Duck-rabbit Colombia Dona Maria Rosa – Maria Rosa is a long-time producer at her farm Los Nogales in the Tolima department. The farm is located at the top of a large hill, starting at the store that Rosa’s family operates. The farm at the top of the hill is not accessible by car and requires a one hour hike to the farm. Each day, Rosa does the hike at 5am to organize the cherry pickers and day laborers and to check on mill operations. This lot is located at 2,000 MASL, very high for Colombia. This is a field blend of Caturra, Tabi, and Typica. The farm is covered with shade trees and looks less like an organized row of coffee trees and more like a coffee jungle. I tasted dried apricot, raisin, and tobacco. I brewed this with a 16.3:1 ratio and ground it two clicks finer than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing my third pour at 2:20 for a 3:00 total brew time.
Duck-rabbit Burundi Kibingo Station – Kibingo Station is a new one for me. This is a washing station in the northern part of Kayanza, serving thousands of smallholding farmers in the region. The area is comprised of 18 hills at elevations ranging from 1900 MASL to undisclosed higher elevations. These coffees are all Bourbon, from trees that were likely planted in the 1930s by Catholic Monks that visited the area. This lot is a classic washed Burundi lot, undergoing pulping after harvest and then a short wet fermentation followed by drying on raised beds. I don’t have a ton of information other than this but the cup speaks for itself and is likely my favorite coffee of the month. I tasted Lemon-lime and fig, and this is a super delicate cup. I brewed this with a 16.2:1 ratio and ground it three clicks coarser than my typical starting point. I poured two pulses spaced out by 45 seconds, finishing my second pour at 2:00 for a 2:50 total brew time.
The Barn Rwanda Gatare – This coffee comes from the Nyamasheke region in southwest Rwanda. This is a washed Red Bourbon, a super common type of coffee that we see come out of Rwanda. Gatare is a washing station that is one of the oldest specialty mills in the country, processing specialty coffee from local smallholding farmers since 2003. Most coffees from here are grown between 1700-1900 MASL. The region is known for excellent growing conditions because of the notable soil quality, the mild temperatures, and the decent elevation. Gatare has participated in the Rwandan Cup Of Excellence many times since its inception and always scores high. The cup is super caramelly, with notes of brown sugar pastry and orange. I brewed this with a 15.6:1 ratio and ground it two clicks coarser than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, finishing my third pour at 2:10 for a 2:55 final brew time.
The Barn El Salvador Himalaya – This is an intense expression of central american Pacamara processed so well. Himalaya is an annual banger from the barn, located in Apaneca, El Salvador by the experienced Mauricio Salavarria. The coffees from here always have such an intense profile. The location of this farm in the Apaneca mountains creates a low humidity, warm climate that is perfect for growing coffee and then processing it in funky ways that keep the cherry dry during natural processing. For as experimental as the processing can get here, it is crazy how natural they let the naturals get! They just set the cherries out and turn them once per day during a set time until they feel it is complete. At the front of this cup I taste clementine, and then Pinot Noir and red apple. I brewed this with a 16.7:1 ratio and ground it three clicks finer than my typical starting point. I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds following a 35 second bloom. I finished my fourth pour at 2:30 for a 3:15 total brew time.
Stimulus Coffee Club 