March 2023 – The Barn and LYKKE

The Barn Brazil Sundrop – Sundrop comes from the world-farmous Daterra estate in Brazil. The Barn recently partnered with Daterra to plant up 40,000 trees on a new plot of land. This is an investment by the Barn to mitigate climate change, or what I think they mean is the effects of climate change on the coffee plant. Anyone that knows Daterra, knows that this is the pinnacle of quality in Brazil, a country that has long struggled to enter the high level specialty market that roasters like The Barn operate in. This is a Yellow Bourbon grown at 1200 MASL, this is technically a natural. However the cherries were strategically picked at the point where they had begun drying on the branch during the beginning of the dry season in Brazil. Once partially dried, the cherries are then moved to drying beds and are then mechanically dried to ensure moisture consistency among the beans (very intense thing to do). In the cup I tasted honeysuckle, lemon, and cherry. There is a lingering peanut brittle sweetness that is the only note reminiscent of a Brazil, but in the best way possible. I brewed this with a 16.4:1 ratio, and ground it two clicks finer than my typical starting point. I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, ending my fourth pour at 2:30 for a 3:40 brew time.

The Barn Indonesia Frinsa Sarapan – The Frinsa Estate comes from the island of Java, where a new family of coffee farmers, the Mustofa family, developed a farm and washing station with six distinct plots with 10 different varietals at 1300-1500 MASL. This is a warm, humid region with dense forests and fertile soil perfect for growing coffee. The Mustofa family primarily focused on producing clean washed coffees at the start but is now moving to more experimental coffees. This is a “mixed” varietal which is sort of lame considering we should know the varietals, but it looks like they produce a lot of local varietals so there is a chance we wouldn’t know anything about them anyway. The lactic washed comes from the step after dry fermented. It is moved to the wet mill and introduced to lactose in the wet tanks for 10-12 hours. The beans are then washed with clean water. The flavor from this is something else – I have no idea what is going on here. This tastes like a combination (not a blend) of a bunch of different profiles. It starts out with a tea-like florality and sweetness that is indicative of a washed Ethiopia. Then it moves toward a central Africa profile. I taste blueberries, mandarin, dried figs, with an acidic finish. I brewed this with a 16:1 ratio, and ground it one click finer than my typical starting point. After a 45 second bloom, I poured three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, ending my third pour at 2:20 for a 3:00 brew time.

Lykke Snovatten (Peru Agua de Nieves) – This is my favorite of the Lykke owned single-origin farms that i have tasted so far. As such, I will likely be ordereding this coffee every single time I order Lykke along with a more rare single origin can. The idea is the coffee will change from year to year and even season to season. Agua de Nieves is a small plot of 5 hectares at 1700-1800 MASL. Lykke has built a washing station and wet mill here with the goal of bringing cherries from neighboring farms to process here. The challenge with Peru coffees can be they have a strong tradition of growing certified organic (without pesticides or chemicals) and adds an extra layer of difficulty to the production. Lykke has fully embraced this and goes along with the sustainability model they are based on. I chose this coffee instantly on the cupping table and even preferred it to one of the more unique canned coffees. It is delicate but layered in the profile, and stupid clean. I got marshmallow, milk chocolate, with a mild meyer lemon acidity. 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.

Snovatten (Snow Water) is Agua de Nieve with Lykke style.

Lykke Summit (Miguel Angel Lopez Mena – El Salvador) – The Can, the Myth, the Legend. This series of coffees from Lykke is part of the “limited edition” and always comes in a can. Limited edition doesn’t always mean it is an insane coffee or anything, but just that it is a small lot and will sell out fast. The coolest thing about these limited releases is that they are usually neighbors of the Lykke farms. Mena owns a farm called La Cabana and grows Pacamara at 1800 MASL. This coffee is natural processed and is a classic huge Pacamara bean. This is a super dynamic coffee. I initially tasted something like a sweet lavender candy that I don’t believe exists, along with peach notes and pink cotton candy. I brewed this with a 16.1:1 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 2:40 for a 3:20 brew time.

February 2023 Coffee – Long awaited Little Wolf Kenya Kii and Manhattan!

Little Wolf Colombia La Pradera – Not everyone had the La Pradera last time around, as it was a Gesha and was a lil expensive. However, seeing as this new lot is 100% Pink Bourbon was an obvious choice. La Pradera is a farm located in the beautiful mountains of Huila, Colombia. Little Wolf has heavily invested in the relationship with La Pradera and is on year 4 of the relationship, contracted to purchase coffee from each harvest. I have honestly never had anything less than fire fire from this farm. La Pradera is fairly new so the variety of crop at this point is limited and mostly washed processes, but over the next couple years we are expecting more interesting varietals/processes. I don’t know what could be more interesting or complex than washed Pink Bourbon but I am open to it. I tasted Apple Cider, raspberry, and vanilla. The body is super smooth and perfect for everyday drinking. 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 40 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:20 for a 3:10 brew time.

