One of the interesting things that happens when you drink A LOT of different coffees is you start to see the same coffees from different roasters. It’s interesting to be able to compare and contrast how the coffee differs at the hands of different roasters.
To the best of my knowledge, this is the second time in the past few months that I’ve had this particular coffee, a Grade 1 natural from the Konga Co-op in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. The first time I had it it was roasted by Metric Coffee Co. You can read that review here. According to PT’s, Grade 1 naturals from Ethiopia are rare due to the processing itself, so this is a somewhat unusual thing to find.
For a natural, this is a pretty restrained cup. Ethiopian naturals often have tons of berry flavors and sweetness. I found some of those flavors in this cup, but they were certainly more subtle. PT’s is a Topeka, KS based roaster (not too from Kansas City) and they have a long and well-earned reputation in the coffee world, so I’m always excited to try a new coffee from my pals at PT’s Coffee Roasting Co.! You can (and should!) order this coffee from PT’s for $18 for 12 oz. Kansas City locals may be able to find a smaller 4-oz sample bag, like I did, at About the Coffee for $5.50. Just be sure to inquire about when it was roasted and repacked. You want this one to be as fresh as possible!
The Metric version of this coffee was even more subtle, if I remember correctly, than PT’s roast. In fact, in my review of Metric’s coffee I said I was “sure it is a washed coffee” but I was incorrect! It’s just not as in-your-face as the other naturals I’m used to from that region.
In the cup, PT’s Konga Grade 1 has nice sweetness and restrained perceived acidity, at first. The dominant flavors are a little blueberry and some strawberry. As the cup cools the acidity picks up and I got some lemon-lime notes. I also detected a shift in the berry character toward raspberry, so at this temperature the coffee picked up a nice, but not super-sweet, raspberry lemonade character! Once this cup reaches room temp (or close to it) lemon acidity is the dominant note with a mouthfeel in the cheeks, especially, consistent with this.
Another reviewer rated this coffee as a “94” and it’s truly a nice cup of coffee. I think Metric’s was more subtle and had less berry character but both were good examples of the range that natural coffees from this region can take. If you like Ethiopian coffees but find some of the naturals too sweet or too obvious, then this would be right up your alley. This is easy to drink and refreshing coffee, and so I’ve been impressed 100% of the times I’ve tasted it!