Kenya Kiambu Spike Peaberry

I was really impressed by the level of sweetness in both my light and medium roasts of Spike Peaberry, and couldn't really settle on a favorite. Both revealed flavors of complex sugars, along with more subtle fruit suggestions that shifted depending on the roast level. City roasts were accented by red fruits, and citrus, whereas Full City brought out deep berry tones tempered by more intense chocolate bittersweets. The sweet smells in the fragrance and aroma were accompanied by notes of black currant, cooked sugar, cinnamon caramel, and dark grape. Brewing a City roast, there's a potent burnt sugar note that leads to some complex bittering aspects in the aftertaste. Fruits are fairly tame, which works well here, and keeps the focus on the underlying sweetness, as well as surprisingly dense body. Mild mannered hints top notes do come through, like jellied cranberry sauce, orange zest, dried currant, and cardamom spiced tea. The cup develops some very nice roast tones at Full City, bittersweet and boomy, with notes of spiced blackberry, and tamarind sauce.