Raja Batak

I have great Karma, yet another new coffee to try today !
Raja Batak, the Sumatra grown coffee. It is typically grown around lake Toba at 1000 meters above sealevel, like always I am trying arabica coffees, I should get a robusta once, just to try it... or even a liberica or excelsa, but haven't seen those for sale yet, only one time did i see a 100%robusta, but it was a very dark roast, most likely a level 5 out of 5. I am sure you already figured out my love for lighter and medium roasts compared to dark ones :)

A little more information about lake Toba now, according to geologists, lake Toba is one of the better places on our planet for growing coffee. The rich soil, the higher altitude and the almost perfect climate are what makes this the ideal location.

I got this coffee at the Maastricht roastery called Blanche Dael, together with the Micro Lot, the Cup of excellence and 2 syrups. I already gave 2 thumbs up to the CoE, this was the second of their coffees.
Again a medium roast, I guess between a level 2 and a level 3, I think it is a 3, but I could be wrong.

First impression, like always, smelling the beans. A clean smell of good coffee, a little spicy, would say dark chocolatey too. Even my mom smelled and approved, she is like my fiancee, doesnt like coffee very much. They go hand in hand for many things, they both call me crazy and obsessed, haha.
The other day, I went to a market, both asked if I bought new coffee, that is how funny they can be :)

Second impression, the espresso smelling. I had just got the cup in my hand and immediately noticed a very clean and thick layer of crema on top of the espresso, it smelled good, same impression as the beans.

Third impression, my all time favourite impression, the drinking.
I am going to do my best to give this cup the justice it deserved. First off, it was beyond good, but not great. First thing I noticed was a clean yet heavy taste. The acidity in this coffee were just above the average you would expect, but because it has some added sweetness, I didnt feel betrayed by my taste buds. It was good, despite the acidity. I know, am almost contradicting my own words and ideals, but this was a good coffee. What I also noticed, if this coffee had gone up one level of roasting, it would surely be too bitter and the sweetness would most likely have vanished too, making it great for ristretto, but not for me.
Last but not least, the long aftertaste in my mouth, again this is not a complaint. It stayed present on my tongue for almost an hour, the light syrupy spicy kind of dark chocolate. As I have stated a few times before, I have a sweet tooth and chocolate is my nemesis, must be why I did enjoy this coffee so much.

Final conclusion.
I will be a little sad when I finish it! But.....
I still need to try a few hundred coffees in my life (not joking, it is my queste) but I am very glad I got to try this one, maybe I am underrating it at 8/10, but all in all, the coffee felt like it was on the edge of going too far. I would however recommend it to everyone, for 2 reasons. It is a specific taste experience, one everyone should have tried at least once. Second, most Sumatran coffees are not this clean when it comes to the taste of things, it is another big part of why this coffee is a "must try"



Rating: 8 / 10
Purchased: Blanche Dael, Maastricht
Full name of this coffee: Sumatra Raja Batak Lingtong