Arcane Coffee Company’s Malawi, a wonderful trip to Africa in a cup.
Arcane Coffee Company’s offering of a limited Malawi is well worth your time. It is a surprisingly sweet cup, full of flavor, and freshness. Coffee from Malawi is hard to get, due to the fact that Malawi is a land lock country in Africa. The only water there is Lake Malawi, not to mention getting Malawi’s coffee to a sea port, well that is an adventure all on to itself.
What makes this coffee so unique is that there are only five Estates in Malawi producing this coffee, and on a very limited scale at that. Tea, Macademia, and Tobacco are the three big cash crops. This is why I am so stoked to get a bag from Arcane Coffee Company! They have done an outstanding job roasting this unique coffee bean.
Here is what I found.
Arcane’s Malawi
Aroma:
A nice, big aroma, rich with floral notes. I picked up citrus, and a happily, a hint of vanilla as well. As the coffee cooled down I noticed the vanilla was more dominate, with a slight hint of spice.
Flavor:
A complex cup, full of fruit, and citrus notes. The vanilla, along with a slight hit of chocolate can also be found. But what surprised me was how smooth, and sweet this coffee is. When I added milk, or cream to it, the coffee took on a cinnamon, and chocolate profile that you would fine in a black tea. Very tasty indeed.
Acidity:
Very smooth, and soft, no sharpness, just a brisk, medium edge to it, no long lingering after taste.
Body:
The body of Arcane Malawi is soft, and clean, not a dirty cup, but well balanced in flavor, and mouth feel. It was not heavy, but rather full. I was quite clear I was drinking a wonderful cup, and was very much impressed with it.
Finish:
This offering had a very clean finish, smooth in feel, and taste, full of complex flavors that were balanced. Neither one being over bearing. A well-rounded cup of coffee, completely enjoyable, from start to finish. The flavor, and acidity held up quite well as the coffee cooled down, so I was not in the least concerned when my cup got cold. I still enjoyed it cold, over ice as well.
Overall:
Arcane Coffee Company has something to be proud of here. A great job was done roasting this coffee, and picking a roast profile that showed off all the intriguing flavors this coffee has to offer, from a region of Africa that is not well known. Good job!
