The Barn Guatemala La Colina – This farm is named for “The Hill” that the plot of land is located on. La Colina is owned by Antonio Medina, a third generation farmer from this area, and had dreams of growing coffee while the rest of the farm was occupied by various other crops. Antonio first planted coffee in the early 90s and later on developed his own processing station. The farm is located in Chimaltenango at 1700 MASL. This lot is a classic Guatemala Caturra and Bourbon mix. I tasted soft plum, hazelnut, and cacao. It is a super silky profile. I brewed this with a 16.7:1 ratio, and ground it two clicks finer than my normal starting point and poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:15 for a 3:20 drop time.
The Barn Kenya Gichathaini – I believe buying Kenyan coffee from the Barn is super rare, it is a stretch from the typical funky fermentations from Central or South America. This is a pure standout. Gichathaini is a prized washing station/co-op in Nyeri, one of my favorite regions of Kenya. Especially my favorite when the coffee is grown on the slopes of Mt. Kenya. Gichathaini is made up of many different smallholding farmers that focuses on water projects for the local communities, as well as being recognized for the high and consistent rates it pays the local farming cooperatives. The cherries are delivered by the farmers and then go through the classic Kenya double soak, with focus on recirculating all water and avoiding contaminants. The average elevation for this lot is 1700-1900 MASL and this is a SL28/SL34 varietal AA separation. I taste fruit cocktail, melon, just bursting with red fruits and sweet vermouth on the finish. I brewed this with a 15.8:1 ratio and ground it three clicks coarser than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 30 seconds following my 40 second bloom. My last pour ended at 2:00 for a 2:55 drop time.
SEY Burundi Heza (Mutana Hill) – A new awesome lot from the Longmiles project in Burundi, Mutana Hill is an area of Burundi with rolling hills. It is uniquely located next to rainforests allowing extra mist and rainfall to bless this farm with sweet hydration. This coffee consists of 5 different day lots, and is likely a blend of Red Bourbon and Mibirize. Mibirize being a local varietal exclusive to Burundi. The coffee here is grown at 2100-2200 MASL, which is wild for Burundi. I assume this helps contribute to the clean and acidic cup we have. As this is produced by Long Miles Coffee Project, the processing is super scientific. The wet and dry ferment times are calculated and the drying is timed until the seeds reach 10.5% moisture. The coffee from Long Miles is ALWAYS incredible and this is no exception. I tasted sparkling date juice, lime, blackberry, and cane sugar. Fairly typical washed Burundi profile with a little sparkle of excitement. I brewed this with a 15.6:1 water to coffee ratio, and ground it 3 clicks coarser than my usual grind setting. I poured two pulses after by 50 second bloom spaced out by 45 seconds. I finished my last pour at 2:10 for a 3:10 brew time.
SEY Ethiopia Hirut Gate – This is a stunning washed Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, from the washing station “Tulise”. Tulise is owned by Hirut Gate, a young female producer that started the washing station at the age of 23. Originally, Hirut Gate’s goal was to meet smallholding farmers and produce naturally processed coffee. Now she is producing stupid clean washed coffees and buying cherries from 515 local farmers at an average elevation of 2200 MASL. This is a super exciting washing station and we will surely be trying more coffees from here in the future. I tasted orange creamsicle and white peach tea. I brewed this with a 16.2:1 ratio, and ground it seven clicks coarser than my typical grind setting. I poured a 40 second bloom and then poured two pulses spaced out by 45 seconds. My final brew time was 3:05.
Stimulus Coffee Club 