California turned out to be quite a winner of a state. In addition to the California-grown coffee being quite good (see last post), both of the coffees I obtained from the in-state roaster I chose were also excellent. It isn't surprising that the West Coast, which was the epicenter of second-wave coffee and has played a major role in third-wave as well, should do a good job with specialty coffee, of course. The Wikipedia article on third-wave coffee even name-checks Verve specifically!
State #5: California
Verve Coffee Roasters
Santa Cruz, CA
The Miraflores, from Honduras, delivered largely what it promised on the bag. There were some nice dried fruit notes in the acidity and then a chocolatey taste in what was a slightly syrupy body. I also found there to be a good balance between the acidity and the body. The raisin-like acidity meant that it was not as sharp or astringent, so while it was certainly present to round out the profile, it did not overwhelm the drinking experience. I know some people really like a big acid but I think I tend to prefer mine a little more subtle.
The Kamira was the first Burundi I'd had in a while, and I hadn't gone nuts for the last one, but my palate is more refined now (of course this might just have been better than the last one anyway). In any event this was one of the best coffees I've had recently. A balanced pear acidity flowed into some flavorful spice notes, and the whole thing had a good medium body. The last time I had coffee from Burundi I felt like I needed some half and half to balance out the acidity; with this one I straight up preferred it black. My own evolution certainly played a role in that but I think the level of acidity here was particularly special - at least as far as hitting my particular taste range.
Big success in California! Next up is Colorado, a state that I've already sampled heavily - which means I'll be looking to find a new roaster I've never tried before (sorry to Dragonfly, Novo, Huckleberry, and a couple others - you were already good!).
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