La Armonia Hermosa
I ran my standard setup over multiple tastings, a Chemex, 37 grams of coffee to 600ml water, and I drink my coffee black. Taking the honorary first big smell, I noticed the beans had a little sweetness on that first smell, enough that I thought the cup was going to be more fruit forward and a bit lighter than it actually was (not complaining about this). I simply found it interesting how the smell and taste did not line up as I expected with this roast.
The first sip had me tasting the almond more than the fruit, which I was a fan of. I also really enjoy when the first hot sip is on point to taste rather than letting it settle in flavor. Smooth nuttiness up front, raisin riding with it, and the blackberry sitting on the back instead of leading. Their notes on the bag are almond, blackberry, and raisin, and that split is about right once the cup is brewed. Mid cup, after it sat a few minutes, it got sweeter and the fruit that had been in the back moved forward. I personally would have preferred the initial taste throughout. Finish was clean, with a little raisin that hung around. Body in the Chemex was light to medium, not tea like but nothing super heavy either. I could easily see this being someone's go to with a little different flavor palate preference than mine.
This is a solid Worth A Try. If you chase fruit more than I do, it could be the bag you pick from Deeper Roots. Knowing I like another bag (Big Picture) from this roaster, I know I will keep an eye on what some of their future roasts are. I also found their tasting notes to be quite accurate across multiple different bags, so if you find yourself browsing the site I would have confidence that the tasting notes you see on the bag will be true in the cup.
A little about Deeper Roots. They started in 2011 when a group of friends in Cincinnati got serious about coffee and the kind of shop you actually sit in. The relationship they treat as the center of the company is with farmers in Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala. They roast in the West End and have shops in Oakley, Over-the-Rhine, and downtown. Big Picture is the giveback bag from that house. This one is the farm that story keeps pointing at: La Armonia Hermosa, washed coffee from Julio and Melvin Cuy Xar, grown at 1500 to 2000 meters.