Vivid Colombia Luz Divia Fierro – This is Luz Fierro go-around number 3 here at Stimulus. All three have been Pink Bourbon, and each one is some time in the summer for the last three years. The quality is always high and as a self-described Pink Bourbon aficionado, I have always been impressed with what Fierro produces. Luz and her husband Elpidio operate their own farm, Finca El Meson in the Acevedo department and sits at 1650 MASL. The farm was inherited by the couple from Elpidio’s father Angel who still produces coffee in a neighboring town. When the two settled on El Meson, they planted over 20,000 Pink Bourbon trees, my dream scenario. The land where the trees were planted was never used to plant coffee before, and after great success in this, another 26,000 Pink Bourbon trees were planted. During the harvest months, Luz employs around 15 pickers from outside Acevedo and a few locals to harvest the ripe Pink Bourbon cherries. The pickers stay on the plantation during the harvest, and are always paid above market value along with a comfortable stay. The processing is done carefully, floating all the cherries to remove any defects and then left to rest in cherry for 24 hours. The next day, the cherries are pulped and wet-fermented for 38 hours. This process is done over and over again to maintain consistent quality. In the cup I tasted coconut, persimmon, and tart cherry. I brewed this with a 15.8:1 ratio and ground it four clicks finer than my typical washed Colombia grind setting. I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, finishing my final pour at 2:30 for a 3:10 final brew time.
Vivid Honduras Evin Gomez – This is the second Evin Gomez coffee we have had in the subscription. Both have been Parainema, processed as a full Natural, and obviously at the same elevation. Gomez is a young producer and has dedicated himself to perfecting Parainema. I checked my last coffee notes on this one and it appears the coffee was a bit challenging to brew correctly and dial in properly. I am not sure what changed, as this coffee is stunning right away. Didn’t have to do anything weird to the brew to slow it down, grind setting was not crazy fine, and the profile was smooth and delicious at about one week off roast for me. This cup was crazy from start to finish, changing cup vibes multiple times. Overall, I tasted applesauce, mango, with a kind of marshmallow mouthfeel. Chewy cup. I brewed this with a 16.7:1 ratio, and ground it three clicks finer than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:25 for a 3:10 final brew time.
The Barn Ethiopia Dambi Uddo – Always a favorite from the Barn. I saw Dambi Uddo and after a quick check to make sure this was, as I assumed, fire, I had to get it for the subscription. The Dambi Uddo plantation and processing station is located in the Guji highlands, a region famous for juicy sweet coffees. The coffees here are grown at 2145 MASL, and typically are a mixture of local heirloom varietals. For those of you that are interested in a clean natural processed coffee, this one is for you. I actually did a double take when first trying this because I am almost not convinced it is natural. It has to be one of the cleanest natural processed coffees I have ever had. The cherries are always grown in the shade here under tall shade trees in the forest, allowing the sugars to ferment slowly and uniformly. I believe this is what helps the clean profile, as the hot sun can be known to produce more funky naturals. Once I finally ground this one coarse enough to get it to flow out of my brewer properly, the cup profile was incredible. I tasted Kumquat, honey, lavender, super sweet and HEAVY on the citrus. I brewed this coffee with a 15.5:1 ratio, and ground it 8 clicks coarser than my usual starting point. I poured two pulses spaced out by 45 seconds, finishing my second pour at 1:55 for a 2:50 brew time.
The Barn El Salvador Los Pirineos – The famous Los Pirineos, the El Salvador farm that made anaerobic processing so commonplace in today’s menu of coffees. The farm’s original mastermind was Don Gilberto Baraona who left the farm to his son Diego to continue the legacy of keeping this beautiful El Salvadorian farm on the map for global specialty coffee roasters. Los Pirineos is located at 1400 MASL in Usulutan, and is grown on the slopes of a volcano. This climate provides high levels of sunshine with cooler air temperatures and constant breeze. The high levels of sunshine allow Baraona to be consistent in how much sunshine the drying cherries are receiving to ensure fermentation is done in a controlled manner. This lot is a natural Anaerobic, with the fresh cherries thrown directly into the sealed barrels at a temperature of 16C. For fermentation, this is considered quite low. After 72 hours, the cherries are taken out of the sealed anaerobic fermenters as long as the correct pH level is reached. The cherries are then taken out to dry for 25 days until the correct moisture content is reached. I tasted Marzipan, black forest cake, and a heavy heavy body. I suspect this one will do well with some resting and hope to get more complexity out of it in the coming week. I brewed this with a 16.3:1 ratio, and ground it two clicks coarser than my typical starting point. I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, finishing my fourth pour at 2:35 for a 3:30 final brew time.
Stimulus Coffee Club 