Junto Colombia Maca – On paper, this is likely the most exciting coffee on the menu this month. It is a close contender for the 2nd best coffee this month as well. This is Varietal Colombia seed, grown at a staggering 2231 MASL in the Cauca department. The producer for this one is named Tio Conejo, who owns his own farm with his family. The pickers are well-trained to only pick ripe cherries from the trees. For most coffees grown here the cherries are cleaned with Ozone gas and UV Lights, and for this lot they are pulped and then placed in the bioreactor with a specific strain of yeast. Then the tank is sealed to create the Anaerobic processing for these seeds. It is clear from this whole process that this farm is extremely advanced and educated on the science behind processing this organic product. Since the seeds are pulped before the Anaerobic fermentation, this is considered a washed Anaerobic. This one has the perfect balance of funk to brightness. This is an important brew to let cool before drinking, the freshly brewed cup doesn’t have as much vibrance. I tasted Kiwi, Rhubarb, and Blueberry with a Caprisun undertone and a slight tobacco quality. I brewed this with a 16.3:1 water to coffee ratio and ground it right at my typical starting grind setting for Colombian coffee. After a brief 30 second bloom, I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:10 for a 3:00 total brew time.
Junto Ethiopia Odola TebeArowacho – Odola is a newer washing station in Uraga, having started operations in 2016. While new, the quality in Uraga makes the processing purely a practice of not fucking up some of the most naturally delicious green coffee on the planet. Most of the coffee from this station is washed and is either grown in smallholder owned gardens or wild grown nearby. When I say smallholders, I mean most gardens are 1-5 acres in size. The processing is super standard for the region. Floated to remove defects, depulped, and then wet fermented for 12 hours before being dried on raised African Beds for 10 days. This is an exquisite example of a deliciously crisp washed Ethiopia. I tasted flavors that remind me of the absolute most killer cereal in history – Special K with strawberry yogurt clusters. It had some of that baked tart along with raspberries. The nose was all florals. Stick your nose in it. I brewed this with a 15.5:1 water to coffee ratio and a grind setting 8 clicks coarser than my usual starting point. That is two clicks coarser than I usually grind the dense beans that come from Ethiopia. I poured three tight pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:00 for a 2:55 drop time.
Kaffa Colombia Finca Danny – No the farmer’s name is not Danny, it is just the name of the farm. This is a coffee from one of my absolute favorite producers in the world, Jhon Wilson Poveda. Every coffee I have had from Poveda either from Kaffa or SEY has always been lights out beautiful. This is no different. The farm is in Acevedo, Huila. This is a small region we should all know by now that turns out the best product year after year and is considered quite new. This lot is a simple washed Caturra/Castillo/Colombia varietal blend grown at around 2000 MASL. The processing for this is fairly standard, albeit a longer dry fermentation period of 52 hours. What makes these coffees from Poveda so delicious is more related to the climate in Acevedo. The soil, cool mountain air, and shade from other trees is what feeds the quality of this coffee. This coffee turned out almost exactly like I had hoped. This is good news for me and my livelihood because this is the most common coffee I sent out this month. This has the classic Kaffa Colombia profile for sure. If the cup was a color it would be pink. It tastes of Rose, pink lemonade, and an overwhelming sweet pastry. I brewed this one a few different ways but ended up landing on a fairly standard Colombia brewing approach. I ground this one click coarser than my usual starting point, and brewed this with a 16:1 water to coffee ratio. After a 40 second bloom, I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds for a total brew time of 3:15.
Kaffa Kenya Jojo Estate – This is another beautiful Kenyan coffee from the Kenya roasting lords. I was told by the Kaffa squad that this could be the best Kenyan coffee they have had in years. This really means something coming from them, as Kenya is the first country that comes to my mind when I hear Kaffa. If you were wondering what the best coffee this month is after reading my Junto Maca description, this is the one. What is cool about Jojo Estate is the single-owner/producer which is still considered rare in Kenya. The estate is run by husband and wife power couple Joseph and Irene Njorge Njuguna. All of the trees are Ruiru-11, a disease resistant varietal. The Ruiru-11 is grafted to SL28 trunks, which I have personally never heard of any producer doing. I actually had to google what the grafting process of trees/horticulture even means. The farm is located at 1700-1800 MASL, and this lot is fully washed. The cherries are pulped, then the seeds are wet fermented for 16-24 hours and then washed off/dried. The drying process is done carefully; the seeds are flipped each day on the raised African Beds for anywhere between 10-18 days. It is super sweet with no negative traits. This is one of those coffees that I would put head to head with a really expensive rare varietal just because there is nothing you can knock it down for. I got notes of Lilac, Rose, Rhubarb, and cranberry when it was freshly brewed and hot. As it cooled it got brighter and turned to more of a lime and papaya profile. A+ on this one. I brewed this with a 15.8:1 water to coffee ratio and ground it five clicks coarser than my usual starting point. I poured two pulses after my bloom with wider circles poured fairly quickly. These were spaced out by 45 seconds. My final brew time was 2:50.
Kaffa Peru Damian Espinoza – I asked about this one first (after I saw and instantly confirmed Finca Danny) and almost did not get it after I had settled on Jojo Estate. However, this is the first Natural-Processed Peruvian coffee I have ever seen. Not many people received this one but if you did, I know you won’t hate me if you don’t like it. As with many Peruvians, this is a certified Organic lot. Damian Espinoza is a farmer in the prized Cajamarca region known for growing awesome washed coffee. This lot is a fix of Yellow Caturra and Yellow Bourbon, and was dried in the cherry. Damian Espinoza has been growing coffee for many years, but turned to specialty coffee later on when a fellow grower won a Cup Of Excellence competition. The flavor profile on this bean was super interesting as I always have loved the subtle beauty of a well done Peru. As my first natural or even non-washed Peru, it basically exacerbated that sweetness and brought out more body and complexity. I got notes of toasted coconut, marmalade, and ripe strawberries. As the cup cooled it was all brown sugar cinnamon. My best brew of this one so far was sort of strange – I did a super long bloom and then four pulses. The grind was three clicks coarser than my typical starting point and I used a 16.3:1 water to coffee ratio. My bloom lasted a full minute. No more water or anything, just let the bloom fully ride out and then started my four pulses. I spaced them out by 30 seconds for a final brew time of 3:50.
Stimulus Coffee Club 