Manhattan Colombia Deiro Garcia – This is an all around super fun coffee. Deiro Garcia’s farm is called Finca Lord Baltimore. The farm was bought by Deiro’s father Leo several years ago, and the previous owner had named the farm Lord Voldemort through a Harry Potter fascination; however Leo heard Baltimore instead. Leo passed away in 2019 and since then Deiro has been managing production at the farm. This first lot for us is an Ethiopian varietal called Sidra. I believe we have had at least one Sidra in the subscription before, but they are known to be super high quality and lend to great acidity and fruit notes. The Sidra cherries were processed in a washed Anaerobic method, so depulped fully and then sealed in tanks with a specific set of microorganisms to boost the fermentation in the tank. The seeds were grown at 1800 MASL at the Lord Baltimore farm. This comes from the Pitalito region of Huila. The cup is mostly delicate flavors; Chrysanthemum, Polish Cherry tea, and jasmine. The cup had an essence of washed Ethiopia, but very much had the mouthfeel and sweetness of a Huila grown coffee. I found lighter fruit notes than expected but more sweetness, which is the Huila terroir generally. I brewed this with a 16.5:1 water to coffee ratio ground one click coarser than my usual starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:15 for a final brew time of 3:00.
Manhattan Colombia Camilo Torres – It does not mention this on the bag, however this is yet another coffee from fermentation lord Diego Bermudez. The coffees received from Diego Bermudez and roasted by Manhattan have been 100% insane. Camilo Torres comes from the name of the neighborhood that Diego’s family moved to, and where he became friends with his future coffee processing masters. For those new to the subscription, Diego has a degree in Biodiversity and microbiology. The farm was started by Diego to implement experiments based upon yeast strains, microorganisms, and of course, fermentation. As with most of the coffees we have tried, this is a Castillo varietal that has undergone the thermal shock Anaerobic process known so well at El Paraiso. The thermal shock part of this is washing the seeds with warmer water, then switching over to cold water before sealing the seeds in the tanks for fermentation. The resulting cup has excellent flavor qualities. Bright orange citrus, juicy fruits, honeydew, red grape, persimmon, and possibly dozens more that can be found in this dynamic coffee. I brewed this with a 16.5:1 ratio, and ground it two clicks coarser than my typical starting point for Colombian coffee. The density did not lead me to the coarser grind however, I am doing this to extend the brew time and extract more sweet flavor compounds. I then poured three sets of wide circle pulses at a faster rate to push the fines around in the bed. My pulses were spaced out by 40 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:25. My final brew time was 3:20.
Manhattan Brazil Elias Goncalves – Like I have said about most of the Brazilian coffee in the subscription, this is a new producer for me! I am getting more and more excited about Brazil proving again that it can stand up on it’s own in the high-end Specialty market we are chasing. Elias holds a smaller farm in the region of Sao Sebastiano de Anto, with a super small amount compared to some of the giants in the Mata de Minas region. Elias’ family is new in the producing scene, and it is beautiful how he describes the work. It is a blessing for him and family to come together to pick cherries and process to the best of their abilities. The cup quality shows how much focus was spent on the coffee. The farm is super low elevation at 750 MASL, and they grow an experimental varietal called Catucai 785/15, a hybrid varietal between Catuai and Icatu. I really do not think I would have called this out as Brazil when I first tasted it. There was no presence of that classic nutty Brazil flavor I have run from my entire life. I tasted Bitter melon, kiwi, green apple, and then a hidden red fruit note in the background. I really can’t give a brewing recommendation here because this is an excellent option to experiment with and the reason that so many people received it this month. I want to do a long extraction with coarser grind but also I am using it to make espresso in my house right now so no middle ground. To start for pour overs, I recommend trying a 16.2:1 ratio with a grind size a couple clicks finer than your typical starting point. After a long 45 second bloom, I poured two slow pulses spaced out by 50 seconds. My second pour ended around 2:00 for a 2:45 drop time.
Little Wolf Colombia Las Perlitas – The return of Las Perlitas was met with excitement in my house. For those that were subscribers in January 2021 you might have received this stunner. This is once again a mix of local varietals, however not quite as exotic of a mix as last time. It is a classic Caturra/Castillo/Colombia mix. I actually remember getting a lot more florality from it last time which makes sense because of the Pink Bourbon and trace of Gesha in the mix. This one is much more on the sweet and heavy stone fruit side. This coffee comes from the “Mujeres de Giraldo” group. Mujeres meaning Women and Giraldo being the region in Antiquioa where these smallholding farmers, mostly women, have formed a community to educate, motivate, and support each other on growing and picking techniques. The group was founded by Yessica Parra, a young entrepreneur in the intensely competitive coffee world of Antiquioa. Yessica acknowledges the key role of women in coffee production, and that they are rarely acknowledged as the driving force behind production. Most of the coffee grown for this co-op is at 1800 MASL. On first sip I thought it was a delightful new version of what we had last year. In the cup, I tasted bright pink citrus, chamomile, and on the finish it almost has a lactic quality that comes from natural processes. Never would have expected this typically super clean coffee to have funk! I brewed Las Perlitas with a 16:1 ratio and a grind setting at my typical starting point for Colombian coffee. I poured two pulses after my 45 second bloom, spaced out by 45 seconds. My second pour ended at 2:00 for a 2:45 brew time.
Little Wolf Ecuador Lugmapata – Also from our January 2021 subscription comes one of my favorite coffees ever from Enrique Moreno of Lugmapata in Pallatange, Ecuador. Lugmapata coffees always blow me away with their complexity and brightness. It doesn’t hurt that they are typically Sidra or a different Ethiopian varietal transplanted to the exceptional. This lot specifically is a Bourbon Sidra and Typica blend and all trees at Lugmapata are grown between 1650 and 2000 MASL. At Lugmapata, all pickers are trained to only pick the ripest cherries, and then cherries are sorted to ensure only the ripest cherries are then processed. The coffees here are all double washed to ensure consistency in fermentation. The double washing yields a super clean cup. Lugmapata is once again tasting fantastic. I tasted Raspberry creamsicle, Lavender, and deeply complex flavors in the background. I brewed this with a 16.3 ratio and a grind setting one click coarser than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, finishing my third pour at 2:40 for a 3:30 drop time.
Stimulus Coffee Club 