The Barn Brazil Sundrop – Sundrop comes from the world-farmous Daterra estate in Brazil. The Barn recently partnered with Daterra to plant up 40,000 trees on a new plot of land. This is an investment by the Barn to mitigate climate change, or what I think they mean is the effects of climate change on the coffee plant. Anyone that knows Daterra, knows that this is the pinnacle of quality in Brazil, a country that has long struggled to enter the high level specialty market that roasters like The Barn operate in. This is a Yellow Bourbon grown at 1200 MASL, this is technically a natural. However the cherries were strategically picked at the point where they had begun drying on the branch during the beginning of the dry season in Brazil. Once partially dried, the cherries are then moved to drying beds and are then mechanically dried to ensure moisture consistency among the beans (very intense thing to do). In the cup I tasted honeysuckle, lemon, and cherry. There is a lingering peanut brittle sweetness that is the only note reminiscent of a Brazil, but in the best way possible. I brewed this with a 16.4:1 ratio, and ground it two clicks finer than my typical starting point. I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, ending my fourth pour at 2:30 for a 3:40 brew time.
The Barn Indonesia Frinsa Sarapan – The Frinsa Estate comes from the island of Java, where a new family of coffee farmers, the Mustofa family, developed a farm and washing station with six distinct plots with 10 different varietals at 1300-1500 MASL. This is a warm, humid region with dense forests and fertile soil perfect for growing coffee. The Mustofa family primarily focused on producing clean washed coffees at the start but is now moving to more experimental coffees. This is a “mixed” varietal which is sort of lame considering we should know the varietals, but it looks like they produce a lot of local varietals so there is a chance we wouldn’t know anything about them anyway. The lactic washed comes from the step after dry fermented. It is moved to the wet mill and introduced to lactose in the wet tanks for 10-12 hours. The beans are then washed with clean water. The flavor from this is something else – I have no idea what is going on here. This tastes like a combination (not a blend) of a bunch of different profiles. It starts out with a tea-like florality and sweetness that is indicative of a washed Ethiopia. Then it moves toward a central Africa profile. I taste blueberries, mandarin, dried figs, with an acidic finish. I brewed this with a 16:1 ratio, and ground it one click finer than my typical starting point. After a 45 second bloom, I poured three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, ending my third pour at 2:20 for a 3:00 brew time.
Lykke Snovatten (Peru Agua de Nieves) – This is my favorite of the Lykke owned single-origin farms that i have tasted so far. As such, I will likely be ordereding this coffee every single time I order Lykke along with a more rare single origin can. The idea is the coffee will change from year to year and even season to season. Agua de Nieves is a small plot of 5 hectares at 1700-1800 MASL. Lykke has built a washing station and wet mill here with the goal of bringing cherries from neighboring farms to process here. The challenge with Peru coffees can be they have a strong tradition of growing certified organic (without pesticides or chemicals) and adds an extra layer of difficulty to the production. Lykke has fully embraced this and goes along with the sustainability model they are based on. I chose this coffee instantly on the cupping table and even preferred it to one of the more unique canned coffees. It is delicate but layered in the profile, and stupid clean. I got marshmallow, milk chocolate, with a mild meyer lemon acidity. I brewed this with a 15.5:1 ratio, and ground it right at my typical grind setting. I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, ending my last pour at 2:05 for a 3:10 brew time.
Lykke Summit (Miguel Angel Lopez Mena – El Salvador) – The Can, the Myth, the Legend. This series of coffees from Lykke is part of the “limited edition” and always comes in a can. Limited edition doesn’t always mean it is an insane coffee or anything, but just that it is a small lot and will sell out fast. The coolest thing about these limited releases is that they are usually neighbors of the Lykke farms. Mena owns a farm called La Cabana and grows Pacamara at 1800 MASL. This coffee is natural processed and is a classic huge Pacamara bean. This is a super dynamic coffee. I initially tasted something like a sweet lavender candy that I don’t believe exists, along with peach notes and pink cotton candy. I brewed this with a 16.1:1 ratio, and ground it one click finer than my typical starting point. I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:40 for a 3:20 brew time.
Stimulus Coffee Club 