Sump Reserve – Ethiopia Bensa Segera – Sump Coffee

Sump Coffee is likely my favorite roaster in St. Louis. Every coffee I’ve tried of theirs through the years has been excellent. For that reason I was really excited to hear about their new “reserve” series that will feature very small lot coffees or special coffee cultivars or processing methods they want to highlight. The first coffee in their reserve series is this delicate, yet complex Ethiopia Bensa Segera.

The coffee began with a sweet, creamy, yet somewhat mild fragrance that reminded me of subtle floral notes and hazelnuts. The flavor was very floral with notes of honey and subtle citrus notes. As the coffee cooled, notes of lemongrass and some tropical fruit notes emerge. The profile was delicate, but had a wonderful depth and complexity to it. The mouthfeel was surprisingly full with a thick, syrupy mouthfeel. The honey-toned sweetness was well-rounded with notes of caramel undertones. In the finish, the thick mouthfeel with honey sweetness linger.

The Bottom Line

While delicate, this coffee was surprisingly complex. It had a lot of layers of flavors that were constantly evolving throughout the sip. It was so much fun to explore and was a great first coffee for the new Sump reserve series. I can’t wait to see what coffees they release in the coming months as the series continues.