Wednesday 26 September 2007

SUMATRA SIBORONG - BORONG @ STARBUCKS COFFEE

Coffeechat with Zul and Crystal of Starbucks City Mall and Greg, coffeemaster from Warisan Square


Grown in Siborong-Borong—a town in the heart of Sumatra’s Lake Toba coffee-growing region—this rare, full-bodied coffee offers a surprising complexity, soft acidity and hints of freshly cut basil.

More about this coffee: Batak women pick the cherries and then pulp and wash them, all by hand. The wet parchment is set out to dry in the sun on tarps or woven mats in front of houses. This coffee is sorted by hand and delivered to market the day after harvest to ensure freshness.

Batak women at the marketplace

Priced at about nearly 200% from a usual pack of beans, this definitely is an exclussive production. Wrapped in a cool cut-out design box with royal purple packet, the look itself is irresistable.

PHILOSOFFEE ASSESSMENT

Since this is also another single origin roast from Sumatra, the usual characteristic of Indonesian coffee is expected, as in earthy, mushroomy and complex. I could not appreciate the suggested basil as is on the pack, but probably because I don't know what basil should taste like.

Aroma 7/10 quite subtle, if compared to the usual sumatra blend, but the sweet complexity is also distinguishable

Flavour 7/10 just like its cousin the sumatra roast, this coffee is characteristically earthy, with a slight hint of wine

Body 8/10 heavy, strong saturation of the palate

Acidity 5/10 low, as common for Indonesian coffee

Aftertaste 5/10 The taste clears after a while, probably due to the salivation promoted by the winey character of the coffee

PHILOSOFFEE RECOMMENDATION

Don't chat over this one. Drink it straight, as hot as possible because it turns acerbic real fast. It probably tastes like the subtle winey character that you can get at the beginning, but magnified to about 250 times, which randers it unpleasant.

However, the coffee is slightly overpunctuated with the packaging and the anticipation of the Year's Black Apron Exclusive Label, but not at all disappointing, just delicate. Buy if only you appreciate good coffee that requires your utmost attention and turns bad the minute you turn your back on it... and if only you can still find it, because it is going fast..

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