Have Fun Colombia Luz Dary Polo – This was by far, the coffee I was most excited about this month. “But you are only ever excited about hybrid varietal alt-processed Colombians Dylan” SO WHAT. Luz Dary is a producer in Huila, Colombia and a member of a local cooperative that focuses on sustainable farming practices, such as: making their own pesticides/fungicides, fertilizers, and advanced water filtration methods. She produces mostly Caturra and Pink Bourbon and in recent years, she has replaced the older V. Colombia trees with this Bourbon Aji varietal. Bourbon Aji is taking hold on Colombia recently and this is my first time with it. It has taken high-scores in competition and is compared to Geisha frequently in profile and scoring. The coffee trees are grown at 1640 MASL. After harvesting, Luz seals the whole cherry in grainpro bags for 40 hours to ferment. Then, the cherries are pulped and sealed in tubs for an additional 60 hours. This is a low oxygen environment, but not anaerobic. Luz demands that during peak harvest to only pick the ripest cherries and pays the pickers extra to provide this level of detail in the harvest. This coffee has a sort of vanilla-orange creamsicle vibe. Definitely a fun Colombia, with excellent sweetness. I brewed this one with a 15.6:1 ratio and ground it two clicks finer than my typical grind size. I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing my third pour at 2:20 for a 2:55 drop time.
Have Fun Kenya Kamwangi AA – Finally a Kenyan, our first of the true Kenyan season. The pickings have been slim and I haven’t been sold on what is available yet. Kamwangi washing station has been no stranger to this subscription, located in the Kirinyaga region just south of Mt. Kenya. Cherries from local smallholding farmers have been bringing ripe cherries to Kamwangi for processing for decades, to produce only the highest quality green coffee. This lot is mainly SL-28, SL-34, Batian, and Ruiru-11 and is classified as AA, meaning it is sorted to be the largest seed size. The processing is fairly standard washed processing with wet fermentation for 24 hours and then dried on raised African beds. The elevation range for this is interesting, ranging from 1100-1800 MASL. I find it interesting that this is such a large elevation difference and could possibly lead to why I find some less desirable flavors in the cup. I tasted tart or under ripe green grape, cinnamon, and black tea. I brewed this coffee with a 16.5:1 ratio, and ground it two clicks coarser than my typical grind setting. I poured two pulses spaced out by 45 seconds, finishing my second pour at 2:10 for a final brew time of 2:50.
Mirra Honduras Mario Meija – Mirra is a roaster with highly seasonal offerings, which means high individual lot turnover. The round of samples I received from Mirra a month or two ago included a coffee that said “pairs well with milk”, and I assumed it would be more on the boring side. That coffee was so so sweet and delicious; not necessarily complicated, but a true gem. So this time when I saw the notation of “pairs well with milk” on this particular coffee from the producer Mario Meija, I had a good feeling about it. Meija’s farm Finca El Jardin is located in La Paz, Honduras at 1700 MASL. Meija is a 4th generation coffee farmer, and also grows avocados and citrus at Finca El Jardin. This lot is a Pacamara, but must be some kind of mutation as the beans are not very large. I taste soft peach notes, apple butter, and black walnut. I brewed this with a 16.5:1 ratio and ground it two clicks finer than my typical grind setting. I poured four pulses, spaced out by 30 seconds. My last pour finished at 2:35 for a 3:20 final brew time.
Mirra Guatemala Araceli Perez – Araceli Perez lives in Huehuetenango, and inherited the farm Finca Quejna from her father. Perez has mostly grown standard varietals that have been proven to grow well in the region such as Bourbon, Caturra, and Pache. This lot is a blend of Pache and Caturra grown at 1800 MASL. I don’t believe many roasters have picked up on Finca Quejna or Araceli Perez’s product as the information I was able to look up online was sparse. The cup quality clearly speaks for itself as this is a bright and exciting washed Huehuetenango lot. I tasted Maple Syrup, plum, and kiwi. I brewed this with a 15.7:1 ratio and ground it right at my typical starting grind. I poured three pluses spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing my third pour at 2:20 for a 3:05 total brew time.
Stimulus Coffee Club 