Kaffa Peru El Cerro Geisha – This one is the gift – I knew I absolutely had to hop on this train as I have never seen a Geisha come out of Peru before. The climate and terroir of Peru is super similar to Ecuador, however there is less experimentation typically. I think this means the potential for crazy coffee is endless and it is good to see some of the producers stretching their wings. This Geisha comes from Efrain Carhuallocllo at his farm in Cajamarca (1900-2050 MASL). Efrain grows mostly Caturra crop but has recently dabbled in new trees such as Geisha. The cherries are picked and sorted, then pre-fermented in the cherry for 24 hours. They are then pulped and fermented for an additional 24 hours, then washed and dried for 15 days on raised beds. Efrain plans to buy new dryers and invest in new equipment to improve the quality of some of the newer experimental lots in the coming years. The cup tells a dynamic tale; I tasted juniper, lilac, peach, cardamom, and lemon curd. I am a huge fan of this one and decided to use the rest of it for espresso. I brewed this with a 15.5:1 ratio and I ground it one click finer than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:15 for a 2:50 drop time.
Kaffa Peru La Palestine – As everyone should know by now I love a classic Peru profile for its simplicity. It is pure coffee seed juice when it is done well and is so pleasant to drink. Great as espresso, batch brew, immersion, anything. This is a full Caturra lot from the prized Cajamarca region located in the northern highlands of Peru in the Andes. This farm comes from the Alarcon Coronel family, it is a small farm with mostly Caturra and Red Bourbon grown around 1800-1900 MASL. This is a bit of an exciting lot, as it is not just a standard washing process which can be detected by the twist of flavors in this coffee compared to a standard Peruvian Caturra. The cherries undergo a pre-ferment in the cherries before being pulped and washed in the traditional method. This gives an extra acidity pop to the bean. In the cup I tasted fudge toffee brownie at the front, with cherry, and vanilla marshmallow. I brewed this with a 16.8:1 with a grind size two clicks finer than usual. I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:50 for a 3:40 brew time.
Sey Kenya Gitutu AA – Gitutu comes from the Kiambu county just north of Nairobi and made up of SL28, SL34, Ruiru-11, and Batian varietals – a classic Kenya cooperative blend. This region of Kenya has been blowing me away in recent years and this one is no exception. I have always loved Kenyan coffee and once said it was my favorite coffee producing region – the profile on this is basically what my ideal profile is. I tasted rhubarb, cranberry, and grapefruit. The acidity on this one is pretty high so I apologize if that isn’t your thing. I brewed this with a 16.3:1 ratio and ground it four clicks coarser than my typical starting point. I had to let the bloom go a little longer than usual – around 45 seconds. I then poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing my third pour around 2:30 for a 3:10 total brew time.
Sey Honduras Daniel Moreno – This is going to be the last time we see the Daniel Moreno name on a bag. Daniel Moreno is the patriarch to the Moreno family of coffee producers in Santa Barbara. Think Mario Moreno, Danny Moreno, Mabel Moreno, the list goes on. Daniel passed away and this is the final tribute coffee to Daniel who helped create the famous coffees of Santa Barbara, Honduras. His legacy will of course live on through his kids who grow some of the best coffees in the world. This one is a classic Moreno Pacas varietal grown at El Campo, one of Daniel’s first experimental gardens. Pacas is typically a riskier crop to grow as it is super prone to disease and is a mutated varietal from Bourbon. The mutation causes a shorter plant to grow from seed and is considered one of the higher qualities of a Bourbon parent. The cup was mostly like a vanilla parfait with good granola and strawberries. I also hinted at some thyme on the finish. I brewed this with a 16.8:1 ratio and ground it one click coarser than my typical starting point and poured four pulses spaced out by 30-35 seconds allowing for the bed to fall a bit between each pulse. My final pour finished around 3:00 for a 3:45 brew time.
Stimulus Coffee Club 