Coffee

What’s Brewing: Indonesia Bunisora Honey Processed

/ Pete Denison / Leave a comment

Two of the more common taste characteristics I find with Indonesian coffee are those of floral and spice, and their cousins, earthy and herby. What was I expecting with the Bunisora? Much of the same I guess, which I have to say was pretty much spot on.

Whilst I am not suggesting this as a negative necessarily, at times the overall flavour profile was perhaps just a touch underwhelming in the cup.

The Region

Firstly, a little on coffee in Indonesia (from Wikipedia):

Indonesia is the worlds fourth largest producer of coffee, with the island origins micro climate well suited to growth and production. Just over half the production is consumed domestically.

In general, Indonesia’s arabica coffees have low acidity and strong body, which makes them ideal for blending with higher acidity coffees from Central America and East Africa.

The islands of The Sunda Region are divided up between four countries: Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, and Malaysia, with much of the territory Indonesian.

 

Image courtesy Wikipedia

Image courtesy Wikipedia

 

A great article on Sprudge about Indonesian Coffee would be well worth reading for a little more understanding about the region and its coffee production and processing. From “Always An Exception”: Inside The Rising Tide of Indonesian Coffee:

Since Indonesia consists mostly of smallholder farms, change is bound to be gradual; but this isn’t stopping some producers from stepping up, changing quality, and differentiating themselves. With their continuing effort, we can expect to see more and more exciting coffees coming out of Indonesia.

The Coffee

Information courtesy of Ministry Grounds:

  • Region: Sunda
  • Producer: Small Holding Farmers
  • Varietals: Typica and Bourbon
  • Processing: Honey processed
  • Altitude: 1400m
  • Tasting notes: floral bouquets and sweet spices

This particular coffee from small holding farmers in the region of Sunda is named after an ancient Indonesian ruler Prabu Bunisora.

The Brew

The coffee was roasted as two separate batches, one for filter and one for espresso in my trusty backyard roasting setup.

The espresso roast came out pretty well, a lovely even roast if I do say so myself – I had high hopes for this one. The filter roast? That one got away from me just a little, and therefore ended up somewhat darker than intended. Never mind, it was never likely to go to waste.

With milk in my morning latte, the Bunisora produced a nice full-bodied cup, with notes of spice, cocoa and a hint of honey to the profile. As espresso, again, similar spices, however the floral notes were more pronounced with perhaps a hint of jasmine here? With milk or without, this coffee was big on body, which probably blunted the subtle flavours just a little.

Brewed using the V60 or Aeropress was perhaps a little surprising, as to be honest, some Indonesian coffees I have brewed in the past were more reminiscent of “earthy” as in “forest floor”. Here though, I had written in my notes: black tea (perhaps a little jasmine), floral, and to a lesser extent, earthy with a little chocolate (more so than the espresso roast).

I must admit however, during the couple of weeks I have been sampling this coffee, I began running my filter grind through a fine sieve prior to brewing. To say it transformed the brew is an understatement, however that is a post for another day.

The Finish

As any regular reader of these What’s Brewing posts will know, rarely do I complain about what I have consumed – and I am not about to start now.

The Indonesia Bunisora is a very enjoyable coffee, and what it perhaps lacks in subtlety, makes up for in body, and would also therefore make a solid blending partner with perhaps a fruitier Kenyan or Guatemalan single origin.

Overall, a very enjoyable coffee, and currently available at Ministry Grounds for $AU16.78 per kilogram.

 

What’s Brewing: Guatemala Las Illusiones

/ Pete Denison / Leave a comment

It’s been a little while between What’s Brewing posts, with the last one profiling my Fifty K Christmas Blend. Despite this, it certainly hasn’t been more than a few hours between drinks — of coffee friends — of coffee.

The Region

Looking back through my previous posts, coffees from Guatemala have always been kind to me, both roasting well and tasting even better. This offering from the Las Illusiones farm is no different.

I must admit, part of my enjoyment in putting together these posts is also in learning a little more about the geographical and cultural aspects of the regions in which these farms reside.

I’ve previously written a little on the Huehuetenango (of course I cannot pronounce that) municipality in a post on the Guatemala Don Antonio last September, so this time I’m zooming out, and from Wikipedia, a little on this Central American country itself:

Image courtesy Wikipedia

Image courtesy Wikipedia

  • Officially the Republic of Guatemala (Spanish: República de Guatemala);
  • Bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, Honduras to the east and El Salvador to the southeast;
  • Area of 108,890 square km (42,043 square miles);
  • Estimated population of 15,806,675, making it the most populous state in Central America;
  • The capital and largest city is Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción, also known as Guatemala City.

