Costa Rica Honey Palmichal Vecindario
Cupping Notes
(Credit Sweet Maria's)
Vecindario makes a stellar single origin espresso, and shows fruited impressions and deep chocolate roast flavors as a medium-roasted brew. The dry fragrance has a date sugar notes, cocoa powder, and hints of walnut. Pouring hot water brings out a much more potent sweetness of molasses and caramel, with accents of cooked fruits pushing up in the steam. My best roasts for brewing were in the City+ to Full City range, where the cup showed moderate sweetness of barley malt syrup and molasses. Vecindario has creamy, thick mouthfeel that works to highlight the chocolate roast flavors and body, and cools to mild fruited complexity, like baked apple, fruity wine notes, and some bittering fruit skin aspect in the aftertaste. Full City roasts develop flavors of chocolate milk, hazelnut chocolate (think Ferrero Rocher), and an earthy cocoa note that was like chocolate mochi. Espresso shots are freighted with an assortment of rich chocolate flavors, plum-like fruit, and thick, velvety body that scores a perfect 10 (well, "perfect 5" if you're looking at the Flavor Chart).