Who knew coffee could taste like cherry brandy?

This weeks InMyMug coffee (Ethiopian Zege) is completely nuts. As a result I am going to leave it until the end of the bag to blog about it, as I just can't decide what I think about it. Actually this is something I had been considering doing anyway, so will probably be the model going forwards.

I might just go and brew myslef a cup now. It is certainly more tame/sane brewed than espresso'd

Kenya Kanjanthi (Ep 31)

This coffee came with some pre-hype courtesy of www.hasblog.co.uk and it didn't disappoint. Definitely the best coffee of the bunch so far (and even though that is only a bunch of 3 at the moment, it will probably be a while before it has been surpassed).

Unfortunately I don't think I have got the best out of this coffee yet in all the styles I drink, and so I am going to refrain from my usual breakdown. To be honest I wanted to play with the format anyway. I might post again later in the week once I feel like I have played a bit more with the variables, and feel more comfortable saying what this coffee can and can't do. I am reaching my caffeine limits for the day, so further playing will have to wait.

I am starting to doubt my nose, as the aromas I have had from this don't seem to go together at all. There was definite lemon as I brewed the mug I am currently drinking (french press), yet when ground it smelt of a rich almost meaty red sauce. And I think that is what makes this coffee so interesting is that these unusual combinations are present in the cup.

I am quite a fan of zingy acidic espresso, and this has it in spades. It is full on melon and lemon in the first hit, and yet builds into a much richer, fuller bodied finish. The best description I get for it is marzipan, which may sound weird, but that is the same description I get when I get a good shot from Monmouth (I never did work out if there is a particular person who pulls the good shots there, but when they get it right they blow away anything I have been capable of at home).

I think this coffee is too nice to have as a latte, so probably wont be trying it again. Where I am wanting to experiment a bit further is in the americano and french press. With both of these, I don't think that I have managed to get the dose right. With my normal proportions, a lot of the zing is missing, and there is an overbearing tea-like finish. Not something I would complain about normally, but it just doesn't live up to what was present in the espresso.

Of course this coffee is so nice in espresso that I don't want to waste too much of it in tuning larger drinks. I don't think it is going to take much fiddling to get it right though, and that will be very much worth it I think. Hopefully I will get some new results worth posting

Australian Skybury (Ep 30)

Better late than never...

Aroma of the beans
It took me a while to come up with what I was picking up from these, and then it finally came to me - Rich Tea biscuits. Not something I have ever had from coffee before, but not unpleasant.

Aroma once ground
The rich teas are still there, although they have moved towards the more normal coffee spectrum. There is a hint of spicyness there too.

Espresso
Pleasant enough start to the cup, although nothing to write home about. As I went through the cup I started to get a lovely spicyness, and a hint of marzipan. I'm not sure to what extent this would be improved by a better barista than myself, or whether I got all that was there.

Americano
Didn't really work as an americano for me, became a bit insipid. I definitely need something a bit bolder.

Latte
Very mellow, with a hint of spice. Probably my favourite way to have this coffee. If only I could be bothered to go to the effort of steaming milk more often. Perhaps this week I will work on my latte art, as I work through this bag.

Summary
A great novelty gift for Australians. I don't expect that Australia is about to take over the world of coffee anytime soon though. Not to say that this is a bad coffee at all, just that it doesn't have any particularly outstanding features.

Till next time...

Colombia La Manuela (Ep29)

Wow, what a great coffee to get things started, probably not my normal style, but one I really enjoyed thinking a bit about. I guess the 2 main reasons I want to do this are to keep a record of which coffees I enjoy, and also to get me thinking more about the coffees I am drinking which will hopefully enhance the experience. Anyway, I don't want to turn this post into an essay, so onto the coffee.

Aroma of the beans (snozzer time)

As Steve noted, there is a real pea-like aroma. I definitely picked up yellow split peas, or perhaps lentils. It's something I have not picked up on before with other coffees, so hopefully not just something I got through the power of suggestion.

Aroma of the ground

The peas have disappeared and been replaced with a light sweetness, and a promise of acidity. Not something I can come up with a good analogy for (this is my first time, be gentle), but clearly a very different aroma from before.

And finally the coffee itself!

A very mellow aroma, almost bland even. It's certainly not a punch in your face. And the taste is similar. In espresso I was very surprised to get a real dark roast flavour from what is clearly a lightly roasted bean, but for me, it was the good of a dark roast without the bad. Very little bitterness, with a really good balance of sweetness and acidity. In terms of flavour I think this is what I thought great coffee tasted like before I encountered the world of speciality coffee via an office move that meant Monmouth coffee was the nearest decent coffee shop (sorry for walking past you Cafe Nero). The only negative I found was a slight bitterness to the aftertaste

I guess where I am going with this is that the taste of this coffee while pleasing is nothing special. Where this coffee really shines is in it's mouth feel. It doesn't come through massively in an espresso, but turn it into an americano and the sensation is just beautiful. Steve mentioned toffee, I think I would go with caramel, or to lose the plot in over-specificity, the caramel layer of an ice-cream Mars Bar. Anyway back to reality, there is a real sensation of a rich velvety coating being left on the mouth, something which really makes this coffee stand out.

I should probably investigate more brewing methods for the future, but since I am still very much learning the craft of espresso making, I have been choosing to immerse myself fully into that method. I suspect the rich velvetyness that came through in the americano will be even more of a factor in a french press or similar.

Summary

Overall, this is a very nice coffee, although not one that has blown my socks off. I suspect that if I had not being trying ot start this blog, this coffee would have passed me by without making much of an impact. As it is, this is definitely one I would be interested in coming back to in the future, particularly if I ever start to play with different brewing methods. I also wonder whether this coffee might be a good base for a blend, although I know nothing about how/why blends work. I just like this idea of the texture of this coffee combined with the chocolatey vanilla tastes I particularly like.

I'm probably not going to score coffees as a regular thing, but since I haven't fully decided the format yet, and also I think this is a really good baseline coffee, I am going to give it a very solid 7 out of 10.

In My Mug

One of the things I hope to be blogging about is reviews of the coffees each week on In My Mug.

I have just bought a 12 month subscription to get the coffees so I can taste as I watch.

The first one is the Colombia La Manuela 2009-2010 which I have been enjoying the last couple of days, and I will write up after watching the episode with my morning coffee tomorrow

Is this thing on...

OK, I've been meaning to start blogging for a few years now, but finally I think now might be the time.