The Coffee

Information courtesy Melbourne Coffee Merchants:

  • Country: GUATEMALA
  • Region: Huehuetenango
  • Town: El Pajal, San Antonio Huista
  • Altitude: 1,200 – 1,500 metres above sea level
  • Variety: Bourbon and Caturra
  • Processing: Fully Washed and sun-dried on patio
  • Owner: Emma del Carmen Munoz and daughters
  • Tasting Notes: Juicy and sweet, with stone fruit, orange and chocolate

Green beans purchased from Ministry Grounds – $AU20.50 per kilogram

The Brew

As time has passed and my palate has somewhat improved, I have drifted away from the one size fits all roast from my humble beginnings, and now roast specifically for either my espresso machine or filter based brew methods (V60, Aeropress).

The Las Illusiones was aimed squarely at the espresso machine, and roasted to suit. Given my roasting is often done in the late afternoon, upon opening the bag a few days later to use, I noticed (in the fuller light) the roast was probably a fraction lighter than what I was aiming for.

As a latte or flat white, the coffee definitely had a subtle choc-orange taste when used with milk. Fruity? Not so much. A medium to full body pushed the finish along nicely as well. Certainly a pleasant way to start the morning.

On its own as espresso, a lovely mix of honey and cocoa was apparent. Less perceptible was the orange, though a hint of stone fruit peeked through at times. A very nice mouthful, natural sweetness and a nice long finish completed the picture. Very pleasant.

A future post will look at a new app for tracking coffees and their origins – Press. For now, a couple of sample images after putting in the Las Illusiones as the first record:

image 2

image

The Finish

My expectations with most coffees from Guatemala are generally met with results pretty close to the mark, and the Las Illusiones was no different.

For a single origin which works well as espresso or mixed with milk, you could certainly do a lot worse – a very enjoyable coffee.

ChefSteps Coffee Class

/ Pete Denison / Leave a comment

I created a ChefSteps login a little while ago, on the assumption I would find some coffee related goodness along the way. This just released offering, the ChefSteps Coffee Class, with world-renowned experts James Hoffmann (former World Barista Champion and founder of Square Mile Coffee) and Ben Kaminsky (US Cup Tasters Champion) looks the business.

For a very reasonable $US14.00, you can avail yourself of:

  • Unlimited Access
  • 12 HD Videos
  • Step-by-step techniques for the best French Press, Chemex, Aeropress, and Cold Brew coffee ever
  • Amazing tricks for smoother coffee
  • 4 recipes for cooking with coffee

Alternatively, you might like to start with the free Espresso Course (12 HD videos).

Either way, get watching – and thereafter – brewing!

Bulletproof Coffee – the butter or the beans?

/ Pete Denison / Leave a comment

Firstly, let’s be clear, I do not drink, nor have I ever tried Bulletproof Coffee®. Am I ever likely to? Probably not, though who knows, one day I may be curious.

A recent article on Gizmodo debunking the claims made by the inventor of the beverage, The Bulletproof Executive Dave Asprey, highlights the main problem with these types of products. Namely, the dreaded brand lines which aim to monetise what is essentially a simple idea, which in itself may indeed have some merit. Yet another way to make money from the placebo effect1.

Whether blending butter from grass-fed cows and MCT oil into your daily brew has any positive effect on your body or level of functioning is another matter entirely (and I tend to fall on the side that it probably does). The issue I have here is the contention that somehow, the processing methods used in standard coffee production are inferior to those used to create the “Upgraded®” beans in the revenue-producing component of the Bulletproof version. As you will see from the video embedded in the Gizmodo article, Asprey so helpfully advises:

The Bulletproof process makes beans without the toxins that rob performance from you every single time you drink most coffee.

No, of course we don’t hear what the toxins are, how your performance is robbed, or what performance we are talking about. There are also numerous references to cognitive function, mental and physical performance, lab testing, and the curious statement that the Bulletproof beans will give you a different “mental feeling”.

Are we talking thoughts? Feelings? Performance again? I’m not sure – and this is most likely the aim. Don’t think about it too much viewers, just take my word for it, click “buy” and you will never look back.

Those who do begin their Bulletproof journey with Asprey’s beans will unfortunately never know they could achieve exactly the same outcome and pay half the price using well sourced specialty roasted coffee. Sure, they might feel better – but is it placebo, the butter or the “Upgraded®” beans? If you need me to answer that then stop reading now.

