Junto Ethiopia Worka – I don’t have too much of a story on this one, Worka is a massive washing station as this subscription surely knows by now with around 2540 active members operating on super small plots of land. I taste strawberry Jam, sour cherry, and earl grey tea. Super delicate profile on this one but an absolutely identifiable washed Ethiopia. I brewed this with a 15.2:1 ratio, and ground it six clicks coarser than my usual starting point (my standard Ethiopia grind). I poured a 30 second bloom, and then poured two pulses spaced out by 45 seconds. My final brew time was 2:40.

Junto Papua New Guinea Kuta Kofi Mill – Kuto Kofi Mill is located in a region of Papua New Guinea with rich volcanic loamy soil and a humid climate perfect for coffee growing. The coffee is grown by various local smallholding farmers located at 1600 MASL and is a field blend of Bourbon, Typica, and Arusha. I tasted black tea, cider, and a subtle mango finish. Not super fruity mango, but the essence is there. I brewed this with a 16.3:1 water to coffee ratio, and ground it right at my typical starting point. I poured four pulses spaced out by 35 seconds with wider than usual circles to slow down the brew. My final brew time was 3:35.

Kaffa Guatemala Bella Carmona – A natural processed Bourbon from right outside the city of Antigua, Guatemala?? Definitely a first. Last I heard, only around 5% of exported coffee from Guatemala is natural processed. Bella Carmona is run by producer Maria Zelaya Aguirre at the base of Vulcan de Aqua, just south of Antigua. Maria is part of the Zelaya family, a well-known family in Guatemalan coffee production that owns one of the largest exporting businesses in the country called Zelcafe. This coffee has such a lush profile; I tasted deep red fruit notes, cherry, and overall just super sweet. Unhateable, I might say. I brewed this with a 16.5:1 ratio and ground it two clicks finer than my typical grind setting. I poured three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, finishing my third pour at 2:20 for a 3:10 total brew time.

Kaffa Brazil Sanctuario Sul – Yet another Brazil!! This makes 4 for the year if I am counting right which is WILD. A couple years ago I never would have guessed this would be happening but they are just so good! Sanctuario Sul means “Sanctuary of the South” run by producer Luiz Paulo Pereira in the Carmo de Minas region. Kaffa describes this as a sort of “test farm” rather than full production. There are over 30 distinct varietals grown here. This lot in particular is an SL28, berry-dried or natural coffee that underwent 96 hours of anaerobic whole cherry fermentation. The combination of varietal and processing method made it a no-brainer for me. I unfortunately cannot locate the elevation for this one, but from the acidity and mouthfeel of the cup I would assume it isn’t TOO low. But of course, as a Brazil, it would not be much higher than 1000-1200 MASL. This is a fun profile as long as you don’t royally f it up. Super tropical profile, much more similar to a high quality Costa Rica than Brazil. In the cup, I taste ripe raspberry, orange, and a super full body. I brewed this with a 15.6:1 ratio, and ground it four clicks finer than my typical grind setting. I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, any more and the bed would completely drain. My final brew time was 3:10, but only barely could get there without super large circles.

Lykke Snovatten – As mentioned with the last Lykke round, Snovatten is going to be a consistent offering every time we have Lykke. This coffee is from Agua de Nieves in Peru, the small 5 hectare farm that Lykke owns. This is my favorite of the three single-origin coffees that Lykke owns the whole farm from. The goal with this coffee is to track the changes every six or so months. The experiment is already shown to be super fun as I am tasting new flavors this time. More developed sweetness and interesting new aspects to the cup. I taste coconut, chocolate marzipan, and plum this time, whereas last time it was more marshmallow and a touch of acidity. It is still a super super light roasted profile that is peerless in the field of cups I want to drink later in the day or at night. I brewed this with a 15.5:1 ratio, and ground it right at my typical grind setting. I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, ending my last pour at 2:05 for a 3:10 brew time.

Lykke “555” Uganda – We snagged this ultra limited edition for a few reasons: the selections of coffee farmers, the selections of trees, and the strict farming practices by Lunar Coffee. Lunar Coffee is a scout program that Lykke has installed in Uganda. Throughout the western Uganda region, the potential for high quality specialty coffee is great but with bad farming practices and lack of resources the coffee will never advance to what it can be. The “555” comes from the scouts each picking 5 farmers, and allowing the farmers to choose 5 trees and then implement Lunar’s 5 best practices for production: Mulching, Pruning, Stumping, De-suckering, and Soil Conservation. This is the very first lot from this program and Lykke was so excited about it that it got me second hand excited. This cup profile is actually blueberries. The roasters tasting notes did not lie. I also tasted banana with macadamia nut butter with a graham crackery finish. I brewed this with a 16.2:1 ratio and ground it one click coarser than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, finishing my third pour at 2:25 for a 3:10 total brew time.

