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What’s Brewing #12 – Colombia Hato Viejo

/ Pete Denison / 1 Comment

I was particularly excited to roast a batch of this Colombian, given the same coffee had recently been used in the QLD Aeropress Championships and I had also tried some of the filter roast at Strauss, in Brisbane’s CBD. My initial batch was roasted a couple of weeks ago, and did not go as smoothly as I would have liked, hence this post being delayed until I had the chance to try another batch. Let’s see how things went on the second attempt.

Coffee

Nariño is located in the south of Colombia, right in the border with Ecuador, this farm is located in a village called La Pradera, one of the best producing regions in Colombia and where most of the best Cup of Excellence coffees come from.

Information courtesy Ministry Grounds

Brew Types

Hario V60 Filter, Aeropress, Espresso

Impressions

This coffee was highly enjoyable when consumed with milk as a latte or piccolo, having a nice buttery mouthfeel, and notes of dark chocolate, berry and a little honey. There was enough body to carry these milk-based drinks well, and it certainly did the job as a morning starter. When consumed black, my pick was the V60, particularly once cooled, as the flavours really developed well, including some citrus and a little berry complementing the base chocolate flavours, with a nice clean finish.

As espresso, it made a great filter! No doubt a feature of my roast more than the coffee itself. Served short, the sweetness was certainly evident, however the acidity quite intense and overpowering. I intend to roast the remaining green beans I have just a little darker and assess things again. The Aeropress was probably somewhere in the middle, again the flavours increasing proportionally to the temperature cooling in the cup. Here I would mostly tend to brew and let rest a good few minutes before polishing off the cup fairly quickly while it was in this “sweet spot”.

Final Thoughts

On occasion I order in some green beans to roast and probably don’t quite hit the target with the roast profile – I think this is one of those times. There is probably something else at play here too, that being my expectations. Having consumed this coffee elsewhere prior to my roasting and brewing attempts, I had certain pre-conceived notions about the taste and flavour.

The difference? More than likely professional roasters and high quality baristas being far more adept at the entire roasting and brewing process than myself, producing superior results in the cup. Had I not tasted this first, perhaps I may have rated the Hato Viejo a little more highly. It is probably worth reminding anyone reading, the results of these What’s Brewing posts are influenced just as much (if not more so) by my roasting and brewing techniques, as they are the merits of the coffees themselves, and should be viewed accordingly.

Don’t get me wrong, I was certainly not disappointed and this is a highly enjoyable coffee, though (I) probably missed the mark slightly this time.

Rating: 3.5/5

What’s Brewing #11 – Costa Rica Terra Bella

/ Pete Denison / Leave a comment

Terra Bella LatteIt has been a little while since the last What’s Brewing post, however back we are today, having roasted another batch of Costa Rica Terra Bella (Honey) last weekend. Having picked up a kilo of this coffee from Ministry Grounds a few weeks ago, this was my second roast batch, which seemed to do a better job at bringing out the flavours than the first attempt.

On with the review:

What
– Costa Rica Terra Bella Villa Sarchi
– Altitude: 1450–1500m
– Crop Year: 2013
– Varietal: Villa Sarchi
– Processing: Honey

 Terra Bella Estate is located in the West Valley region of Costa Rica, about 35km west of the capital city of San Jose. This is one of the most classic coffee regions of Costa Rica and the one with the highest coffee production in the country nowadays. The reason for this is the excellent conditions to produce coffee that are prevalent here: deep, rich volcanic soils, high altitudes, moderate and well-distributed rainfall, cool temperatures, etc.

Information courtesy Ministry Grounds via The MTC Group

A little more on the Honey processing method, courtesy of The Coffee Review:

“Honey” is a relatively new term describing coffee that has been dried with all or some of the sticky fruit pulp or “honey” (miel in Spanish) still adhering to the bean. Those familiar with coffee processing methods will, of course, recognize this practice as a kind of compromise between two more familiar processing methods: the dry or “natural” method, in which the beans are dried while entirely encased inside the fruit, and the wet or “washed” method, in which all of the soft fruit residue, both skin and pulp, are scrubbed off before the coffee is dried.