La Pradera Farm in Huila, Colombia (Photo Courtest Little Wolf)

Little Wolf Kenya Kii AA – This one has been on my radar for months… Little Wolf had projected it to be a part of their inventory and made sure to let me know that this was not to be missed. Kii is the name of the Co-Op/Washing station in Kirinyaga where hundreds of smallholding farmers bring their cherries. This is a classic SL28 and SL34 blend grown between 1600-1680 MASL. The Kii Co-Op is doing some incredible work in the community. Kii gives back by providing educational resources to the local smallholding farmers and working with them to develop better sources of income through means of coffee and non-coffee produce. This coffee went through a pretty standard Kenya washing, sorting the ripest cherries and then the Kenya Wash (double soak) to completely pulp the bean for a clean profile. The cup has strong acidity, grapefruit forward, and way more red fruit than a Kenyan typically has. I am thinking ripe cherry, cranberry, and peachy. I brewed this with a 16:1 ratio and ground it three clicks coarser than my typical grind setting. I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds. This is a little different than my usual Kenya pouring but the acidity was already so strong I didn’t need to lift it up with a faster brew. My last pour ended at 2:20 for a 3:10 brew time.

Manhattan Braziil Silvio Roberto – Silvio Roberto is a producer in the Mata de Minas region of Brazil with a farm called Sitio Alto Ar. Silvio lives on the farm with his wife and two children. It is a fairly small operation, where the family operates the farm on a daily basis. This is a Red Catuai grown at 600-800 MASL. Pretty low elevation even for a Brazil. This provides a cup with fairly low acidity. Low acidity is basically an expectation for most Brazilian coffee, even though this was fermented Anaerobically for 9 days. This pushes the coffee’s flavors to be spectacular. I will say, I do not think this coffee is for everybody. It has mad funk, without being a “Juicy” one. I tasted fresh Strawberries, heavy cream, apple butter, and heavy on the spices. I brewed this with a 16.2:1 ratio, and ground it two clicks finer than my usual starting point. I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, finishing my fourth pour at 2:40 for a 3:15 total brew time.

Manhattan Guatemala Mama Tere – This coffee is brought to us by Felipe Contreras of Antigua, Guatemala. Felipe Contreras is a third generation farmer, after the grandfather and patriarch Gildardo. Felipe was always on the farm growing up whether it be picking cherries or working in the washing station. Now, Felipe is learning about wild processing techniques. This is something we had to wait on in Guatemala, but I knew was on the way and have been anxiously awaiting. This is a Bourbon coffee, grown at 1800 MASL and is a Black Honey process. Black Honey being the Honey process that has the seed spend the most amount of time in the cherry. This is an incredible profile – full of red fruits, pineapple, and papaya. You can make a really strong brew on accident if you go a click finer and extend the brew ratio; but personally, not for me. I brewed this with a 16.0:1 ratio, and ground it one click coarser than my typical grind setting. I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, after a fairly quick 30 second bloom. My third pour ended at 2:00 with a drop time of 3:00.

January 2023 – CleverCoffee and SEY with the lightest light roasts.

Sey Colombia Faiber Cordoba – Faiber Cordoba is a young producer that recently started working with SEY. I believe this is the second lot they have purchased from Cordoba. The farm is located in San Agustin, Huila. People get all lusty over Huila as a whole but I think it’s important to set apart that I have never had a bad coffee from the San Agustin region itself – distinguished from the entire Huila department. Cordoba has already gotten deep into complex and rare varieties like Pink Bourbon and Gesha with great success. This lot specifically is a Field Blend of Colombia variety, Caturra, and Pink Bourbon grown at 1800 MASL. I brewed this coffee with a 15.8:1 ratio and ground it one click coarser than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, ending my third pour around 2:20 for a 3:15 total brew time. I tasted pomegranate, dried fig, Rose, Chardonnay, rich caramel finish. A breath of fresh air and morning sun.

Sey Burundi Heza (Gitwe Hill) – I will always do anything I can to get my hands on a Long Miles project coffee from SEY. Long Miles produce so many different lots, they tend to be pretty fire normally but SEY always gets the best. Burundi is a country that at one point was my favorite Coffee producing nation. This lot comes from “Heza” which is the name of the washing station, although all the coffee was grown on Gitwe Hill. This is a selection of four different day lots and two varietals – Red Bourbon and Mibirizi. We have had plenty of Red Bourbon by now, especially from Burundi. Mibirizi is a super popular varietal in Burundi and Rwanda as it is grows well in droughts; however, it is super susceptible to disease which is why it is unlikely to make its way to the Americas. This coffee was grown by the local smallholding farmers ranging from 1850-2100 MASL. I tasted lemongrass, dry rosé, red grape, lime, and fresh figs. Yes, this babe is dynamic. I ground this 3 clicks coarser than my typical starting point, and used a 15.5:1 water to coffee ratio, I poured two pulses following my 40 second bloom that were spaced out by 45 seconds, ending my second pour at 2:00 for a 2:50 brew time.

Clever Honduras Hidardo Hernandez – Hernandez is one of the founding pair of “Cafesmo”, an organization in Honduras consisting of 250 or so smallholders. Hidardo Hernandez does a lot of processing for many of these farmers that do not have the infrastructure to process on their own. The organization stands together to fight disease in the plants, as well as maintaining a fully organic certification in all of their lots. Not that only certified organic is special or anything and makes coffee taste better, but there are risks associated with some of the qualifications. This is a Paraneima varietal, a type that we have been diving deep in to especially with a lot of Vivid’s coffee. It is Super strong in fighting disease with an incredible flavor profile. This was grown at 1300 MASL in the Ocotepeque department just over the border from El Salvador. The profile has subtle Cotton Candy, apricot, and a little bit of surprising funk that I have never tasted in a washed Honduran coffee before. I brewed this with a 16.2:1 ratio and ground it right at my typical starting point. I rarely nail a coffee on first try but this was perfect. I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing by last pour at 2:35 for a 3:20 brew time.

