Rwanda Karongi Gitesi

From the outset, the ground coffee presents an attractive fragrance that's sweet and refined, with accents of loose leaf tea, cola, and aromatic baking spice notes too. After pouring hot water on the grounds, an alluring scent of honey came up in the steam, along with hints of caramelized sugars behind it. Pushing a spoon through the crust released some of the more delicate aromatics, like black tea leaf, and whole clove spice. City roasts show a framework of raw sugar sweetness making up the underlying flavor compound, like sugar cane juice. It makes for a nice backdrop that the top notes pop out against, even if a little subtle at first. As you move through the cup there's a delicious combination of black tea and spice notes that comes up in the profile, like a strong-steeped English Breakfast tea, along with a hint of lemon zest. I found the acidic impression to be tannic and brisk, like black tea with a tangy citrus note. Darker roasting builds flavor layers of fine dark chocolates accented by dark fruits, like dried date and golden raisin. The sweetness is uncompromising at all roast levels we tried, but for the most delicate cups, don't stretch it beyond City+. Gitesi makes a fantastic pour over brew, and the more developed roasts double nicely as a spiced, chocolatey espresso.