Vivid Kenya Kiri AA – Kenya Kiri comes from the Kirinyaga region, and Kiri is the washing station that sits on a five hectare plot of land serving the Ngiariambu farmer’s co-op. The co-op consists of about 1400 members, and has existed in the Kirinyaga county since 1997. The average elevation for these smallholding farmers is 1450 MASL in a warm, mediterranean climate. I tasted boysenberry and lavender, with a tangerine and grapefruit finish. I brewed this with a 15.7:1 ratio and ground it one click coarser than my typical starting point. I poured two pulses spaced out by 50 seconds (1st at 40 seconds, 2nd at 90 seconds), finishing my second pout at 1:55 for a 2:40 final brew time

Vivid Colombia Luis Ariel Bermuda Ramirez – A natural Caturra from Colombia, how could I not?!?! Luis Ariel Bermuda Ramirez is an outstanding producer in the Huila department in a town called Algeciras, where he owns a farm located at 1800 MASL. The cherries from this lot were harvested and delivered to the fermentation tanks in full cherry where they were left for 72 hours to ferment and develop the fun lil profile it has. After rinsing the fruit and parchment off, it was dried for 20 days in parabolic dryers. I taste papaya, starfruit, and strawberry. Ridiculously tropical cup. I brewed this with a 15.5:1 water to coffee ratio, and ground it four clicks finer than my usual grind setting. After a 45 second bloom, I poured four pulses spaced out by 30-35 seconds for a 3:20 total brew time. I recommend pouring wider circles to slow this down. This also is an exceptional coffee to try with an immersive method such as Aeropress.

Manhattan Colombia Nestor Lasso – The Nestor Lasso… We are finally sharing this newer producer’s coffee that has been on all of the menus at some of the fanciest roasters across Europe for the last few months. Nestor and his brother Adrian took over their family coffee farm and made the decision to grow specialty. Nestor and Adrian along with a neighboring farmer started “El Diviso” in the Huila department. As mentioned above, this team at El Diviso is making big time noise in the specialty coffee industry. Google searching Nestor Lasso leads to a series of links from the world’s top roasters, and for some reason hardly any in the United States. This coffee is a Typica Mejorado. The coffee undergoes pulping right after harvest, and then is oxidized at room temperature, then is fermented in warm water for 8 hours, then washed with hot water to create a thermal shock effect. The coffee is then dried to exactly 11% moisture. The attention to detail at every stage of this is crazy. Everything is recorded, and nothing done without intention. I tasted cantaloupe, subtle key lime, and strawberry rose. I brewed this with a 16.2:1 water to coffee ratio, and ground it right at my typical starting point. After a 40 second bloom, I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:40 for a 3:20 final brew time.

Manhattan Brazil Ze Claudio – Ze Claudio comes from Jose Claudio in the Sao Sebastiao de Anta region. Jose Claudio studied in Portugal with the goal of owning his own farm one day in his home region of Inpaham. Jose was originally uninterested in coffee farming due to the low altitude. After a conversation with a fellow famous farmer in Brazil, and this opinion was changed. Now we are seeing an influx of incredible Brazilian coffee grown at super low altitudes. This is a Catuai grown at 750 MASL and processed as anaerobic natural. The low elevation is clear in this coffee through the super low acidity but it is super funky. I tasted Asian Pear, golden delicious apple, almond cracker, and merlot. I brewed this with a 15.8:1 ratio, and ground it two clicks finer than my typical starting point. I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, pouring wider circles to slow this brew down. I finished my last pour at 2:30 for a 3:10 total brew time.

