Manhattan Colombia Nestor Lasso – The Nestor Lasso… We are finally sharing this newer producer’s coffee that has been on all of the menus at some of the fanciest roasters across Europe for the last few months. Nestor and his brother Adrian took over their family coffee farm and made the decision to grow specialty. Nestor and Adrian along with a neighboring farmer started “El Diviso” in the Huila department. As mentioned above, this team at El Diviso is making big time noise in the specialty coffee industry. Google searching Nestor Lasso leads to a series of links from the world’s top roasters, and for some reason hardly any in the United States. This coffee is a Typica Mejorado. The coffee undergoes pulping right after harvest, and then is oxidized at room temperature, then is fermented in warm water for 8 hours, then washed with hot water to create a thermal shock effect. The coffee is then dried to exactly 11% moisture. The attention to detail at every stage of this is crazy. Everything is recorded, and nothing done without intention. I tasted cantaloupe, subtle key lime, and strawberry rose. I brewed this with a 16.2:1 water to coffee ratio, and ground it right at my typical starting point. After a 40 second bloom, I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:40 for a 3:20 final brew time.
Manhattan Brazil Ze Claudio – Ze Claudio comes from Jose Claudio in the Sao Sebastiao de Anta region. Jose Claudio studied in Portugal with the goal of owning his own farm one day in his home region of Inpaham. Jose was originally uninterested in coffee farming due to the low altitude. After a conversation with a fellow famous farmer in Brazil, and this opinion was changed. Now we are seeing an influx of incredible Brazilian coffee grown at super low altitudes. This is a Catuai grown at 750 MASL and processed as anaerobic natural. The low elevation is clear in this coffee through the super low acidity but it is super funky. I tasted Asian Pear, golden delicious apple, almond cracker, and merlot. 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 30 seconds, pouring wider circles to slow this brew down. I finished my last pour at 2:30 for a 3:10 total brew time.
Have Fun El Salvador Finca El Molino – Finca El Molino is a farm located in the Ahuachapan region of El Salvador, along the Cordillera de Apaneca volcanic mountain range. This is super close to the southern border of Guatemala, and is located at 1300 MASL (a decent elevation for El Salvador). The farm El Molino was bought by the Salaverria family a few years back and contains Bourbon trees that have been standing for over 40 years. Through coffee tree diseases and climate change, this is incredible to have them still standing in a coffee-producing country like El Salvador. The proximity to the volcanic range gives the soil a rich characteristic that benefits the planted trees at El Molino. This one is definitely simple. Having said that, it is so sweet. I instantly taste brown sugar, and the tasting note on the bag of baked pear is spot on. It has a profile of a fancy French dessert or financier. I ground this 2 clicks finer than my typical starting point, and brewed it with a 16.3:1 ratio. I poured a 45 second bloom, and then poured three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds with wider circles to slow the speed of the extraction down. I finished my third pour at 2:25 for a 3:20 total brew time.
Have Fun Colombia Nelson Cordoba – Nelson Cordoba is a new absolute stunner producer from the town of El Silencio in southern Huila. Nelson Cordoba is a member of a group called “Los Guacharos” that is focused on organic farming, using organic fertilizers made on site, and utilizing waste water for the farm. The farm is called Finca Vegas del Chuscal, and is located at 1800 MASL. This is a fairly standard washed processed coffee, wet fermented for 36 hours and then dried in secure temperature controlled environments to maintain 10.5% moisture content. This lot is a Caturra/Tabi blend. I tasted cranberry, sweet lime, biscoff cookie, and orange marmalade lingers for many moments after the sip. I brewed this with a 16:1 ratio, and ground it right at my typical grind setting. After a long 50 second bloom, I poured two pulses spaced out by 45 seconds. I finished my last pour at 2:05 for a 2:40 final brew time.
Stimulus Coffee Club 