Review #37: Mudhouse Coffee Roasters

Name of Roaster: Mudhouse Coffee Roasters

Location of Roaster (City, State, Country): Charlottesville, VA Name of Roast: Limu Dabessa Type of Roast (Light, Medium, Dark): Medium Origin of Beans: Oromia Region, Limu Kossa, Ethiopia Price: $24.00 (12 oz) Brewing Method (Drip, Chemex, AeroPress, etc.): Chemex Time Between Purchase and Brewing (Ballpark is fine): Three Days Aroma: Opening the bag, we noted bright chocolate cake, fresh chocolate chip cookie, a slight red berry jam, and a touch of baking spice. After grinding, the berry sweetness became more pronounced, with sharp dark chocolate and earthy granola following underneath. The pour revealed a rich, caramelizing white cane sugar coupled with a touch of raw dark brown sugar. Flavor Profile: This medium-to-full-bodied coffee had a mid-palate entry, with the flavor profile evolving as the coffee cooled. At the outset, the coffee had a sweet nuttiness that danced on the front of the tongue, while the coffee flavors simultaneously rose to the roof and drifted back across the tongue. Dark berry juice (a mix of strawberry and blackberry) and a tea-like quality showed underneath the nuttiness, sliding across the tongue and under the tongue. The acidity did not spike on the sides of the mouth, but rather accentuated the flavors. As the coffee cooled, the aforementioned berry flavors showed more on the front of the palate, with the tea-like, fruit/floral quality, reminiscent of hibiscus, becoming more pronounced. Light and bright, the aromatics were persistent and lengthy, echoing the flavors of the sip, with an additional flavor of dark chocolate crust. Overall Impression (What did you think of it? Anything else we should know?): We were excited to taste this offering from Roast Magazine's 2017 Micro Roaster of the Year, and this coffee lived up to the hype. The Limu Dabessa was an exceptionally balanced coffee with a consistent, elongated, and structured flavor profile. The coffee was bright without being too acidic, and rich without being heavy. It worked well both as a black coffee and with milk added, and it paired nicely with a variety of breakfast items, ranging from bananas to cinnamon-sugar cereal to bagels with cream cheese. We would be remiss if we failed to note that this coffee in particular won a Good Food Award in 2018, an award which highlights food that is "tasty, authentic, and responsibly produced." The tea-like flavors this coffee evinces may elevate this coffee slightly beyond what is in a non-craft coffee drinker's wheelhouse, but if you're looking to take your coffee to the next level without scaring those folks away, this is a prime offering.

Final Score (1-10, with 10 being the best cup of coffee in your life): 8.6 Where to Buy: Mudhouse Coffee Roasters Looking to do a review of your own? Hop over to the Community and get to it!