How
Latte, V60 Filter, Aeropress, Espresso

Assessment
Through milk in a latte or flat white, this coffee performed extremely well and resulted in a creamy, sweet brew with subtle apple and caramel flavours. When brewed as an espresso, I couldn’t help but think perhaps I should have let the roast run a little darker, as the acidity overpowered things a little. Not undrinkable by any stretch, however not quite as pleasant as some of the other varieties I’ve roasted and tried recently.

Which brings us to the V60 filter and Aeropress methods, which seemed well suited to both the coffee and the roast profile, producing a very well-balanced cup from either method. The V60 probably outshines the Aeropress slightly, with a cleaner, brighter cup, again containing sweet apple and a caramelly, honey like layer, with a nice long finish.

Conclusion; Know This
I really enjoyed the Costa Rica Terra Bella, with my preference being either as a milk drink, or on its own through the V60. As I mentioned above, this was my second roast batch, and definitely an improvement on the first. Looking back through my notes, the second time around was a slightly larger batch (450g vs 300g), which probably slowed the roast down a little, although I used the same heat ramp profile. In any event, if you get the chance to try this coffee, you certainly won’t be disappointed.

Rating: 3.75/5

What’s Brewing – El Salvador Miravalle CoE

/ Pete Denison / 1 Comment

El Salvador CoEPurchased in the same Ministry Grounds run-out sale of Cup of Excellence offerings as the previously reviewed Guatemalan CoE, this coffee certainly did not disappoint. You may remember the Guatemalan took a little “wearing in” before I truly discovered its magic – well this El Salvador was a more straight down the line brew.

Let’s see how it tasted.

What
– El Salvador Miravalle CoE Lot 12 2013
– City: Santa Ana
– Region: Santa Ana
– Variety: Bourbon, Pacas, Kenya
– Processing: Washed
– Lot Size: 36 boxes
– Altitude: 1,650 metres above sea level
– Farmer: Doctor Jaime Ernesto Riera Menendez
– International jury score: 86.33

Finca Miravalle is located on the Ilamatec Mountain Range on the fertile foothills of El Salvador’s Santa Ana volcano at an average altitude of 1,650 metres above sea level. Due to it’s high altitude Miravalle’s coffee berries ripen slowly, which allows the sweetness and complexity to develop in the cup.

Information courtesy Ministry Grounds

How
Latte, V60 Pour over, Aeropress

Assessment
Latte – although many would consider your CoE’s to be best appreciated “uncontaminated” by milk, this coffee was certainly very enjoyable in my morning latte[1]. The flavours were able to cut through the milk well enough to provide a good platform for the citrus notes, whilst having enough body to create a well-rounded drink.

V60 – Similar to the Guatemalan, a definite stand out method of brewing. Fantastic balance between the acidity and body, with increasing sweetness as the drink progressively cooled. When consumed as a filter, the purity of the citrus and lime flavours really shine through. Immensely enjoyable, and I often found myself brewing enough for two cups rather than my usual one with the V60 (though limiting myself to one at any given time is an effort in itself – regardless of the variety)

Aeropress – There was certainly a contrast between the V60 and Aeropress forms of brewing. At times there was quite a lolly-like taste quality similar to a toffee apple, with a thicker mouthfeel and longer finish. A great mid-afternoon boost in the office.

Conclusion; Know This
Although in my opinion not quite to the heights of the Guatemalan CoE of the last review, this coffee scored ever so slightly higher in the CoE judging (86.33 vs 85.83 for the Guatemalan). Whether or not this is indicative of my amateurish palate or not, it is pretty safe to say I enjoyed both immensely. This is best demonstrated by the fact that all bar about 100 grams of the 2 kg purchased I consumed myself, with very few beans going to family, which sounds terrible I know, but these were something special (now that I write that, so are my family – more will be shared next time!).

