Sey Colombia Faiber Cordoba – Faiber Cordoba is a young producer that recently started working with SEY. I believe this is the second lot they have purchased from Cordoba. The farm is located in San Agustin, Huila. People get all lusty over Huila as a whole but I think it’s important to set apart that I have never had a bad coffee from the San Agustin region itself – distinguished from the entire Huila department. Cordoba has already gotten deep into complex and rare varieties like Pink Bourbon and Gesha with great success. This lot specifically is a Field Blend of Colombia variety, Caturra, and Pink Bourbon grown at 1800 MASL. I brewed this coffee with a 15.8:1 ratio and ground it one click coarser than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, ending my third pour around 2:20 for a 3:15 total brew time. I tasted pomegranate, dried fig, Rose, Chardonnay, rich caramel finish. A breath of fresh air and morning sun.
Sey Burundi Heza (Gitwe Hill) – I will always do anything I can to get my hands on a Long Miles project coffee from SEY. Long Miles produce so many different lots, they tend to be pretty fire normally but SEY always gets the best. Burundi is a country that at one point was my favorite Coffee producing nation. This lot comes from “Heza” which is the name of the washing station, although all the coffee was grown on Gitwe Hill. This is a selection of four different day lots and two varietals – Red Bourbon and Mibirizi. We have had plenty of Red Bourbon by now, especially from Burundi. Mibirizi is a super popular varietal in Burundi and Rwanda as it is grows well in droughts; however, it is super susceptible to disease which is why it is unlikely to make its way to the Americas. This coffee was grown by the local smallholding farmers ranging from 1850-2100 MASL. I tasted lemongrass, dry rosé, red grape, lime, and fresh figs. Yes, this babe is dynamic. I ground this 3 clicks coarser than my typical starting point, and used a 15.5:1 water to coffee ratio, I poured two pulses following my 40 second bloom that were spaced out by 45 seconds, ending my second pour at 2:00 for a 2:50 brew time.
Clever Honduras Hidardo Hernandez – Hernandez is one of the founding pair of “Cafesmo”, an organization in Honduras consisting of 250 or so smallholders. Hidardo Hernandez does a lot of processing for many of these farmers that do not have the infrastructure to process on their own. The organization stands together to fight disease in the plants, as well as maintaining a fully organic certification in all of their lots. Not that only certified organic is special or anything and makes coffee taste better, but there are risks associated with some of the qualifications. This is a Paraneima varietal, a type that we have been diving deep in to especially with a lot of Vivid’s coffee. It is Super strong in fighting disease with an incredible flavor profile. This was grown at 1300 MASL in the Ocotepeque department just over the border from El Salvador. The profile has subtle Cotton Candy, apricot, and a little bit of surprising funk that I have never tasted in a washed Honduran coffee before. I brewed this with a 16.2:1 ratio and ground it right at my typical starting point. I rarely nail a coffee on first try but this was perfect. I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing by last pour at 2:35 for a 3:20 brew time.
Clever Costa Rica El Cristobal – How could I not… This is a wild Anaerobic that, by the profile, I can tell is categorized under the “natural processed” Anaerobic. It is clear from the obvious ripe fruit note. El Cristobal comes out of the Cafe Rivense farm from Ricardo Urena and the Urena family. Cafe Rivense has been a Direct Trade partner with Clever for some years now. This one is, by Clevers words, the most intense Anaerobic coffee that has come from The Urena family. This is a Villa Sarchi varietal grown at 1700 MASL. This is undoubtedly for the funk lovers, heavily defined by strawberry and mango. Much nicer as it cools, as it is a little gassy when super fresh. The lactic aspect definitely comes through. I brewed this with a 15.8:1 ratio and ground it two clicks finer than my typical starting point. I poured four pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, which was the longest it would allow me to without draining fully. Pour super wide circles for this one as it will completely drain if you don’t pay attention for a second. My last pour ended around 2:45 for a 3:15 total brew time.
Stimulus Coffee Club 