Clever Costa Rica El Cristobal – How could I not… This is a wild Anaerobic that, by the profile, I can tell is categorized under the “natural processed” Anaerobic. It is clear from the obvious ripe fruit note. El Cristobal comes out of the Cafe Rivense farm from Ricardo Urena and the Urena family. Cafe Rivense has been a Direct Trade partner with Clever for some years now. This one is, by Clevers words, the most intense Anaerobic coffee that has come from The Urena family. This is a Villa Sarchi varietal grown at 1700 MASL. This is undoubtedly for the funk lovers, heavily defined by strawberry and mango. Much nicer as it cools, as it is a little gassy when super fresh. The lactic aspect definitely comes through. 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 35 seconds, which was the longest it would allow me to without draining fully. Pour super wide circles for this one as it will completely drain if you don’t pay attention for a second. My last pour ended around 2:45 for a 3:15 total brew time.

December 2022 – Kaffa Double Julekaffe and Vivid Classics

Vivid Costa Rica Hacienda La Minita Villa Sarchi – The La Minita farm has been on the map since the 60’s, but has only been growing coffee since 1985. La Minita means “the small mine” because of rumors that Colombian people moved to the area during the 1800s to search for gold, rumored to be found on where the farm sits today. The plantation covers a total of 1200 acres, with 800 acres used to grow coffee. The rest of the land consists of forest preserves with the Tarrazu river running alongside. La Minita is a decently sized operation that is obsessed with high quality production and seeking to be considered one of the best in Costa Rica by the specialty coffee world. This is the holidayiest tasting coffee of the bunch for sure. The flavors are pretty on point for what is on the bag. I feel like it is a little more cardamom than clove, but what do I know. This does not have a ton of fruit for an Anaerobic for it is definitely a fun coffee regardless. Once it cooled down I got some dry fruit like persimmon or starfruit, but overwhelmingly cardamom and vanilla flavors. I brewed this with a 15.8:1 ratio and ground it one click finer than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses after a 40 second bloom spaced out by 40 seconds, finishing by last pour around 2:20 for a 3:10 brew time.

Vivid Colombia Gabriel Castano PB – Yes, we have had this one before. Gabriel Castano, the “Godfather of Pink Bourbon”. I did have to get this one again this time around because of how incredible it was last time. This one in particular is an extended fermentation, washed Pink Bourbon. It was fermented for a total of 90 hours, an insanely long time for a washed coffee but the method is becoming increasingly popular due to the annoying coffee bros that don’t f wit naturals. The flavors here were subtle so definitely let this one cool down a bit to get all the complexity; I tasted Guava, Honeydew, and the aroma of caramelized Sugar. I brewed this with a 15.8:1 water to coffee ratio and ground it three clicks finer than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:25 for a 3:00 brew time.

Kaffa Honduras Miguel Moreno – How can we pass up a coffee from a Moreno that also coincides with a “Sweet Christmas Coffee”??? The excitement does not just fade there, the Pacas varietal is so common from the Moreno clan, but this one is HONEY processed. I have never had a honey processed Moreno coffee and while drinking it this morning I was super annoying talking about how great it was. Miguel is the brother that studied in the United States and returned to give a last attempt growing coffee in the El Cedral part of the El Filo plantation. The family had issues with growing coffee in this land and almost turned it in to vegetables. In the cup, I tasted Marshmallow, cinnamon sugar, dark cherry, and Caramel Apple. I brewed this with a 16.3:1 ratio and ground it one click coarser than my typical starting point. I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:40 for a 3:20 brew time.

Kaffa Ethiopia Halo Hartume- The last of the four coffees to arrive on my doorstep two fulls weeks late… but Good things are worth waiting for. This is such a fantastic natural Ethiopia. It comes from the Halo Hartume washing station, where around 396 smallholding farmers bring cherries from the Gedeb region. Mijane Woressa is the owner of Halo as well as the original washing station, Worka Sakaro. Halo was opened with the intention of helping the local producers commute shorter distances to deliver their cherries and to engage with a newer community. Keeping the regions that deliver to a washing station small will enhance traceability in the varietals coming out of Ethiopia. This lot was actually reminiscent of the April Zewde Estate which we can all agree was 100% the bomb. I tasted Jasmine, Earl Grey, and peach. I brewed this with a 15.2:1 ratio and ground it five clicks coarser than my typical starting point (one click finer than my usual Ethiopia grind). I poured two fast pulses spaced out by 45 and kept my pour towards the center. I finished the second pour around 1:45 for a 2:35 total brew time.

Daniel Mijane of Halo Hartume

November 2022 – Junto Coffee and April Coffee Roasters

April Ethiopia Zewde Estate – This coffee will be the most drank this month by far, and we only have it by mistake. The coffee I originally chose ended up being sold out and so I deferred to this one. The Zewde Estate coffees are a staple in April’s lineup now and for some reason I always pass them up but serendipity worked in our favor this time. Zewde Estate is a single-farmer lot in Hambela, Guji – a rarity as we all know. April’s Ethiopia partner is an organization called METAD, which typically helps a lot in developing low-income farmers but for the Zewde Estate, it is METAD’s own micro-lot focused farm where they grow exclusively Ethiopian Heirloom varietals separated to keep distinct Ethiopian profiles. This lot is a 100% Krume varietal and natural processed. I am always amazed how clean these natural profiles are but still with a distinctive natural profile that is recognizable. I tasted bright peach and lavender right away, with jasmine and bubble gum. So refreshing. I brewed this with a 15.5:1 water to coffee ratio and ground it 7 clicks coarser than my typical starting grind. I poured 2 pulses, first one at around 45 seconds, and the second at 90 seconds for a 2:55 total brew time.