Have Fun El Salvador Finca El Molino – Finca El Molino is a farm located in the Ahuachapan region of El Salvador, along the Cordillera de Apaneca volcanic mountain range. This is super close to the southern border of Guatemala, and is located at 1300 MASL (a decent elevation for El Salvador). The farm El Molino was bought by the Salaverria family a few years back and contains Bourbon trees that have been standing for over 40 years. Through coffee tree diseases and climate change, this is incredible to have them still standing in a coffee-producing country like El Salvador. The proximity to the volcanic range gives the soil a rich characteristic that benefits the planted trees at El Molino. This one is definitely simple. Having said that, it is so sweet. I instantly taste brown sugar, and the tasting note on the bag of baked pear is spot on. It has a profile of a fancy French dessert or financier. I ground this 2 clicks finer than my typical starting point, and brewed it with a 16.3:1 ratio. I poured a 45 second bloom, and then poured three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds with wider circles to slow the speed of the extraction down. I finished my third pour at 2:25 for a 3:20 total brew time.

Have Fun Colombia Nelson Cordoba – Nelson Cordoba is a new absolute stunner producer from the town of El Silencio in southern Huila. Nelson Cordoba is a member of a group called “Los Guacharos” that is focused on organic farming, using organic fertilizers made on site, and utilizing waste water for the farm. The farm is called Finca Vegas del Chuscal, and is located at 1800 MASL. This is a fairly standard washed processed coffee, wet fermented for 36 hours and then dried in secure temperature controlled environments to maintain 10.5% moisture content. This lot is a Caturra/Tabi blend. I tasted cranberry, sweet lime, biscoff cookie, and orange marmalade lingers for many moments after the sip. I brewed this with a 16:1 ratio, and ground it right at my typical grind setting. After a long 50 second bloom, I poured two pulses spaced out by 45 seconds. I finished my last pour at 2:05 for a 2:40 final brew time.

The Barn Guatemala La Colina – This farm is named for “The Hill” that the plot of land is located on. La Colina is owned by Antonio Medina, a third generation farmer from this area, and had dreams of growing coffee while the rest of the farm was occupied by various other crops. Antonio first planted coffee in the early 90s and later on developed his own processing station. The farm is located in Chimaltenango at 1700 MASL. This lot is a classic Guatemala Caturra and Bourbon mix. I tasted soft plum, hazelnut, and cacao. It is a super silky profile. I brewed this with a 16.7:1 ratio, and ground it two clicks finer than my normal starting point and poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:15 for a 3:20 drop time.

The Barn Kenya Gichathaini – I believe buying Kenyan coffee from the Barn is super rare, it is a stretch from the typical funky fermentations from Central or South America. This is a pure standout. Gichathaini is a prized washing station/co-op in Nyeri, one of my favorite regions of Kenya. Especially my favorite when the coffee is grown on the slopes of Mt. Kenya. Gichathaini is made up of many different smallholding farmers that focuses on water projects for the local communities, as well as being recognized for the high and consistent rates it pays the local farming cooperatives. The cherries are delivered by the farmers and then go through the classic Kenya double soak, with focus on recirculating all water and avoiding contaminants. The average elevation for this lot is 1700-1900 MASL and this is a SL28/SL34 varietal AA separation. I taste fruit cocktail, melon, just bursting with red fruits and sweet vermouth on the finish. I brewed this with a 15.8:1 ratio and ground it three clicks coarser than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 30 seconds following my 40 second bloom. My last pour ended at 2:00 for a 2:55 drop time.

SEY Burundi Heza (Mutana Hill) – A new awesome lot from the Longmiles project in Burundi, Mutana Hill is an area of Burundi with rolling hills. It is uniquely located next to rainforests allowing extra mist and rainfall to bless this farm with sweet hydration. This coffee consists of 5 different day lots, and is likely a blend of Red Bourbon and Mibirize. Mibirize being a local varietal exclusive to Burundi. The coffee here is grown at 2100-2200 MASL, which is wild for Burundi. I assume this helps contribute to the clean and acidic cup we have. As this is produced by Long Miles Coffee Project, the processing is super scientific. The wet and dry ferment times are calculated and the drying is timed until the seeds reach 10.5% moisture. The coffee from Long Miles is ALWAYS incredible and this is no exception. I tasted sparkling date juice, lime, blackberry, and cane sugar. Fairly typical washed Burundi profile with a little sparkle of excitement. I brewed this with a 15.6:1 water to coffee ratio, and ground it 3 clicks coarser than my usual grind setting. I poured two pulses after by 50 second bloom spaced out by 45 seconds. I finished my last pour at 2:10 for a 3:10 brew time.

