Sumatra Aged Lintong - 5 Year Vintage

The first sip of an aged coffee might come as a shock, until your taste buds adapt themselves to the extreme flavors: intense, deep, woody, syrupy, rustic. Aged coffees are well-suited to darker roast levels, though I must say, we also found the City+ level to be quite interesting, if not agreeable! The grounds have an oaky fragrance, hickory bbq, and unsweetened cocoa, with a very light sweetness of a beeswax candle. The wet aroma is a mix of deep-toned bittersweetness and aromatic wood, though we also sensed a bit of dried fruit, and slight rum note. What an intense brewed coffee this is, heavy bodied with low acidity, deeply bittersweet, and with complex earthy aroma throughout. There are some initial sweet notes of sorghum syrup, and pungent caramelized sugars that fade to strong bittering notes, like a mix of unsweetened cocoa powder and fragrant brown spices, which lingers in the aftertaste. The sweetness is mild, but comes through in some of the rustic aromatics, like pipe tobacco, caramel popcorn, and fresh cut cedar boards. I also found it has this unique flavor I can best describe as the smell of a pepper cask grinder. If you've tried aged coffee, this should all sound familiar! They're a singular flavor type, and one you might find infinitely pleasingor maybe not! Definitely for fans of wet hulled Indonesian coffees, as well as anyone who enjoys tasting the unique range of flavors found in different process methods. I think it really helps to let this one rest at least 3-4 days after roasting. The offgassing helps with extraction, and some of the disparate flavors from processing will start to coalesce with the heavier roast tones in the cup.