Cravens Coffee Burundi Ibuco With Cigar Pairing Notes

Complex and satisfying, Burundi Ibuco from Cravens Coffee.

Quick Details

• Roast: Dark
• Country: Africa
• Origin: Single
• Price: $12.00 12 oz. bag

Since Cravens coffee asked me to review this sample I really ran it through the gauntlet using two different brewing methods and pairing it with two distinctly different cigars. I always check aromas from the bag and grinder before brewing. These beans had a bold mix of cocoa and coffee in the bag and once the oily, caramelized beans were ground, the aroma changed to a mix of cocoa and coffee with hints of roasted nuts. Doing a pour-over the aroma again changed with notes of blueberries rising up to greet my nose. As an added bonus, the introduction of hot water to the ground coffee produced a huge frothy bloom.

Tasting notes:

Once the Burundi Ibuco was cupped, the first sips yielded bright and crisp, palate cleansing flavors of nuts, sandalwood and blueberries with a lingering sweet bread aftertaste. Like always the coffee cooled as I sipped away, as it did, the body changed becoming heavier with more of a syrupy,  hearty mouth feel and a tart fruit aftertaste replaced the sweet bread. There were other flavor notes of cocoa, grain, berries.
When I French pressed another sample, the blueberry aroma became stronger, the coffee felt heavier and more syrup-like, with deeper flavors of grain and sandalwood. As the coffee cooled in the cup the flavors changed drastically tasting a bit like a chocolate milk shake.

As I mentioned, I smoked two cigars while tasting these samples. Pairing the Burundi Ibuco with a Connecticut wrapped cigar brought out the coffee and cream nuances of the cigar, while the maduro wrapped cigar brought out the chocolate notes in the coffee. I found these contrasting results very interesting.

Overall I found this Burundi Ibuco to brew into a complex, delicious and satisfying cup of coffee with its constantly changing flavors and body profiles.

I give this Burundi Ibuco from Cravens Coffee a 4.9 out of 5 star rating.