SEY Ethiopia Hirut Gate – This is a stunning washed Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, from the washing station “Tulise”. Tulise is owned by Hirut Gate, a young female producer that started the washing station at the age of 23. Originally, Hirut Gate’s goal was to meet smallholding farmers and produce naturally processed coffee. Now she is producing stupid clean washed coffees and buying cherries from 515 local farmers at an average elevation of 2200 MASL. This is a super exciting washing station and we will surely be trying more coffees from here in the future. I tasted orange creamsicle and white peach tea. I brewed this with a 16.2:1 ratio, and ground it seven clicks coarser than my typical grind setting. I poured a 40 second bloom and then poured two pulses spaced out by 45 seconds. My final brew time was 3:05.

Clever Kenya Top Mutitu – This absolute treasure comes to us from the Mutitu Washing Factory in Kirinyaga. Kirinyaga has consistently been one of the top producing regions in Kenya. Through all of the coffee-related issues that Kenya has been faced with in recent years, many coffees in this region have held strong and maintained focus on high quality. It is “Top Mutitu” for one reason – this is the best coffee that has come out of the Mutitu Washing Station harvest. The washing station was created in 1963 out of necessity for there to be a central co-op for the neighboring farms that produce coffee around the base of Mt. Kenya, making it one of the oldest in the region of Kirinyaga. Mutitu has set up efficient water supply passages and waste water passages, as well as setting up a system where the farmers are able to demand payment in timely manners. Getting paid as soon as the cherries are delivered. This lot was grown at around 1400 MASL, and is a field blend of typical Kenyan varietals SL28, SL34, Batian, and Ruiru 11. This is a truly delicious washed Kenyan coffee. I taste blackberry, passionfruit, and raisin. Acidity is high. I brewed this with a 15.5:1 ratio and ground it four clicks coarser than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, finishing my last pout at around 2:10 for a 2:55 drop time.

Clever Ethiopia Sookoo Qabballe – Qabballe translates to cold, and that is what the conditions for this coffee are. The coffee is grown in Guji, at a super elevation of 2300 MASL. This is grown at such a high elevation where temperatures are essentially… cold. I have not had a lot of coffees put under these conditions, which you will notice affects the bean as they are absurdly small and dense. My first brew was so over-extracted; I have never had to grind a coffee this coarse before. Sookoo is a washing station owned by Ture Waji, and has only been producing coffee since 2018. The farmers only use natural compost for the coffee trees (I’m sure you can imagine what that means) and bring cherries to Sookoo for what is becoming more experimental processing. I tasted strawberry shortcake right away, ripe melon, lavender, and finishes with a sort of salty sweet candy. I ground this 8 clicks coarser than my typical starting point, and brewed it with a 16.3:1 ratio. I poured two pulses spaced out by 50 seconds, finishing my second pour at 2:05 for a 3:10 brew time.

Little Wolf Ethiopia Shantawene – Shantawene is the name of the washing station, located in the Sidama region of Ethiopia. The washing station is one of many operated by Daye Bensa, and the #7 cup of excellence in 2020 was processed at Shantawene. The beans here are super dense and grown at around 1900-2100 MASL. They use sorting screens to separate different bean sizes. The cherries in this region are known to mature a little more slowly which might have something to do with the elevation and cooler temperatures, or the native Ethiopian landrace varietals. This is a classic washed process for an Ethiopia, wet fermented for 36-72 hours. The beans are then dried on raised African beds for several days till they hit about 10% moisture. This cup is very floral, I tasted chamomile tea, lavender, meyer lemon, and green tea. I brewed this with a 15.8:1 ratio, and ground it 7 clicks coarser than my typical starting point. I poured two pulses spaced out by 45 seconds, ending my second pour at around 2:00 for a 2:45 brew time.

Little Wolf Colombia Las Perlitas – This wonderful co-op is back again with a new coffee that is not quite like anything they have produced before (that I have tasted at least). Las Perlitas is a project in Narino that scours the region for smallholding producers without resources to process and export their small lots on their own. The lots are typically 1-2 hectares of classic varietals of high quality. These smaller lots are grown at ranges from 1800-2200 MASL and is a blend of Caturra, Castillo, and Colombia. Through the smaller lot selections at Las Perlitas, the farmers are able to focus exclusively on high quality and experimentation to produce the best coffee. In this cup I tasted white tea, kettle corn, roasted barley, and red apple. Interestingly, in an auto-drip cup I tasted slightly more fruit notes. I brewed this with a 16.5:1 ratio and ground it 3 clicks finer than my typical grind setting , and poured four pulses spaced out by 30-35 seconds. I bloomed this for 50 seconds, and finished pouring at 2:30 for a 3:20 brew time.

