It's that time of year again when the middle east version of disney land and it's associated markets open up for the cooler months. Fresh from the Yemeni spice vendor's markets are a few kilos of unidentified beans, with faces that only a mother could love... Broken, split, a few blacks, the odd peaberry, a few insect damaged and otherwise slightly pale looking beans - pretty much the same as last year, but perhaps a slightly larger screen size. The roast took a fair bit of heat, and I normally take these a little longer towards 2C than I otherwise would. The result.... Unbelievably good. As espresso, it pours like chocolate, thick body & smooth, muted acidity, sweet nuttiness with some stone fruit. The mottling in the cup looks like a work of art! With milk as a mac, it was ok but IMO a waste of a great SO and not well suited anyway. Retail price was 50 dirhams a kilo, which is about $16 in real money.