Although now out of stock, be sure to keep an eye out for these varieties next season, they are well worth the money.

Overall Rating: 4/5

  1. I also endeavour to try as many of the different forms of brewing I use on a daily basis with all of the coffees I roast.  ↩

What’s Brewing – Guatemala Finca la Maravilla CoE

/ Pete Denison / 3 Comments

Although now out of stock at Ministry Grounds, I was pleased to get my hands on one of the last remaining bags of this particular coffee. Although I had sampled similar Cup of Excellence offerings at various brew bars around town, I had yet to roast my own CoE. In retrospect, though not a conscious decision, I suspect the slightly higher green price made me a little hesitant to throw it in my home roaster.

Perhaps this suspicion was warranted, as it was not until the second roast batch a couple of weeks after the first did I feel I did the coffee justice. The evolution of my roasting to a lighter roast with more gentle heat increment seemed to better suit the flavour profile of this bean in the cup. Variations in roast batches aside, in the end things turned out pretty well – let’s see how it tasted.

IMG_1821What
– Guatemala La Maravilla CoE Lot 17 2013
– City / Region: La Libertad, Huehuetenango
– Altitude: 1,650–1,800 metres above sea level
– Variety: Bourbon, Caturra
– Processing: Fully Washed and dried on patio
– Farmer: Mauricio Rosales Vasquez
– Farm size: 24.68 hectares
– Cup of Excellence score: 85.83
– Lot size: 42 cartons

The harvest season at La Maravilla is from January to April. For quality control purposes they monitor traceability from handpicking right through until final delivery, and cup individual day lots. The coffee is processed by traditional wet mill and is sun-dried on patios,and then stored in a wood warehouse.

Information courtesy Ministry Grounds Coffee

How
Latte, V60 Pour over, Aeropress

Assessment
Latte – When combined with milk, the resulting drink was a creamy, buttery, medium bodied, malt apple concoction. Probably not the most refined description, however those were the words jotted down in my Field Notes tasting record at the time. Overall, quite an enjoyable milk based drink first thing in the morning. Due to slight daily variations in my espresso based brewing, some days I end up with all of these flavours standing proudly – other days not so, and therefore was little hit and miss for me (my technique variation the culprit here I’m sure).

V60 – Probably the pick of the bunch as far as the brew methods I experimented with. I note many recent What’s Brewing posts lack an espresso tasting component. As mentioned in another post which seems like an eternity ago, I consume these coffees as espresso somewhat less than I used to, preferring longer form brewing methods a little more these days. Back to the V60 and how this Guatemalan fares through the filter.

There was something about this CoE that became apparent with repeated brews through the V60. To my fairly varied yet still amateur palate, the complexities of the flavour profile took a little while to become apparent to me. To explain a little, from the very first cup this was a very, very enjoyable coffee, however not the instantaneous – oh boy! moment that often occurs with great tasting brews. My initial thoughts were that I was missing something – and couldn’t quite describe to myself what I was really tasting. Until one day sitting drinking yet another cup, it was suddenly – there it is.

A feature of my still developing coffee palate? Just a better day? A better roast? A better brew technique? I certainly have no idea which one is responsible – perhaps all of the above. Whatever the key factor was, it certainly had me thinking – I still have a lot to learn about this coffee roasting and brewing game.

For some reason the subtleties suddenly became more obvious, with a bright citrus acidity, cherry and apple flavours combining to form almost a wine like flavour, with a hint of bergamot as the brew cooled. Similar flavours, though infinitely more refined than the dump and bash of the Aeropress (see below). The flavours just seemed to compliment each other much better, and although more subtle, with a little thought were probably more apparent all along than I had realised (characteristics of a Cup of Excellence perhaps, though more likely related to my position a very small way along a considerable learning curve).

Aeropress – Given this is my mid-afternoon office brew, I prefer not to be fiddling about too much and prefer to get in and out of the communal kitchen as efficiently as possible.

