SEY Colombia Jhon Alexander Montoya – As we near the end of the diverse Colombia micro-lot season, I am excited to share this unforgettable gem. This is another Chiroso varietal from the Urrao region in Antioquia of northwest Colombia. This is possibly the 2nd or 3rd Chiroso in the subscription thus far. As a reminder, the Chiroso varietal is a newer crop recently brought to Colombia. It is technically an Ethiopian Heirloom species brought to Colombia, and has since been the winning coffee of multiple Cup of Excellence competitions. SEY has only recently started working with Montoya, but it is a relationship that they will pursue in following years to bring more of these advanced complexity profiles to their lineup. This and other Chiroso’s really should be priced higher than they currently are because of the cup profile. It doesn’t have the fame that a Gesha or a Yemeni has in the current specialty market, but if I was confronted with those three, I would for sure choose Chiroso. It is already up there in my all time favorites with Sidra and Pink Bourbon and I have only had two! In the cup I tasted bubblegum, lemon, and the essence of a light Cabernet. Brightness hits you up front with maple syrup throughout the cup. I brewed this one with a 16.2:1 water to coffee ratio and a grind setting one click coarser than my typical starting point. I let the bloom go for a full minute, then I poured three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:40. My final brew time was 3:30.
SEY Ethiopia Gore Dako – Gore Dako is a newer washing station located in the Agaro region of western Ethiopia. Gore Dako was recently opened by the absolute legendary Kata Muduga collective. Coffees overseen by Muduga are typically super clean and clarified, and not just lemon bombs either. The sweetness in these is much more clarified and balanced, likely because of the focus on crop shade and proper washing techniques. As this washing station is part of Kata Muduga group, it belongs to TechnoServe. TechnoServe is a project in Ethiopia dedicated to providing better resources and funding to Ethiopian Coffee Farmers, made to uplift the industry and residents of the region. TechnoServe has been super successful in these efforts, with direct effects shown in helping poverty in the region as well as higher quality in the cup. This one is super smooth and delicate. It has a sparkling champagne acidity throughout the cup along with mango that lingers long after the last sip. The sweetness on this cup was amazing and rivaled some of the sweetest Colombian coffees. Honeysuckle dominated the cup on the second brew. I brewed the Gore Dako with a 16.0:1 coffee to water ratio, and a grind setting 6 clicks coarser than a typical washed Colombia grind setting. After a quick 30 second bloom, I poured two slow pulses spaced our by 50 seconds. I kept my circles smaller and poured with focus so as to not agitate the brew too much. My final pour ended at 2:00 for a 2:50 brew time.
Kafferaven Costa Rica La Chumeca – Just wow on this one. La Chumeca, like the rest of Kafferaven’s selections is a direct relationship coffee. The farm and mill is run by Martin Urega in San Pedro, Terrazu. This is a super unique farm because of how hands-on the process is and how small the operation really is. It is classified as a micro-mill, and technically only produces natural processed coffee. Urega is a fourth generation farmer and uses unique processing techniques developed in his own family. No pulping is done by machine here. A mixture of Anaerobic and Aerobic fermentation is used in a process known by “Capulinero” developed on the farm. The whole cherries are thrown in to the sealed stainless steel tanks for the anaerobic fermentation. Once a specific pH is achieved, the cherries are removed and fermented again in open containers, then put back in to the anaerobic tanks to finish up once they reach a specific temperature. I tasted cherry, cranberry, honeycrisp apple, and herbs. This is a wild/funky/bright lil brew. I brewed this one with a 16.3:1 ratio, and ground it one click finer than my typical starting point. After a 50 second bloom, I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds. My pours were more vigorous and wider to create a whirlpool in the bed to slow down the brew. My fourth pour finished at 3:00 for a 3:40 brew time.
Kafferaven Kenya Gatagua – This is another Kenyan coffee that comes from Per’s trip to Kenya in early 2020 that was extended due to border restrictions! Yay! We tried one of them last summer when four were released at the same time. Luckily, there was a more phased approach this year to the Kenya lots. The Gatagua factory has been in high demand for the last three years due to the high averaging score the coffees receive. The factory processes cherries from around 650 local smallholding farmers. The farmers grow crop that ranges from 1600 to 1800 MASL, and holds classes and training on growing techniques to ensure the producers grow higher quality to allow for a higher return financially. The exact varietals cannot be confirmed, but as typical with co-op Kenyan coffess it can be assumed a mix of SL28, SL34, Batian, and Ruiru 11. The cup hit me with SweeTarts™, grapefruit, sherbet, and boysenberry. While acidic, it has a beautiful round mouthfeel. I ground this one 3 clicks coarser than my typical starting point and used a 15.8:1 water to coffee ratio. After a 45 second bloom, I poured two aggressive pulses spaced out by 50 seconds. This is a coffee that will benefit from increased contact time and possibly a higher water temperature. My final pour finished at 2:10 for a 3:00 brew time.
Stimulus Coffee Club 