My favourite coffees of 2010

My favourite coffees of 2010

There have been some great coffees on offer in 2010. I have had the opportunity to taste a number of them, thanks to the speciality roasters and cafes of Sydney and Melbourne. Here are a few of my coffee highlights and ‘wow’ moments for 2010.

My first coffee ‘wow’ moment was at Market Lane Coffee in Melbourne. I know one of the baristas there, Matt. He asked if I was after “an insane coffee” – I was highly caffeinated by this time, but knew I should say yes! I had a coffee from Bolivia, called Café Palmeiras 3. I enjoyed this coffee as a pour over.

Café Palmeiras 3 entered the Cup of Excellence competition and finished 8th (out of all the coffees in Bolivia that entered, at least 30-40 farms) – an excellent result. In the cup this coffee was clean with plum and cocoa flavours and a creamy mouthfeel. A very enjoyable coffee.

Another of my favourites for 2010 was the Ethiopian Nekisse. This coffee comes from Sidamo region of Ethiopia. This microlot coffee received a great score when it was cupped (the term for a formal coffee tasting). I had this coffee a few times this year – at The Source Espresso in Sydney, and at De Clieu in Melbourne. The Nekisse tasted best for me via the Clover coffee machine. This coffee was very clean and sweet with berry notes (maybe blueberries, some think strawberry and some say musk!).

I only had it once this year but I clearly remember having the Kenyan Gethumbwini AA. I had this at The Source again via the Clover (one of the staff had actually brought in this coffee – but Russ offered it to me anyway – thanks Russ!). This coffee was very juicy, very viscous in mouthfeel, with clear blackcurrant flavours.

The last coffee highlight for me was the Costa Rican Las Lajas “Black Pearl” Micro Lot. I had this coffee at Monk Bodhi Dharma. This coffee is a natural processed coffee, and only coffee cherries of the desired size are picked. I had this as a double ristretto. It was really clean and vibrant with a lively acidity. There were great flavours of dark fruit and chocolate. Truly a brilliant coffee.

So…they were some of my coffees highlight for the year! What about you? Why don’t you sign in (or create a google account if need be) and add your comments. What were you favourite or most enjoyable coffees this year???