Hydrangea Coffee

Mmm, it's so good, I could drink it all day!

Aroma: 9/10
Taste: 10/10
Sweetness: 5/5
Acidity: 5/5
Body: 4.5/5
Finish: 4.5/5
Score: 95

The aroma was really delicate and nuanced at first. Uber tea like. Green tea or oolong tea specifically came to mind. Lots of grassiness too. As the coffee opened up, subtle stone fruit notes appeared. Nice fuzzy peach skin quality. Hint of sweetness. Later, the stone fruit presence and the overall sweetness came forth. Some melon was noticeable too. The flavor profile was similar to the aroma but sweeter and juicier. It too was very delicate and nuanced initially. Green tea notes dominated up front. Loads of grassiness. Stone fruits appeared as the coffee opened up. Peach skin again came to mind. Bit of juicy peach flesh as well. The sweet stone fruit presence became more pronounced as the coffee cooled. Nice crisp, lemony brightness in the center. Excellent gentle acidity along with a touch of sweetness. Lemonade came to mind. Some white florals were also noticeable. The floral notes intensified later. More lemon/lemonade on the back end and the finish. Some drying green tea-like tannins lingered after the swallow. Overall, medium-high sweetness in the aroma and exceptional sweetness in the flavor. Medium-high acidity in the aroma and outstanding acidity in the flavor. Excellent creamy, juicy, fuller bodied mouthfeel. This is a fantastic, tea-like Gesha coffee that was significantly more enjoyable after an extended period of rest. If you have a bag of this, be sure to rest it for at least a month and give it a long cooldown when enjoying your cup.

Cupping Method:Follow @boston.coffee.reviewer on Instagram for more specialty coffee reviews.

The aroma was super sweet, juicy, and fruit-forward. Ripe berry notes came through strongest initially. Strawberry was most prominent. Raspberry was noticeable as well. Hint of tangy cranberry too. Stone fruits appeared as the coffee cooled. Nice rice peach and nectarine presence. Later, the stone fruit notes intensified and turned really sweet and juicy. As the coffee approached room temperature, a hint of vanilla was also detectable. There was a subtle herbal, Earl Gray tea-like quality too. The flavor profile was also very impressive. Berry notes came through strong up front. Red berries specifically. Strawberry and raspberry for sure. Some cranberry was noticeable as well. Juicy stone fruits appeared as the coffee moved along the palate. Ripe peach and nectarine notes were most prominent. Excellent crisp, zippy, lemony acidity in the center. More stone fruit character and berry-like acidity on the back end and the finish. Some delicate tannic, drying, white tea notes and a subtle stone fruit-like sweetness lingered after the swallow. Overall, outstanding sweetness in both the aroma and the flavor. Exceptional acidity in both as well. Fantastic soft, creamy, juicy, medium-full bodied mouthfeel. This is definitely one of the more complex, berry-forward Geshas I have tried all year and an outstanding coffee overall. Hacienda La Esmeralda coffees rarely disappoint, and this was perhaps my favorite one to date.

Cupping Method:Follow @boston.coffee.reviewer on Instagram for more specialty coffee reviews.

Excellent!! A 5!

I have sensed a pattern from this roaster! Trademark silky mouthfeel. Really good balance. Nicely naturally sweet. Lots of merits to the Gesha pink bourbon blends I think as they have some traits that compliment each other.

Took a few to dial this one in but when I got it the lime and pomegranate were clear. Almost got like a mojito like note. Very good.

Cupping Method:91C, 17.5:1 on Hario v60. Cooler temp worked better to bring out fruity notes here. Coffee came from Bean Archives.

Blind tasting as part of the Leaderboard S12 game.

This was the most unique coffee the Leaderboard game this season, and really something I haven't seen before.

I got nutty, figgy, red apple, banana, and peach. So fruity and super funky. It has an incredible tropical aroma. It's a bit oddly structured and the mouthfeel is very different from your normal clean, fruity, black tea pourover. But I liked it.

Cupping Method:Chemex pour over

Super interesting! Very smooth and easy to drink.

Realized I forgot to enter this one.

The description of this coffee was a mouthful, but I think it was actually a fairly straightforward coffee overall. My notes say caramel, mandarin, and a lot of red fruit with good balance.

It's not a hit you over the head red or purple fruit Kenyan, but I don't think that's Hydrangea's style. Very smooth mouthfeel and clean. Everything is subtle. I get Concord grape, pomelo, and a bit of trailing Ribena. Very nice overall.

Cupping Method:94C worked a bit better than 92C. 17:1 ratio in v60. I got this coffee from Bean Archives.

This was good! Fruity and smooth.