Kaffibrugghúsið Guatemala Los Arroyos – It has been a little while since we got to drink these Icelandic sweethearts, normally the time between using them is quite long due to the high shipping costs and how long it actually takes to get here (note the coffee was roasted 2-3 weeks ago). Here we are again, amazed over the sweet caramelized profiles of the Kaffibrugghúsið roasted coffee. Los Arroyos is a 50 hectare farm at 1600 MASL owned and operated by Felipe Venenciano Martinez Lopez and his three sons. Los Arroyos is part of a collective of farms that works exclusively with Ally, the importer this was brought to Europe by. Mostly only washed coffees are produced here, and all processing is done on site. The coffee is processed at higher elevations than typical for the region to slow down fermentation to create greater complexity, and then dried at a lower elevation to quickly dry. I tasted sweet mango nectar, grapefruit, and brown sugary chocolate hazelnut notes. There was also a strange sensation while drinking this one. It was like if you could capture the flavor of incense burning and put it in the cup, which is difficult to explain. Maybe someone will understand when tasting it. I brewed this with a 16.7:1 water to coffee ratio and ground it right at my typical starting point. It is a rather low density bean, so with this grind I poured slow wider circles rather than grinding super fine. I poured these slower circles spaced out by 30 seconds and four pulses. My drop time was 3:10.
Kaffibrugghúsið Ethiopia Acacia – This is actually my first washed Ethiopian from this roaster, which I was a little nervous about considering the typical profile of their coffees. I love them for the natural sweetness in the American coffees, but did not know how African Acidity would work. This is an intensely flavorful and acidic washed Ethiopia Heirloom also coming from Ally. The name Acacia comes from Ethiopia’s national tree, not for any real reason other than it needed a name LOL. This lot is produced by local smallholders in the Guji region that carefully pick ripe cherries from their trees, and then depulp and wash the cherries by hand in concrete canals at the local washing station. Wooden paddles are used to move the cherries around during fermentation to remove the mucilage and make sure the seed is clean. When this coffee is freshly brewed and hot, it was A Belgian Quad Ale. So basically malty spice with excellent sweetness. It then changed to a more classic Ethiopia flavor profile of lavender, peach, and tart berries. On the less boring side, it has a vanilla-cinnamon pear pie vibe. I am making this interesting with the brew on this one. I would overall recommend the same grind setting, six clicks coarser than standard grind setting as this is a washed Ethiopia. I poured two pulses spaced out by 40 seconds finishing my last pour 1:45. Now, I used ratios between 16.2:1 and 17:1. At 16.2 you will get more lemon acidity and tartness. At 17 you will get more of the lavender and prickly pear notes. I recommend using both ratios as I would consider both to be “dialed in”, however I love when I can alter the profile.
Little Wolf Honduras La Bendicion – This is a modestly sized, 2nd generation farm located in the Ocotepeque region. The farmer is Edgar Giron who has operated the farm for decades. The farm was mostly used for produce and livestock until about 2007. 2007 was also a year that specialty coffee roasters were gaining traction in cities all across the world. Producers like Giron notice this. Better coffee can be produced if there is a market for it, and there will be new producers standing out making fantastic new coffee if we continue demanding the high quality coffee we are growing so used to. Giron has continued growing a diverse selection of produce and using some as shade trees for the coffee plants. The main varietal in this lot is the IHCAFE 90, a mainly Honduran hybrid varietal that is high yielding and rust-resistant, an important factor in lower elevations Honduras producers are required to address in growing practices. I did not get a lot of red fruit or cherry notes which is what was described to me. I do agree that it is very sweet, and I would say pairing this one with the Kaffibrugghusid Guatemala would be great coffees for people that hate acidic coffees, but also interesting because both profiles are indicative of their respective country of origin. This Honduras is super smooth and silky and it took me three brews to find the holy grail of extraction. I tasted mostly notes like white grape and lemongrass which are fairly mild tasting notes generally. The coffee has a lot of complexity going in the background and is super sweet. I brewed this coffee with a 16.2:1 ratio, ground it one click coarser than my typical starting point, and poured four pulses spaced out by 35 seconds. My final pour finished at 2:35 for a 3:15 drop time.
Little Wolf Nicaragua La Bendicion – This La Bendicion farm is located in the Diplito mountain ranges, specifically Nueva Segovia located in the northwest of Nicaragua along the Honduran border. The famer is Luis Alberto Ballabarez. Luis is known for Little Wolf Nicaragua La Bendicion – This La Bendicion farm is located in the Diplito mountain ranges, specifically Nueva Segovia located in the northwest of Nicaragua along the Honduran border. The farmer is Luis Alberto Ballabarez. Luis is known for attention to detail. Detail at every stage of the process starting with cherry picking schedules, to drying times that vary depending on the process. This particular coffee is a natural processed version of the Kenyan varietal SL34. I am going to start looking for more coffees from this farmer as I am obsessed with the quality coming from Nicaragua in the last couple years, and Luis is at the top. I know another roaster that I would not use for this that had a Pacamara from Luis and I would love for a trusted roaster to get this. The farm is ideal for coffee growing conditions, sitting at 1600-1800 MASL with loose, sandy soil rich from the biodiversity of the farm. The cup was super pleasant but also rich with complexity. I tasted plum, blackberry or possibly gooseberry. There was a sour red fruit note. I brewed this with a 16.3:1 ratio, and ground it two clicks coarser than my standard starting grind setting. I poured three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:15 for a 3:05 drop time.
Stimulus Coffee Club 