The Barn Rwanda Mahembe – The Mahembe drop comes every year from The Barn, and I have to say, I am ashamed I usually pass it up… But not this time! Mahembe is the project of Justin Musabyimana, a partner of The Barn’s for nine years now. This relationship allows The Barn to land the best lots from Justin. Mahembe is located close to Lake Kivu, one of the largest lakes in all of Africa which gives a great climate for coffee growth. In addition to the Mahembe production, Justin works with other local farmers to improve quality in the region and establish a great reputation. This is a straight forward washed process: the ripest cherries are harvested, floated to remove any defected or unripe cherries, the cherries are then washed, wet-fermented for 12 hours, and then dried on raised African beds. I tasted Kiwi up front, like the acidity of a Kiwi with mild sweetness. The middle of the cup tasted more like walnut and cherry with a rounded body. This is not a flavor bomb by any means but is a nice approachable washed Rwanda. I brewed this with a 16:1 ratio, and ground it 3 clicks coarser than my typical grind setting. I poured two pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, ending my second pour at 1:50 for a 2:45 brew time.
The Barn Guatemala Buena Vista – Love this farm. Actually, the only farm I have ever been to, which is only partly reason I am such a fan. Buena Vista is located just outside of Antigua and began experimenting with other processing when washed was the gold standard. This is a Natural-processed Pacamara, which is why it sounds like sea shells when you pour it out of the bag. Pacamara is super uncommon in Guatemala, which makes this one even more exciting for me. This one has big lactose filled beer vibes. Super funky, creamy, complicated. I tasted some orange, lavender, and some sweet candy. I used a 15.8:1 ratio and ground it two clicks finer than my typical grind setting. I poured a 30 second bloom, and then poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds. I finished my last pour at 2:25 for a 3:15 final brew time.
Vivid Mexico Jose Arguello – This one is crazy. I have not had a good coffee from Mexico in a bit, but looks like this year they have been hitting the roasters HEAVY. This coffee comes from Chiapas, Mexico at a farm called Finca Santa Cruz run by Arguello. It is a Typica/Bourbon grown at 1600 MASL. What makes is it a cool coffee comes from the processing. Arguello loves to use alternative processing techniques. During the fermentation, Arguello removes a sample each hour for up to 200 hours to see where the coffee is at and to find a sweet spot. This results in roasting and tasting all 200 samples. I taste a caramely brittle, marshmallow, pomelo, and ginger. This is a super intense profile, and I suspect letting it rest will clean the cup up a bit. I brewed this with a 16.7:1 ratio, and ground it two clicks finer than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses with wide circles and slightly aggressive to create some turbulence in the brewer. My pulses were spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:30 for a 3:00 total brew time.
Vivid Honduras Kevin Fernandez – This is a first time producer for us. Kevin Fernandez is a young producer and is a nephew of Nahun Fernandez, a favorite Honduran producer from Vivid. As some of the best producers in Honduras are in Kevin’s own family, he has taken on incredible processing and cultivating knowledge. Knowing one of Nahun Fernandez’s favorite varietals, Kevin has followed this logic of success and grown this exceptional Parainema. This is processed as a full natural and has a crazy profile. It’s definitely funky. When it’s hot, I tasted grapefruit at the front and then some cranberry. In another brew, I tasted maybe some raisin or plum also; dark fruits play around in this cup. I brewed this with a 15.5:1 ratio and ground it FOUR clicks finer than my typical starting point. I poured four wide pulses spaced out by 30 seconds following my long 55 second bloom, finishing my last pour at 2:45 for a 3:25 final brew time.
Stimulus Coffee Club 