As a result, I had shied away from the inverted brew method (fearing disasters and incurring the wrath of those perhaps annoyed by a coffee snob in their midst), until learning the following method in a Brew Class at the Cup Coffee Roastery in December last year. The entire process is mess free and pretty quick, at 1:15 total time:

  • 12–14g coffee (slightly finer grind than usual); 200g water
  • Aeropress inverted
  • Shot of chilled water, then hot to fill chamber (swirling as fill)^
  • Add rinsed filter paper and cap
  • gently squeeze out air
  • flip Aeropress onto cup
  • 30 second press time
  • enjoy the brew after minimal clean-up

^ As I am limited to the “always boiling” hot water urn rather than a kettle, the shot of chilled, filtered water cools the overall brew a little and avoids dumping boiling water directly onto the ground coffee.

The result is a refreshing bright cup, with a hint of apple, along with a citrus orange acidity, and also seems a little herby. Somewhere in there was also a hint of cherry jam (hey! – that’s what my notes said). A bright clean finish made for a very enjoyable brew.

Conclusion; Know This
Despite my initial roast batch not reaching the heights of the second go around with this coffee, as you may have gathered, this has perhaps been one of my favourite varieties so far. Its one thing to taste a coffee and note down a few flavours and tastes that show through, however entirely another to suddenly sense how they all fit together. Eloquent is not a word I would use in describing how well I have written about this particular coffee above, however have given it my best shot.

In summary, let’s just say it was like one of those albums that upon first listen you think is OK, then by the fourth or fifth run though it becomes one of your all time favourites. Whilst there are many more varieties yet to sample, and this may not end up as one of my all time favourites, it is certainly up there in the mix.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

What’s Brewing – El Salvador Finca Suiza

/ Pete Denison / Leave a comment

What better way to spend a couple of weeks off over the Christmas break than catching up on a few tasting reviews. Obviously one key review will be the Christmas Blend referred to in a previous post, however there are also a couple of El Salvador varieties yet unwritten as of the current time. My thoughts on one of these appear below, however the other, the Finca Siberia Pacamara went a little long in the roast and ended up significantly darker than planned, so will be reviewed after I have another shot at refining the roast.

The Whack

Spanish built Santa Ana Cathedral

Spanish built Santa Ana Cathedral (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What
– El Salvador Finca Suiza
– City: Santa Ana
– Region: Santa Ana Volcano
– Altitude: 1,650 metres
– Variety: Bourbon
– Processing: Washed / patio dried
– Owner: Juan Francisco Menéndez

How
Latte , V60 Pour over, Aeropress

Assessment
Latte – A creamy, rich, full-bodied flavour is evident when using the Suiza as an espresso base in a milk drink. This one is on the verge of being my pick of those I have roasted so far this year for my morning latte. I highly recommend making this as a 3/4 latte with a double ristretto base.

V60 Pour over – Here there are some great citrus and fruit flavours. Though not quite as bright as some, it is certainly a worthwhile variety to run through the filter. Though an improvement is noticeable as the brew cools, it seemed to peak after a couple of minutes rather than several as I have often found with other origins. I don’t really see this as a negative, for at times I really do enjoy a solid filter offering with good body and reasonable acidity that doesn’t continue to sweeten as it progressively cools.

Aeropress – Probably not quite reaching the level of the V60, though an enjoyable brew in the Aeropress nonetheless. The sweetness was a little lacking, however I certainly cannot complain about a brew of this quality in getting me through an afternoon of spreadsheets.

Conclusion; Know This
Overall I found this particular variety to work well across the three brewing types mentioned above, with the pick being the latte. Sometimes single origins or estate coffees I find to be a bit hit and miss in a milk based drink – certainly not this one. As I indicated above, the Suiza also performed really well in both forms of filter brew, with the V60 shading the Aeropress. This is one variety I will certainly be looking to snap up again in the future.

Overall Rating : 4/5

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