Junto Ethiopia Worka – I don’t have too much of a story on this one, Worka is a massive washing station as this subscription surely knows by now with around 2540 active members operating on super small plots of land. I taste strawberry Jam, sour cherry, and earl grey tea. Super delicate profile on this one but an absolutely identifiable washed Ethiopia. I brewed this with a 15.2:1 ratio, and ground it six clicks coarser than my usual starting point (my standard Ethiopia grind). I poured a 30 second bloom, and then poured two pulses spaced out by 45 seconds. My final brew time was 2:40.
Junto Papua New Guinea Kuta Kofi Mill – Kuto Kofi Mill is located in a region of Papua New Guinea with rich volcanic loamy soil and a humid climate perfect for coffee growing. The coffee is grown by various local smallholding farmers located at 1600 MASL and is a field blend of Bourbon, Typica, and Arusha. I tasted black tea, cider, and a subtle mango finish. Not super fruity mango, but the essence is there. I brewed this with a 16.3:1 water to coffee ratio, and ground it right at my typical starting point. I poured four pulses spaced out by 35 seconds with wider than usual circles to slow down the brew. My final brew time was 3:35.
Kaffa Guatemala Bella Carmona – A natural processed Bourbon from right outside the city of Antigua, Guatemala?? Definitely a first. Last I heard, only around 5% of exported coffee from Guatemala is natural processed. Bella Carmona is run by producer Maria Zelaya Aguirre at the base of Vulcan de Aqua, just south of Antigua. Maria is part of the Zelaya family, a well-known family in Guatemalan coffee production that owns one of the largest exporting businesses in the country called Zelcafe. This coffee has such a lush profile; I tasted deep red fruit notes, cherry, and overall just super sweet. Unhateable, I might say. I brewed this with a 16.5:1 ratio and ground it two clicks finer than my typical grind setting. I poured three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, finishing my third pour at 2:20 for a 3:10 total brew time.
Kaffa Brazil Sanctuario Sul – Yet another Brazil!! This makes 4 for the year if I am counting right which is WILD. A couple years ago I never would have guessed this would be happening but they are just so good! Sanctuario Sul means “Sanctuary of the South” run by producer Luiz Paulo Pereira in the Carmo de Minas region. Kaffa describes this as a sort of “test farm” rather than full production. There are over 30 distinct varietals grown here. This lot in particular is an SL28, berry-dried or natural coffee that underwent 96 hours of anaerobic whole cherry fermentation. The combination of varietal and processing method made it a no-brainer for me. I unfortunately cannot locate the elevation for this one, but from the acidity and mouthfeel of the cup I would assume it isn’t TOO low. But of course, as a Brazil, it would not be much higher than 1000-1200 MASL. This is a fun profile as long as you don’t royally f it up. Super tropical profile, much more similar to a high quality Costa Rica than Brazil. In the cup, I taste ripe raspberry, orange, and a super full body. I brewed this with a 15.6:1 ratio, and ground it four clicks finer than my typical grind setting. I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, any more and the bed would completely drain. My final brew time was 3:10, but only barely could get there without super large circles.
Stimulus Coffee Club 