RIBANG GAYO - SUMATRA #2408

Tastes Like: Blue Raspberry, Pink Lemonade, Banana Pudding

Curator’s Notes:If you know my taste in coffee, you’ll already know how excited I get whenever I see banana-related flavor notes. So when I saw that “banana pudding” note on Greater Goods’s award-winning Sumatran lot, I knew I had to try it. And it definitely lives up to the hype! This cup is a fantastic introduction into specialty coffee for folks who really like those spicy, earthy Indonesian-coffee profiles. There’s a really pleasant acidity to this cup, definitely piquant, but surrounded by sweetness, like fresh-squeezed lemonade or pineapple juice. Upfront notes of fruit candy, I taste pink saltwater taffy, blue raspberry slushie, a hint of apricot and tropical papaya. But, like many Sumatrans, this one dives down into a finish that’s a little spicy, a little earthy, cacao nib, and YES!, a soft, sweet banana in the finish. Greater Goods says banana pudding, because of the creamy mouthfeel, but with that spicy note, I say it’s more of a chocolate chip banana bread. Po-tayto, Po-tahto, right? Either way, this coffee has it all - bright, fruity, earthy, rich, complex – no wonder it won a prestigious Good Food Award in 2023! And I also happen to know (pssst, it’s a secret, so don’t tell anyone) that it’s been submitted to this year’s competition as well! Those winning coffees have yet to be determined, but this one is a real contender! Good Food Awards recognize coffees that are not only delicious, but meet high standards for social sustainability and environmental stewardship. This one was grown by a cooperative formed in 2018 to support farm workers in North Sumatra after a dormant volcano became active again in 2013. In addition, Greater Goods donates to Central Texas food bank: for every 12oz bag sold, they provide 4 meals to folks in need. Now that’s Good Food, amirite??

Bottom Line:You’ll like this coffee if you like Indonesian coffees, natural-processed single origins, or freshly-baked banana bread!