From the Bulletproof website:

I learned about the power of butter at 18,000 feet of elevation near Mt. Kailash in Tibet. I staggered into a guest house from the -10 degree weather and was literally rejuvenated by a creamy cup of yak butter tea.

So, is it the butter – or is it the beans? Clearly the Tibetans must have been using “Upgraded®” tea leaves or this wouldn’t work would it? Yet it did according to Asprey. Now I’m confused. So I don’t have to buy the special “Upgraded®” beans, because it was the butter in the tea. What’s that? I do? Oh okay then – they’re a bit expensive but if you say so.

For a little more analysis, check out the article on Gizmodo.

The biggest disappointment for me in all of this, and the many products like it, are the completely baseless and unsubstantiated claims which typically accompany a product, dragging down efforts by proponents of certain lifestyle philosophies (think Paleo, as Bulletproof coffee is often associated with this movement), which may genuinely be attempting to build a body of research in support of their claims.

Actually on second thought, the biggest disappointment is that people still put down good money for this. Remember – any positive effects only occur due to the “Upgraded®” beans – use anything else, and you’ll be drinking the same old “performance robbing” demon you always did.

So I guess for those who believe it is all about the beans, need to remember it’s also all about your credit card number.

  1. I am not ignorant to the fact that the placebo effect also enhances the effects of well scientifically researched mainstream medications, but remember these also have well documented, proven physical therapeutic effects. ↩

Third Wave Wichteln and Global Communities

/ Pete Denison / 1 Comment

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Although I previously linked to this global coffee exchange initiative in one of my recent Wiser Web Wednesday posts, as I near the end of the bag of superb Kenya Sukari AB coffee I received from Germany, I thought it worth adding a little more to the story, and how to me, it illustrates a degree of change in how we are now able to interact with those across the other side of the world.

Third Wave Wichteln

I first came across the concept only this year, through an Instagram post of a barista friend of mine who was planning on participating in Third Wave Wichteln.

To recap briefly, you sign up to the programme, send a bag of specialty filter coffee to your randomly assigned receiver, and in turn, you will also receive the same, from a randomly assigned giver (Wichteln being the German word for Secret Santa).

IMG_3307After signing up, and selecting International as the destination category I was willing to send to1, it was simply a waiting game until the email popped into my inbox in early December with the recipient’s name and address.

Germany it was. So after selecting a suitable filter coffee from a local speciality roaster with the most recent roast date I could find, it was off to the post office. Customs declaration filled out, postage paid (a very reasonable $AU18.00 for 3-10 day delivery; closer to 10 if not beyond I’d imagine) and Godspeed I bid the package as it commenced its journey.

Not long after, I received my own Christmas surprise, which originated from Germany, with a great letter from the sender inside, providing some background, tasting notes and photos, (including the roaster himself) — a pleasant surprise indeed.

Whether or not you agree with my thoughts below, this is just a fantastic way to try some different coffee, is easy to do, and adds to the spirit of Christmas – I loved it, and encourage you to check out the site for details come November next year. Don’t worry – I’ll remind you.

Breadth of Community

IMG_3388Probably the main thing which struck me about this initiative is the extent to which those with common interests can so easily now interact — irrespective of global location (yes, not new to 2014/15, but new to the last decade at least). The internet brings with it many things, both positive and negative, however it cannot be denied it brings opportunities of this nature not before seen. If not in idea, then certainly in scale, ease and degree of interaction between those participating.

Third Wave Wichteln and all it brings can be followed on Tumblr, or through the thirdwavewichteln hashtag on both Twitter and Instagram, with the Instagram tag now boasting 963 posts at the time of writing.

It can be argued if we are talking “community”, then a global internet based one, despite the physical giving and receiving of this particular initiative, may be wide though not necessarily deep. True, however is it not an example of the very nature of real-life human social networks — that is, a small number of very deep social connections, and as the radius of the network increases, the connections tend to run less deep.

From the site:

In times of the Internet and global connection we don’t have a bowl or hat where we put our names in — we do the Wichteln digitally. Therefore we created this page. And then we bring it back to the analog world: the exchange.

So, I’d like to think that each year, the tweets, Instagram posts and emails will go out again, more people will sign up, and the global coffee gift exchange will continue, with even more great coffee flying across the globe, and more worldwide touch points for but one of the many communities the internet has helped foster and expand.

Here is the link again for your calendar or task manager.

  1. Mind you, the thought also crossed my mind as to the possible cost of shipping a 250g bag of coffee internationally. Obviously not something that would break the bank, however I had not looked into this prior to making the commitment to send internationally. ↩