Junto Colombia La Primavera – This beautiful Pink Bourbon comes from the legend Freddy Correa, the producer behind lots from El Vergel estate whom has produced some of my favorite coffees in recent years. The farm is located in Huila, Colombia and grown at 1800 MASL. You will notice that the bag states ‘semi-washed”. This really threw me off; I fully assumed someone didn’t know what honey process was but it turns out it truly is. The cherries are dry fermented for 24 hours, then de-pulped and fermented in light mucilage before being fully washed. The profile this creates is incredible. I tasted bubblegum, Rooibos, finishes with watermelon. Unexpected bright banger. I brewed this one quickly. However, it also tastes ridiculous in a larger format with slower pours or for auto-drip. I brewed this with a 15.5:1 ratio, and ground it one click finer than my typical starting point. I poured two pulses spaced out by 45 seconds, finishing my second pour at 2:00 for a 2:40 total brew time.

Junto Rwanda Fugi Urubyiruko – While a new producer, this is a new rendition of the Intango Natural process we had from Rwanda last year. Fugi is a project in Rwanda started around 2018, a group of smallholding farmers that live in the Kiyonza mountains of southern Rwanda. Intango is the old school Rwandan method of dry fermenting cherries in clay pots. This creates a wild cup profile due to the open membrane of the clay. The Fugi group started with a widowed/single mothers group to come together and create a community helping each other with processing and growing techniques. It has expanded in recent times to accept a Senior Men’s group as well as this lot – Urubyiruko (Youth group). This is 100% Red Bourbon, as is most coffees grown by this group, and grown at a range of 1500-1850 MASL. Ok so this coffee is WEIRD. I brewed it for the third time and I just now got it dialed in. My first two tries were straight up bad coffee. It is intensely floral, not the typical delicate rose/lavender floral we normally think about. Like getting your mouth and nose stuffed with Lilac branches. I tasted that, obviously. As well as geranium, honeysuckle, and hemp (TASTES LIKE WEED). I recommend brewing this with a 15.3:1 ratio, and ground right at typical starting point. At least until it is a month off roast, I will be blooming this for a full minute, maybe longer. I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds for a total brew time of 3:05. I also would recommend a lot of experimentation, use the Aeropress, the clever, and definitely try it as Espresso if that is an option. It definitely can’t handle a lot of water passing through (note the 15.3:1 ratio).

Kaffa Honduras Don Amado – Ok so this one is technically not an all-time favorite because it is a new one for me. It has been a part of Kaffa’s direct trade partnership for years apparently though so I must be blind. This is a 100% washed Pacas, super common for coffee coming out of Santa Barbara. This comes from Jose Amado and his wife Sandra who inherited the farm from his father, Don Amado in 2010. Jose passed away in 2019, and now Sandra runs the farm with her four children creating crazy sweet and dynamic coffees and continuing the epic legacy brought before them. They grow primarily Pacas, Yellow Catuai, and Red Catuai at the farm. Most coffee here is washed. After depulping the cherries, they are dry fermented for 15 hours, then washed and dried on raised beds for two weeks. Maybe it is because I only know how to dial in simple washed coffees anymore, or maybe it is just that good. The first sip hit me with a blast of sugars, with well-rounded acidity for a cup indicative of this region. Like biting in to a honeycomb, with green grape, molasses, and lychee. I brewed this with a 16:1 ratio, and ground it right at my typical starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:15 for a 3:05 brew time.

Kaffa Peru Damian Espinoza – Definitely a classic, I believe this is my third go around with Damian Espinoza’s coffee. Damian has grown coffee on his farm ‘Finca La Palma’ since 2002, and moved to specialty much later after a neighboring farm won a Cup Of Excellence competition. The cost per pound of winning lots was enticing and now Damian focuses on each plot carefully, growing mostly Caturra and Bourbon. Damain mostly produces natural processed coffee, as he preferes the profile but also because water supply can be scarce in that high elevation region. This lot was imported by Origin Coffee Lab, a Cajamarca based coffee company that seeks to expand Peruvian micro-lots, and varietal separation. I tasted Coconuts, Guava, and thyme. Super tropical and delightful profile. I brewed this with a 15.7:1 ratio, and ground it one click finer than my typical starting point. I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:30 for a final brew time of 3:20.