milk and create denser crema in espresso. Alone, Robusta typically has a burnt rubber, wet cardboard taste. However, this month, we have a small lot of Panama Guyami Indian Robusta — an extremely high-quality Robusta that has been tended more like a prize plant rather than a weed. This very atypical Robusta has a singular flavor of dark, dark chocolate. The aroma is more complex with some spices, nuts, and cedar-y tones. This leaves a bone-dry mouth feel — the opposite of silky — and the finish has a slight nutty, papery taste. The french press brewing method works very well with this unusual bean.