SEY Coffee

This roast won the prestigious People's Choice award from the Leaderboard Coffee game. This award is selected by game players from the specialty coffee community from 10 roasts via blind tasting. We add these winners as a five-star review.

Published from the LIttle Cat list of best coffees of 2023 with permission. Follow @littlecat.boba on Instagram for more recommendations.

I drank this as part of Leaderboard Season 13 (coffee #9 out of 10).

I liked this coffee a lot. It's quite clean but has a lot going on, as the best Sidras are. It's my first Ecuadorian Sidra, and I think it expresses itself similar to the Colombian ones I've had.

For me it starts off with a bit of strawberry and black tea. It has some lemon/tangerine in the background, and is a touch herbal and a touch floral

Cupping Method:Pourover v60, 18:1 ratio. Came out really well at 199 degrees.

Amazing!

Notes were not great here as IDed the coffee pretty quick from the bean size in the Leaderboard coffee game. Strong depth of florality and stone fruit.

An elevated Ethiopian.

Cupping Method:Leaderboard Season 16 -

A small (10g) but standout sample, this coffee offers a bright and fruity profile with a noticeably funky edge. The acidity is present but not overwhelming, and bitterness is completely absent, making for a clean and juicy cup. Subtle tropical undertones, particularly lychee, that emerge as it cools. A great example of a well-executed natural process from a talented roaster.

Cupping Method:10g on the v60, 17:1, 93C

Aroma: 1010
Taste: 10/10
Sweetness: 5/5
Acidity: 5/5
Body: 4.5/5
Finish: 5/5
Score: 98.75

The aroma was super bright and exotic. Candy-like, tropical fruit notes dominated. Rainbow Skittles came to mind. Pineapple, lime and mango notes were most apparent. Excellent sweet-tart balance. Honeydew melon was detectable too. As the coffee cooled, the melon presence intensified, as did the overall sweetness. The flavor profile was similar to the nose and just as impressive. Tangy and sweet, tropical fruit notes came through big time. Very candy like. Lime again was most prominent. Mango was noticeable as well. Possibly some pineapple too. There was an intense, zippy, lemon-like quality in the center. Loads of bright acidity. More lingering, sweet-tart fruity notes on the back end. The finish was also sweet and tart and contained a pithy dryness that was very reminiscent of Sweet-Tart candies. Overall, exceptional sweetness in both the aroma and the flavor. Outstanding acidity in both as well. Nice juicy, medium bodied mouthfeel. This was one of the most unique, complex and overall enjoyable coffees I've tried in a very long time. It's hard to believe this is a Kenyan and even harder to believe that it's washed and minimally processed.

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

Aroma: 10/10
Taste: 10/10
Sweetness: 4.5/5
Acidity: 5/5
Body: 4.5/5
Finish: 4.5/5
Score: 96.25

The aroma was impressive initially and improved considerably as the coffee cooled. It started out super juicy, dense and sweet and got even better with time. Dark fruit notes dominated. Blackberry was most prominent. Black currant also came through strong. There was an earthy, slightly savory quality as well. Bit of juicy stone fruit character too. Later, the sweetness really intensified and took on a blackberry candy-like quality. The stone fruits also became more pronounced. The flavor profile was somewhat similar to the nose but definitely brighter and more acidic. Crisp, zippy lemon notes came through strong up front. Hint of sweetness. Lemonade came to mind. Dark fruits were noticeable as the coffee moved along the palate. Black currant was most prominent. Somewhat earthy and savory. More crisp, zippy, lemon notes in the center. Sweet, juicy blackberries came through on the back end. The finish was reminiscent of over steeped black tea. Big, drying tannins lingered long after the swallow, along with more juicy blackberry. All in all, exceptional sweetness the aroma and high sweetness in the flavor. Medium-high acidity in the aroma and outstanding acidity in the flavor. Fantastic juicy, creamy, fuller bodied mouthfeel. This coffee went through peaks and valleys over the two months that I enjoyed it, but the peaks were definitely higher than the valleys were low. When it was on, it was likely the best Kenyan I have enjoyed all year.

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

Somewhat small, irregular beans. Very fruity with almond at the beginning, the strawberry, starfruit, and tropical acidity. Maybe a bit of peach. Tilting towards the fruity/acidic side but many will like. Got some bergamot on the second cupping.

Quite good!

Cupping Method:Chemex than Hario v60, Leaderboard Season 12, Coffee #7

Fruity, nice acidity, still smooth. Peach and tea!