April Kenya Kainamui – This is the same lot of Kainamui from this summer and it is even better this time around. This is always one of my favorite coffees. Honestly, I am surprised this is even a Kenya. This is from the Kainamui processing station in Ngariama, Kirinyaga. The processing station is owned by the New Ngariama Farm co-op and is a SL-28/SL-34 AA lot grown at 1750 MASL. The Ngariama co-op is comprised from around 950-1000 local smallholding farmers from the community that bring their harvests to the Kainamui factory where it is graded and floated for defects. All coffee is then fermented for 24-48 hours before drying on raised African Beds. The Kainamui Factory sorts the different sizes by AA, AB, PB, etc. The highly acidic Kenya cup is not what I am finding with this. It has so much more mapley sweetness than what the world has come to expect from Kenya. I tasted a touch of apple and pomegranate. This is a super complex and another outstanding selection from Kainamui. I brewed this with a 15.7:1 ratio and ground it 4 clicks coarser than my typical starting point. After a quick 35 second bloom, I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds. I finished my last pour at 2:15 for a 3:20 brew time.

Junto Ethiopia Hada Molecha – This is a small processing station in Aricha, Gedeo. This is a great station that is committed to paying the smallholding farmers better prices. The average plot size for the farmers is between 2 and 10 hectares,and will only yield a few bags per year. Hada Molecha has the privilege of DNA testing the cherries that are brought to the station and this lot apparently is a blend of Krume, Dega, Wolishu, 74148, 74110, 74165, and 74112. I would say a blend of seven varietals is basically not even worth knowing as it is almost impossible to taste the variances. The brightness here is out of this world. I tasted Meyer lemon, floral, cherry, all the potential of what a Washed Ethiopian can be. I brewed this one with a 15.5:1 water to coffee ratio and ground it 7 clicks coarser than my typical starting point. After a 40 second bloom, I poured two pulses spaced out by 45 seconds, finishing my second pour at 1:50 for a 2:45 brew time.

Junto Colombia El Guayapo – This comes to us from the Huila district by producer Jaime Burbano. This is a Pink Bourbon varietal grown at 1750 MASL, in an ideal forested climate for my favorite varietal. The cherry is picked and then held in the cherry for 15 hours before being dry fermented in sealed containers for 42 hours. This is technically not natural processing but is an advanced technique of washed where the cherry is used to ferment the seed for a fruitier profile. In the cup, I tasted Guava, orange marmalade, and cherry. 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 three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:30 for a 3:10 brew time.

October 2022 – Kaffibrugghusid and Manhattan

Kaffibrugghusid Colombia El Obraje – What drew me to the Obraje was mainly the elevation. This full Caturra lot was grown at 2200 MASL in Narino which isn’t insane or anything, but definitely higher than average for the region. El Obraje is the name of the farm by Pablo Guerrero. Hacienda El Obraje has been in Guerrero’s family for generations but was not traditionally a coffee farmer. Originally, wheat and other grains were grown in the 90s before moving on to more fruits and then eventually coffee in 2000. He started with commodity and was doing nothing groundbreaking with coffee, and after several years of this, grew a processing station and started focusing more on quality and better varietals. The elevation and soil quality has made the property almost perfect for growing coffee. The cool temperatures and volcanic soil are what really help coffee thrive. After harvesting, the cherries are left to ferment for 20 hours in the same sack that the pickers use. The cherries are then floated for defects, and wet fermented for 24 hours. The coffee is then fully washed, and floated again for extra defects. Drying is usually 16 days. Right away I tasted a charred oak note with green apple acidity and honey sweetness. I brewed this a bunch of different ways and the same basic profile came back each time. Be careful with the brew on this, as a quicker drop time gives it some slightly cardboardy notes. I also raised my average brewing temperature from 93C to closer to 97C to help extract everything out of this coffee. I brewed this one with a 17:1 ratio and ground it two clicks finer than my typical starting point. After a 50 second bloom, I poured three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, and poured fairly wide circles to slow down the brew. My third pour ended 3:00 for a 3:40 brew time.

Kaffibrugghusid Ethiopia Konga – Konga Washing Station… Iconic. The Konga Village is located in Yirgacheffe, and the Konga Washing station was established in 2002, with the goal of bringing out the beautiful wild coffees of the region to the rest of the world. The washing station processes cherries from nearly 1200 smallholding farmers. Because of the staggering number of producers, there will rarely be a specific varietal tied to the coffee that comes from here unless it is for a specific lot. The elevation in this region averages 1925 MASL and the cherries are processed in the traditional Natural process for this station. This is an old school tasting Natural Ethiopia. Sort of a blast of ripe blackberry, heavy red wine, and tart cherry. For my brewing temperature like with the Obraje, I used a higher temp of about 96C. I brewed this with a 16.5:1 ratio, and ground it 6 clicks coarser than my typical starting point. I poured two pulses spaced out by 45 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:10 for a 3:00 brew time.

