Little Wolf Ethiopia Goraa Bees – I chose this honey-process Ethiopia here over a natural to shake up the lineup a bit. Goraa Bees comes from the Suke farming co-op in Guji, and is narrowed down to two distinct Ethiopia Heirloom varietals: 74110 and 74112. The Suke co-op is renowned for the strict quality standards for cherry selection and processing. Most coffees are grown at 2100 MASL, and as a honey-process done in Ethiopia, this coffee was stripped of most fruit but not fully depulped. Then dry fermented before washing and drying. In the cup I taste Honeydew, cinnamon sugar, and red plum. I brewed it with a 15.8:1 ratio and ground it five clicks coarser than my typical starting point. I poured two pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, finishing my second pour at 1:55 for a 2:55 final brew time.
Little Wolf Colombia Asoastus – Asoastus is a “Bourbon Aji” varietal, a landrace variety discovered 20 years ago known for a distinct spicy/peppery profile. Aji has been making its way to the specialty market slowly, as crops are just beginning to come to fruition. Asoastus is a farming cooperative made of around 70 families, each focusing on how to create the best quality that each varietal offers. All of the farmers are located in Pitalito, Huila. The majority of the plots include shade trees and/or forest cover. Bourbon Aji produces a bright red cherry, making the ripest cherry picking an essential must to production. After harvest, the cherries are set out for an open air 24 hour oxidizing fermentation, followed by an 18 hour anaerobic fermentation. The cherries are then dried for 30 days on parabolic sun dryers. This cup is bursting with ripe fruit. Papaya, sour mango, I brewed this with a 16.6:1 ratio and ground it two clicks finer than my typical starting point. I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:35 for a 3:10 final brew time.
Clever Kenya Kabingara – The Kabingara washing station comes from Kirinyaga, Kenya and has all the Kenyan varietals mixed in: SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, and Batian. As I am sure people have noticed, good Kenyan coffee has decreased dramatically from where it used to be. Most of this is due to climate change, I have read studies that over 90% of Kenyan coffee farmers have experienced loss of trees and lower yield in the past years due to climate change, and of course the cherries that have remained have occasionally been of lower quality due to harsher conditions. This is a classic Kenya double wash, where the seeds are washed and soaked after pulping with clean water and then soaked for a fermentation. In Kenya, the additional fermentation is believed to increase fruit and acidity in the coffee, which Kenyan coffees are of course famous for. This is a stunning example of a classic Kenya done well. I tasted lime, fresh figs, and celery (in the best way it could be). I ground this one four clicks coarser than my typical starting point and brewed it with a 15.6:1 ratio. I poured two pulses spaced apart by 45 seconds, finishing my second pour at 2:00 for a 2:50 final brew time.
Clever Indonesia Frinsa Funk – The Frinsa Estate is operated by local legend Wildan Mostofa. In a country dominated by Robusta and a dark history of colonialism, Mostofa is working toward setting a standard of quality and dedicated processing. This coffee is a unique hybrid of Arabica and Liberica from West Java. The varietal was developed for high disease resistance and excellent for strength during climate change swings. This was processed as a “lactic anaerobic natural”, meaning the cherries were sealed in fermenters and lactic bacteria was introduced to convert sugars in to lactic acid. Introducing lactobicillis into the tanks creates a great temperature challenge, as changes in temperature can increase or decrease the bacteria activity and could ruin the batch. This cup is truly a freaky lil guy. I taste rye bread up front, with ginger, banana, and cardamom. Once it cools it turns into more of a dark fruit cup with blackberry tones. I brewed this with a 15.8:1 ratio and ground it two clicks finer than my typical starting point. I let my bloom ride for a full minute, and then I poured three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:40 for a 3:15 final brew time.
Stimulus Coffee Club 