Lekali Estate

Newakat, Nepal

With endless varieties of flavor profiles to be discovered world wide, coffee will never be boring for us.

We love seeking out regions with unique geology where coffee is grown that sometimes can make it difficult to obtain. If it’s interesting and exotic enough, we might just buy it blind.

That’s how we came across Lekali Estate, a bean curiously from the Himalayan Mountain Range. It revealed itself to have a rare dynamic profile that’s incredibly savory with a bit of pepper, rounded out with sweet and fruity notes of pomegranate and vanilla.

Discovering Flavors Born from a Mystical Origin

Lekali Estate is specifically from Newakat, Nepal, a city situated in the far reaches and high-elevations of the Himalayas. These mountains have sub tropical paradises hidden throughout and carry ancient tales of Shangri-La, a utopic valley, isolated from the world.

This mystical place begs the question: what would the coffee taste like here?

Would it be totally unique, or a hybrid of its neighboring origins put together?

We tried test batches all across the roasting spectrum to unlock this coffee’s one-of-a-kind complexity. An almost broth-like savoriness is immediately evident. Although not a profile commonly associated with coffee, these umami flavors are hiding in the cup.

Characteristics like these reveal themselves more readily after you’ve tried a bean that puts them on proud display like this one.

A Journey from Savory to Sweet

Here’s where the complexity may surprise you.

As the coffee cools, it becomes sweeter with notes of fortified wine, molasses, sweet tobacco and chocolate. Although rich, the nuances are quick and crisp and don’t linger.

If you’re not used to drinking savory coffees, you may want to try cooking with it instead. I think it would bring nuance to a classic coffee rub and broth.

Despite being so savory, the Lekali Estate is never too salty and lingers lightly on the tongue with a satin-like finish.