Natural Processed Cherries on Raised African Beds at the Konga Factory

Manhattan El Salvador Carlos Mendez – This is not the first time with Mr. Carlos Mendez! We had coffee from Carlos last November roasted by Manhattan and I have to say the quality has improved. This lot is 100% Pacamara, one of my favorite varietals and is grown from 1350 MASL. Carlos Mendez has won multiple Cup of Excellence awards and is famous for the work in Ahuachapan region, bordering Guatemala. This lot is a double fermentation natural, meaning after harvesting the cherries are gathered and fermented openly for 24 hours and then fermented anaerobically for 24 hours. The coffee is then slow dried for 40 days. Manhattan actually commissioned Mendez to produce the coffee this way for a competition last year and it turned out so well that they are standardizing this for Manhattan’s contract coffee. Yeah so kinda throwing a dart at the flavor wheel here… But this cup is wildly complex. In the brewing bed I was smelling like yellow bell peppers and white chocolate. The actual cup has some of that savory quality in the form of oregano or pesto. It sounds bad but it somehow worked. The sweetness was excellent and was kind of reminiscent of the yellow bell pepper that I had smelled. I love this cup but I shouldn’t. If you want to make an absolutely dreadful cold brew, this would hit the mark for you. I ground this coffee one click finer than usual and used a 16.2:1 ratio. I poured four pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:30 for a 3:20 drop time.

Manhattan Tanzania Edelweiss – This exciting sparkly guy comes from the Gaia farm in Tanzania, a member of the Finagro Farms collective. The farm is owned by the Vohoras, a multiple generational farm sprawling 1000 acres on the southern slopes of the Ngorongoro conservation area on the edge of a crater. The farm is located in a valley and the Vohoras provide a Rainforest Alliance Certified farm and it provides temporary housing to the seasonal harvesters. I love coffee from Tanzania but I have not seen a lot of variety in the varietals. Not a lot of variety-als? Sure. This one however is a mix of not only Kent but Red Bourbon, and SL28. This is my first coffee from the Gaia farm but I look forward to trying more, especially as Manhattan pushes them to experiment with fermentation. This was definitely my favorite cup… I tasted red fruit like cherries and strawberries with a nice herbaceous quality. I brewed this with a 15.8:1 ratio, and ground it 3 clicks coarser than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing my third pour at 2:10 for a 3:05 brew time.

September 2022 – The Barn and Little Wolf

The Barn Costa Rica Santa Teresa – This coffee is from a new farmer for me and the subscription. Santa Teresa is the name of the new farm by Roger Urena, located in Tarrazu, Costa Rica. Roger comes from many generations of coffee farmers, and after leaving Costa Rica to work in the United States, he returned to the beautiful high elevation farm near the mountain peak of Santa Teresa, the namesake of the generational farm. Upon returning to the farm to take over operations, Roger noticed that rare and experimental varietals from other Costa Rican farmers sold for big dollars, and that Santa Teresa needed to be expanded beyond just Caturra and Catuai. The next year, Roger planted such as Pacamara, SL34, Geisha, and Sudan Rume. With all of these varietals Roger is learning how to dial in the pulping machine for each lot based on fermentation timing, flipping, and drying. With this particular lot, it is grown at elevations from 1600-2050 MASL and is full Catuai. This lot was processed as a yellow honey, which in this case means the whole cherries were rested in tanks overnight and in morning are passed through the pulping machine to remove most but not all of the pulp. Leaving some pulp on the seed is what creates the “honey” process. The seeds are then dried on raised beds with the remaining mucilage for around 12 days. The flavors from this coffee range from pleasant to exciting depending on the brewing method. The espresso was super intense and complex, while a batch brew I made was more mild and a cup I could just sip on all day. I tasted notes of honeydew, caramel, and papaya, with a lingering oolong tea mouthfeel. I brewed this coffee with a 16:1 water to coffee ratio and ground it right at my typical starting point. After a 45 second bloom, I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, ending my last pour at 2:25 for a 3:40 brew time.

The Barn Honduras Bomba de Fruta – I mean how could you not… what a freaking name. This coffee comes from the Caballero farm that the Barn has been buying from for years. The quality from here has always been at least good, but has been converging toward world class in recent years. Caballero family farm is located in the Marcala region of La Paz, Honduras, one of my favorite regions in Honduras. La Paz is emerging as one of the best climates for coffee growing in the world and is competing with substantially more famous and historic regions. Like the Santa Teresa, this coffee varietal is also Catuai. The process is a full natural, which can be super challenging in this region as the air is super humid and rain can come out of nowhere. This results in a drying period ranging from 20-40 days, depending on the harvest time and is important to keep the lots separated due to the varying fermentation times. It is clear this lot was an extended fermentation under low temperatures, as the flavor isn’t overly funky but insanely complex and tasty. I adore this cup in any brewing method or any pouring pattern. The cup is bursting with fruit. I am tasting fresh field strawberries, blueberry jam, and cajeta sweetness. I brewed this with a 15.8:1 ratio and ground it one click coarser than my usual starting point. After a 35 second bloom, I poured three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, ending my last pour at 2:30. My final brew time was 3:40.

