Crowns – Ethiopia Tamiru Tadesse Tesema – COE #1 – Tinker Coffee

The Cup of Excellence competitions are held every year to help discover some of the best specialty coffee from different origins. The coffees that win are cupped by experts dozens of times and the top 30 coffees every year from each origin are highly coveted. I’ve had the opportunity to try a variety of top Cup of Excellence coffees through the years, but never a first place coffee.

This coffee was hands down one of the best coffees I had this year and one of the most exciting I’ve ever tried. It began with a fragrance of sweet florals, citrus, and subtle tropical notes. The flavor was incredibly complex with big florals, grape, orange citrus, and subtle kiwi/tropical notes. It was slightly perfumy from the floral profile and big aromatics. It had a strong, sparkling acidity and a big, smooth body. The sweetness was floral-toned with supporting fruit structure. The coffee was incredibly complex with an intricate pairing of floral and fruit notes and a lovely evolution as the coffee cooled. For being so complex though, the coffee was incredibly clean and balanced.

The Bottom Line

While this coffee was more floral than I expected, it was truly incredible to brew. It clearly deserves a spot at the top of the Ethiopian Cup of Excellence rankings. I’m grateful Tinker Coffee shared some of this amazing coffee for me to experience.