It took me a while to get to tasting this coffee, but here it is. I picked up a bag of Starbuck’s Black Apron Exclusive just some time ago, and took my time to really get to savor the flavor. Thing about this is, I’m not really a fan of coffees from Sumatra. But I decided to give this one a chance and see what makes it so “special”.
Coffees from Sumatra are usually full-bodied and exhibit a strong, earthy flavor, with herbal and spice undertones, and practically little to no acidity at all (which is why I don’t like ‘em, since the “earthy/dirty” taste lingers in me taste buds). Using the regular Sumatra coffee from Starbucks as a point of comparison, I brewed myself up a few cups of the Sumatra Siborong-Borong.
On the first sip, the earthy flavor characteristic of coffees from the region is the very first thing that comes up. I was pleasant surprised by what followed – the coffee had more zest than what you’d usually expect from a Sumatran coffee; and the flavor mellowed after just a few seconds, indicating a light but very welcome acidity in the mix. What’s more, this coffee more or less retained the flavor as it cooled, as opposed to the regular Sumatra drip that Starbucks offers whose flavor kind of falls flat on cooling. (I don’t know if it’s just me, but that’s what I tasted at the time).
Anyway, after getting a tast of the Sumatra Siborong-Borong from Starbucks, I think I’ll start trying more coffees from Sumatra from this point on (just not the regular beans from Starbucks – I still don’t like that!).
If you can still get a bag of this coffee at your local Starbucks outlet, I’d heartily recommend you pick one up.