Little Wolf Nicaragua Regalo De Dios – The Regalo De Dios farm comes to us from the Balladerez family in Northen Nicaragua, a family I have been hearing more and more about over the last year or two. The farm sits at 1350-1700 MASL and has a total of 72 hectares where nearly every possible varietal/hybrid is grown. I actually got super excited about this one because I thought it was the same Nicaragua SL34 we had from Little Wolf last year, which actually was La Benidicion. This is even MORE exciting because this means multiple farmers in Nicaragua are doing experiments with varietals and processing. The clouded forest that Regalo De Dios sits in creates a unique micro-climate that keeps temperatures between 10 and 16 degrees Celcius year round, perfect for extended fermentations. In the cup I tasted lots of caramelized sweetness right at the front, then I got more chocolate covered raspberry, Would probably never have guessed natural on this one, maybe a lighter honey like a yellow or red. The cup was full of figgy sweetness any way I brewed it. I brewed this with a 16.3:1 ratio and ground it right at my typical starting point. After a 50 second bloom, I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds. My last pour ended at 2:30 for a 3:30 brew time.

Little Wolf Ethiopia Laayyoo – When Little Wolf first sent the email notifying that this lot with coming up, I got a little confused because I’ve heard of plenty of Ethiopian coffees that say something like Layo Teraga or just Layo. It looks like Laayyoo is the full word to describe a specific type of tree that is indigenous to the region. The Laayyoo tree is used as a shade tree generally, and great for coffee gardens to shade the coffee trees from the intense Ethiopian Sun. Interestingly, the coffee we have here is grown by a group called Teraga. This brings the whole picture together for me as to why I thought of the name Layo Teraga. The Teraga group grows coffee at an elevation of 2100-2350 MASL brings the harvested cherries to Ture Waji and his washing station in Urage, Raro Nansebo. Waji is widely referred to as the “King of Guji”. Waji built his brand of Sookoo coffee (previously Dembi Uddo) in 2018 after Ethiopia coffee laws were revitalized to allow more trading done between the producers and international roasters. This cup has awesome jammy sweetness. I tasted rhubarb, cranberry, and kiwi. Very clean and elegant. I brewed this with a 15.7:1 water to coffee ratio and ground it 7-8 clicks coarser than my typical starting point. After a 30 second bloom, I poured two pulses spaced out by 45 seconds, ending my final pour at 2:00 for a 2:50 total brew time.

August 2022 – Kaffa’s Special Geisha Gift and SEY

Kaffa Peru El Cerro Geisha – This one is the gift – I knew I absolutely had to hop on this train as I have never seen a Geisha come out of Peru before. The climate and terroir of Peru is super similar to Ecuador, however there is less experimentation typically. I think this means the potential for crazy coffee is endless and it is good to see some of the producers stretching their wings. This Geisha comes from Efrain Carhuallocllo at his farm in Cajamarca (1900-2050 MASL). Efrain grows mostly Caturra crop but has recently dabbled in new trees such as Geisha. The cherries are picked and sorted, then pre-fermented in the cherry for 24 hours. They are then pulped and fermented for an additional 24 hours, then washed and dried for 15 days on raised beds. Efrain plans to buy new dryers and invest in new equipment to improve the quality of some of the newer experimental lots in the coming years. The cup tells a dynamic tale; I tasted juniper, lilac, peach, cardamom, and lemon curd. I am a huge fan of this one and decided to use the rest of it for espresso. I brewed this with a 15.5:1 ratio and I ground it one click finer than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:15 for a 2:50 drop time.

Kaffa Peru La Palestine – As everyone should know by now I love a classic Peru profile for its simplicity. It is pure coffee seed juice when it is done well and is so pleasant to drink. Great as espresso, batch brew, immersion, anything. This is a full Caturra lot from the prized Cajamarca region located in the northern highlands of Peru in the Andes. This farm comes from the Alarcon Coronel family, it is a small farm with mostly Caturra and Red Bourbon grown around 1800-1900 MASL. This is a bit of an exciting lot, as it is not just a standard washing process which can be detected by the twist of flavors in this coffee compared to a standard Peruvian Caturra. The cherries undergo a pre-ferment in the cherries before being pulped and washed in the traditional method. This gives an extra acidity pop to the bean. In the cup I tasted fudge toffee brownie at the front, with cherry, and vanilla marshmallow. I brewed this with a 16.8:1 with a grind size two clicks finer than usual. I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, finishing my last pour at 2:50 for a 3:40 brew time.

Sey Kenya Gitutu AA – Gitutu comes from the Kiambu county just north of Nairobi and made up of SL28, SL34, Ruiru-11, and Batian varietals – a classic Kenya cooperative blend. This region of Kenya has been blowing me away in recent years and this one is no exception. I have always loved Kenyan coffee and once said it was my favorite coffee producing region – the profile on this is basically what my ideal profile is. I tasted rhubarb, cranberry, and grapefruit. The acidity on this one is pretty high so I apologize if that isn’t your thing. I brewed this with a 16.3:1 ratio and ground it four clicks coarser than my typical starting point. I had to let the bloom go a little longer than usual – around 45 seconds. I then poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds, finishing my third pour around 2:30 for a 3:10 total brew time.

Sey Honduras Daniel Moreno – This is going to be the last time we see the Daniel Moreno name on a bag. Daniel Moreno is the patriarch to the Moreno family of coffee producers in Santa Barbara. Think Mario Moreno, Danny Moreno, Mabel Moreno, the list goes on. Daniel passed away and this is the final tribute coffee to Daniel who helped create the famous coffees of Santa Barbara, Honduras. His legacy will of course live on through his kids who grow some of the best coffees in the world. This one is a classic Moreno Pacas varietal grown at El Campo, one of Daniel’s first experimental gardens. Pacas is typically a riskier crop to grow as it is super prone to disease and is a mutated varietal from Bourbon. The mutation causes a shorter plant to grow from seed and is considered one of the higher qualities of a Bourbon parent. The cup was mostly like a vanilla parfait with good granola and strawberries. I also hinted at some thyme on the finish. I brewed this with a 16.8:1 ratio and ground it one click coarser than my typical starting point and poured four pulses spaced out by 30-35 seconds allowing for the bed to fall a bit between each pulse. My final pour finished around 3:00 for a 3:45 brew time.

