Philip Ashby
It’s easy to tell who has the best stuff at the Dane County Farmers’ Market — just look to see which vendors have the longest lines.
The same way hungry market-goers queue up in droves to score a loaf of still-warm-from-the-oven spicy cheese bread from Stella’s Bakery, coffee lovers of all sorts flock to the JBC Coffee Roasters cart in front of the Wisconsin Historical Museum.
Serving super-premium, socially conscious roasts sourced from sustainable farms all over the world, this family-owned business is well worth the hype.
Yes, the lines are long, but it’s fun to people-watch, and local musician Catfish Stephenson sets up next to JBC to serenade customers as they wait.
Wanting to experience pure, unadulterated goodness, I ordered the Aeknauli Sumatra, one of two drip coffees available last weekend.
The coffee is wet-hulled — a technique typical among Sumatran coffees that involves stripping the pulp, skin and parchment from the bean before drying. This gives Sumatran coffees their uniquely funky flavors — they can be heavy, earthy, spicy and herb-y.
The Aeknauli Sumatra from JBC has subtle yet noticeable flavors of orange and chocolate balanced by a bit of spice and overall earthiness with light acidity. In fact, it was one of the few cups of coffee I’ve ever had where I’ve clearly tasted the things you’re supposed to taste.
