Oops I’m Late, Time for a Double Update – Part 1

Episode 32

Wow, I’ve really fallen behind. Here are the last 2 weeks updates in one go. Hopefully I am back on track after this.

Coffee: Ethiopia Zege Lake Tana
Special Notes: Lake Tana
Cup Profile: Clean, Transparent, Lemons, funky, boozy, wild

I think the cup profile says a lot about what to expect with this coffee. Basically it is a bit nuts. I wrestled with it all week as an espresso, and couldn’t get any consistency with it at all. It felt like the potential of the beans was quite special, but I could somehow never capture that in the cup. The first shot of it I had was probably the closest although that was so bright and acidic I think it was under-extracted but the intensity of flavours after that initial hit were intense. I got a real cherry brandy hit with a warmth and spiciness that really did make it seem as though there must be some alcohol in there.

In the French Press, I found this to be a very enjoyable coffee, although again more fickle than most. In fact I used that to help me play with the parameters of my method a bit, and managed to improve things slightly I think.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience of making this coffee and trying to get the best out of it more than I enjoyed drinking it. I’m not sure if that is because I failed in getting the best out of it, or because it just wasn’t my bag. It would definitely be one I would like to see again at some time in the future, just not too soon!