The late Daniel Moreno – courtesy of Collaborative Coffee Source

July 2022 – CleverCoffee / Vivid

Vivid Colombia Luz Divia Fierro Pink Bourbon – My first coffee ever from Luz Divia Fierro is of my favorite Pink Bourbon varietal, grown at 1650 MASL in the Acevedo district of Huila. Luz is among an emerging class of next level female coffee producers – she grows coffee with her husband’s father Elpidio, who originally owned the farm before passing it down, along with his vast knowledge of harvesting and processing. The actual farm name is El Meson; the earth consists of mostly loam soil with pockets of sand. The property features a waterfall and is partly on a national forest reserve. Luz planted around 20,000 Pink Bourbon trees several years ago when she began running the farm. This lot was washed and fermented for 40 hours total before depulping, and then dry fermented for an additional 24 hours before being thoroughly washed clean of any remaining mucilage. I tasted orange marmalade, a hint of jasmine, cranberry, and on the finish that good good Mott’s Applesauce. I ground this sweetie one click finer than my typical starting point and brewed this with a 15.5:1 water to coffee ratio. I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds. If you notice your bed dropping super fast or even falling all the way below grounds, try pouring wider circles in a faster motion to stop that up. My third pour finished at 2:40 and my final brew time was 3:25.

Vivid Honduras Nahun Fernandez Pacas – It has been a minute since we had Nahun Fernandez coffee, the first time was early 2021. This coffee is just as interesting, as a fully Natural processed Pacas grown at 1600 MASL at the farm. Nahun harvests only the ripest cherries, then lays out the cherries to ferment in the sun. Once this is complete, the cherries are brought to the dry mill that Nahun and his family built and share. The collaboration with family, each of whom is performing their own experimentation techniques is pushing each of them to produce better coffee. Nahun is already advancing so fast that I can taste the progress from last time we used them in subscription as well as a random Parainema I had last year. I tasted melon and kiwi, with a mapley sweet finish. with super balanced acidity. This is much more delicate than expected which is a good thing to me, typically these coffees can be a little heavy. For brewing, I ground it 2 clicks finer than my normal starting point and brewed this with a 16.2:1 ratio. I let the bloom go for super long but as the coffee ages I will probably shorten it. Bloom should always be as long as the coffee needs it to be. I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds, finishing my last pour at 3:00 for a total brew time of 3:35.

Clever Uganda Zinule – I had no idea what to expect with this one… I did not even know the process when I decided on it truthfully. This is a Washed SL14, SL28, and SL34 blend that comes from a brand new washing station called Bulambuli in Mt. Elgon, right up against the border with Kenya. Ben Mukhone is the official owner of the washing station and is working with Nordic Approach for importing purposes and education of local smallholders that supply the washing station with cherries. Most of the smallholders are growing coffee between 1800 and 2300 MASL, but typically averages around 2000. The idea behind bringing in these Kenyan varietals is interesting to me, as they have historical success and in my mind, can nearly guarantee quality with proper growing techniques and processing. Basically, if these gardens are bordering Kenya, what can be done to ensure the growing is done properly? This is where Nordic Approach knowledge comes in to assist and educate every level of the production line. In the cup I tasted Boysenberry, apple, and fresh strawberry jam. This is a super Kenya-esque cup but honestly it is cleaner, less acidic, and more balanced fruit. One of the best I’ve had and I will remember this coffee for a long time. I brewed this with a 16:1 ratio and ground it 2 clicks coarser than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 35 seconds. As typical with Clever, the bloom couldn’t last long since these coffees are LIGHT. My third pour finished around 2:10 for a 3:10 drop time.

Ben Mukhone of Bulambuli Processing Station

Clever Kenya Ruarai – Ruarai is the name of the river that runs alongside this gorgeous washing station located in Nyeri town in central Kenya. By now we all know my immense love for Nyeri and the bright, tropical flavors we taste from here. The Ruarai station is owned and operated by the Ruthaka Famers Cooperative Society, an organization in Nyeri that is made of several hundred smallholding farmers with an average garden size of 0.4 Hectares. Most of these farmers grow their coffee on the slops of Mt. Kenya. At the Ruarai station, water from the Ruarai river is used for all washing and processing. As with this specific blend, mostly all of the coffee brought here ends up as Washed process and is a mix of SL28, SL34, Batian, and Ruiru-11. Each farmer does their own sorting for ripe and unripe cherries. Once delivered, the cherries go through a disc pulping machine that removes the skin and external layer of pulp. The coffee seeds are then graded in to levels 1-3, and level 3 is thrown out due to low grade. In the cup I was blasted with raspberry, mandarin orange and ended with honey or almost candy sweet. Not as dry or heavily acidic as many Kenyans but still has playful brightness. I brewed this one with a 15.8:1 coffee to water ratio and ground it three clicks coarser than my typical starting point. I poured three pulses spaced out by 40 seconds, finishing my final pour at 2:30 for a 3:20 drop time.

