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rooibos

rooibos

Rooibos as a coffee tasting note evokes a warm, earthy sweetness with undertones of honey, vanilla, and dried wood — smooth and mellow with no bitterness or astringency. In specialty coffee, this note is most commonly found in naturally processed coffees from regions like Ethiopia and Yemen, where fermentation-driven sweetness and herbal complexity mirror rooibos's own fermented red-bush character. It can also appear in low-acid washed coffees with a round, caramel-like body, often described alongside notes of dried fruit and gentle spice.

Coffees that taste of rooibos
Process Washed
Varieties Wild Heirloom Ethiopia Arabica Cultivars
Country Ethiopia
Region Yirgacheffe
Elevation 1800 - 2100m
Source Takele Mammo Denbi
First noted
Aug 14, 2026
Last tasted
Aug 24, 2026
3 cuppings
Recent cuppings with rooibos tasted
Cupped By @rbrigleb
Cupped On Aug 14, 2026
Since Roast 8 days
Roaster Cat & Cloud Coffee
Brew Method Hario V60
Raymond Brigleb

Pretty good in pour-over, need to try espresso next.

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Process Washed
Varieties Chiroso
Country Colombia
Region Antioquia
Elevation 1900m
Source La Cartagena
First noted
Sep 04, 2026
Last tasted
Sep 06, 2026
2 cuppings
Process Thermal Shock Washed, Thermal Shock Natural
Varieties Pacamara
Country Colombia
Region Huila
Elevation 1750m
First noted
Sep 03, 2026
Last tasted
Sep 03, 2026
1 cupping
Process Washed
Country Ethiopia
Region Guji
First noted
Sep 02, 2026
0 cuppings
Process Washed
Varieties SL28, SL34
Country Kenya
Region Nyeri
First noted
Aug 29, 2026
Last tasted
Aug 29, 2026
1 cupping
Process Washed
Varieties Ethiopian Landrace
Country Ethiopia
Region Gedeb
Elevation 2,300–2,400m
Source Harmufo
First noted
Aug 26, 2026
Last tasted
Aug 27, 2026
2 cuppings
Process Washed
Varieties Bourbon
Country Mexico
Region Chiapas
Elevation 1400m
First noted
Aug 19, 2026
Last tasted
Aug 19, 2026
1 cupping
Process Washed, Natural
Elevation 1,100-1,900m
Source Various
First noted
Aug 17, 2026
Last tasted
Aug 19, 2026
2 cuppings
Process Washed
Species Arabica
Varieties Pacamara
Country El Salvador
Region Chalatenango
Elevation 1632m
First noted
Aug 16, 2026
0 cuppings
Process Washed
Varieties Wild Heirloom Ethiopia Arabica Cultivars
Country Ethiopia
Region Yirgacheffe
Elevation 1800 - 2100m
Source Takele Mammo Denbi
First noted
Aug 14, 2026
Last tasted
Aug 24, 2026
3 cuppings
Process Co-fermented and experimental (Mango)
Varieties Castillo
Country Colombia
Region Quindío
Elevation 1386m
Source La Sirena
First noted
Aug 11, 2026
Last tasted
Aug 11, 2026
3 cuppings
Certifications Organic
Country Colombia
Source Fondo Paez Cooperative
First noted
Aug 09, 2026
Last tasted
Aug 23, 2026
2 cuppings
Process Anaerobic Natural
Varieties Tabi
Country Colombia
Region Santander
Source Hacienda Cafetera La Pradera
First noted
Aug 09, 2026
Last tasted
Aug 09, 2026
1 cupping