June 2022 Coffee – Contrasting cups from April and Junto

Junto Rwanda Batoya Island Intango – This is the second Rwanda we have tasted from Junto – also from Baho Coffee. I don’t think of Junto as being a gatekeeper of excellent Rwanda but they do continue to surprise me and blow me away with the flavors they are bringing out of them. Bugoyi is the name of the washing station – located on the western border of Rwanda on Lake Kivu. Bugoyi collects cherries from around 1300 local farmers. The term “Intango” comes from the old style of clay pots that have been used by Rwandan farmers for centuries to ferment fruit. The resulting fermented juice was claimed to provide strength to warriors before a battle (I think we all get a lil liquid courage when we sip on some fermented juice 👀). This is a Low Oxygen Natural, but not fully anaerobic. The clay pots are not sealed, however as the whole cherry 100hr fermentation takes place, CO2 takes over the pot and pushes O2 out of the tank. Due to the nature of clay and how the pores change over time, the flavor profile here is truly unique to any other coffee in Rwanda or the world because of the microbes, yeasts, and bacteria that live in the porous clay. After this stage, the cherries are then moved to raised beds to dry. The cherries dry from 20% moisture to around 11%, this takes around 80 days. After this the seeds are milled and sent to us for roasting :). I tasted plum, strawberry, and herbs. It is most definitely a natural… It has a lovely brown sugar lingering finish though and I will for sure try to brew it differently and probably try it as espresso to get as much out of it as I can. I ground it one click finer than my typical starting point and used a 15.5:1 water to coffee ratio. My bloom only lasted about 35 seconds, and then I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds. My final brew time ended at 3:00.

Junto Ethiopia Sedaqa Layered Fermentation – Sedaqa is a new washing station for us in the subscription. It is located in Bona Zuria in southern Sidama. While researching this farm it seems that everyone copy/pasted a standard write-up from an importer starting with “All sites have a claim to beauty since they are in the countryside of Ethiopia. But the Sedaqa Olonso site stands out for its simple breathtaking beauty that unfurls”. I couldn’t even find a picture of the beauty though! Anyway, this is a newer washing station that opened in 2019. The washing station is the processing home for about 300 local smallholding farmers. The cherries are dropped off and pulped, then put in fermentation tanks for 24-72 hours. After this, natural channels through the farm that come from rivers are used to fully remove the mucilage from the seed. After washing, the seeds are dried on raised African Beds, and turned manually by the station workers. Most of the cherries come from the local coffee gardens that only produce a few sacks of coffee per year. Due to the demand in specialty coffee, the farmers are being paid better, and Sedaqa is able to invest more in their community. These gardens are located at a staggering 2350 MASL. This cup was delicious and clean. I tasted orange marmalade and jasmine. The cup was balanced yet tart and lactic. Acidity is on point. I ground this six clicks coarser than my standard starting grind (I should probably just call 6 coarser my “Ethiopia Grind”. I brewed this with a 15.2:1 water to coffee ratio and had a weird pour. I basically did two blooms. My first bloom was short, only 1.5x the weight of the ground coffee and it lasted 25 seconds. Then I poured about 3x the total amount and let is bloom for another minute. So at the end I was at 1:30, and had 100 grams of water in the bed that started with 18 grams of coffee. I then poured two quick pulses with tight circles spaced out by 40 seconds. My final brew time was 3:10.

April Ecuador Pillcocaja Red Honey Ethiopia – BACK AGAIN with the Pillcocaja bangers! This farm is quickly becoming one of my favorites in the world and I have only ever had it from one roaster. Ana Maria and Nicolas are the owners of the farm and do all processing on site. The farm is located in Yunguilla Valley in Azuay, Southern Ecuador. The farm is located at 1650 MASL, and all the coffee trees grow under much larger native trees to the region. Until 2013, PIllcocaja was dedicated to growing and distilling sugar cane for liquor. After this, they landed a contract with Nestle to produce a huge lot of commodity gar-BAGE, but had special land with high quality soil to grow specialty. This led to April forming an extremely special relationship with Pillcocaja. I tasted melon and kiwi. Clean with excellent acidity. Possibly my favorite Pillcocaja I have ever had. I ground this one 3 clicks coarser than my typical starting grind and brewed it with a 15.8:1 water to coffee ratio. After a 40 second bloom, I poured four pulses spaced out by 35 seconds and finished my last pour at 2:45. The final brew time was 3:40.

April Costa Rica Volcan Azul Yellow Honey Marsellesa – Ok, so now this is like the 12th time we have had Alejo Castrok’s coffee from Volcan Azul so I will spare the grimy details of how the beautiful relationship sprouted between Patrik Rolf and Alejo Castrok. Importantly, this is a fully anaerobic Marsellesa, a varietal created as a hybrid between Catuai and Sarchimore. These are both super common varietals in Costa Rica. Sarchimore has excellent durability to leaf rust, and Catuai is just a fuckin winner. The resulting Marsellesa is a super durable plant that produces delicious sweet coffee. This coffee has great acidity as well. In the cup, I tasted blackberry, cardamom, Apple Pie, and a light, fruit-forward Cabernet. I ground this one right at my typical starting grind size and brewed this with a 15.8:1 ratio. I poured four pulses spaced out by 30 seconds after a quick 35 second bloom. The bloom dries out super fast and there is no reason to extend any further for this coffee. I finished my last pour at 2:40 for a 3:15 drop time.