Thank Brazil Fazenda Sao Judas Tadeu it’s Friday!

Episode 40

Coffee: Brazil Fazenda Sao Judas Tadeu
Special Notes: Pulped Natural UK Exclusive coffee
Cup Profile: Chocolate and cocao sweetness with a crunchie chocolate type honeycomb aftertaste

OK, I'll come clean, it isn’t Friday and I didn’t taste honeycomb in this coffee, but cut me some slack :-)

I’m not sure if the lack of honeycomb is a difference in the cup or in the mouth.  One thing to note is that I first tasted this coffee over a week after it was roasted, so even though the coffee was sealed for that period I am sure there was at least a small amount of ageing.  I tend to find it harder to detect those signature flavours as I get to the end of the bag, so perhaps something similar is going on here.

As for what I do taste, this coffee is all about aftertaste and mouthfeel.  The initial taste is bright and fresh, without being overly lively.  There is also a hint of tea in there, which I think might be a result of the natural process?  I will need to come up with a way of tracking such things at some point, but for now I’ll just put it out there and wait to get shot down.

Anyway, just as this coffee seems to be showing itself as a fairly run of the mill albeit pleasant coffee, it dissolves into one of the sweetest chocolaty aftertastes I have come across.   Think Galaxy melted in the mouth by a swig of coffee.  The way it coats the mouth is straight out of a Galaxy commercial too.  Smooth, silky, velvety, etc.  The difference between this and the bitter aftertaste that I used to associate with coffee is simply stunning. 

I’m not sure what goes into the judging of what makes a great coffee in official circles, but I am starting to think that finish should be considered one of the most important factors.  I am sitting on a train right now, but if I was at home I would definitely be thinking about brewing some more, as I have this lovely memory sitting in my mouth.  Of course in order form me to consider this to be a great coffee I would be looking for a better initial taste, but pair this finish with the best initial flavours, and I would be talking about something truly spectacular.

Memoirs of a Panama Esmeralda Geisha

Episode 39

Coffee: Panama Esmeralda Geisha Lot 5
Special Notes: Truly Rare Coffee
Cup Profile: Red Fruit, Super Clean, Vibrant Acidity and Cherry

There are certain coffees that are really easy to write about.  They are big, bold shocking coffees, packed full of weird and wonderful flavours, the sorts of coffees you could imagine Jilly Goulden would get excited talking about.  And then there are coffees like this one.  They taste of, well coffee. 

I do get a hint of cherry as mentioned in the cup profile, like the cherries in blackforest gateau in particular.  But this isn’t it’s main component, and I had to search for it rather than it jumping out.  This was much more like going to a friends house and them brewing coffee, except brighter, fresher, cleaner etc.  Thankfully I have friends who make good coffee, considering they are typically buying  pre-ground coffee from supermarkets.

So now I have a problem.  Is it better for a coffee to taste exciting and unique, or should it taste the way people expect coffee to taste, just without the nasty bitterness, and with a bit of acidity?  I certainly think that this style of coffee has the ability to appeal to a wider audience.  Since my friends know I am a bit of a coffee obsessive, they definitely take more interest in the coffee I serve them.  I had a hard time explaining the banana coffee I served a few weeks ago, whereas this one would go down a treat I am sure.  Or at least it would have done had I not just finished the last of it.

Letting the side down…

Please bear with me as I have just started a new job this week, and have let thing slip here while I back get into the swing of things.  Hopefully I will manage to do a big catch-up on Sunday morning.  If I do really well on Sunday I might even manage to report on the results of my espresso machine mod!

Once things have settled down, I should actually find it easier to get updates done more regularly, as I spend over 2 hours on a train every day.  For now being away from home from 6:30am to 8pm is taking a bit of getting used to.

Bourbon vs Pacamara – FIGHT!!!

Episode 38

Coffee: El Salvador Las Delicias Bourbon
Special Notes: Santa Anna Region 100% Bourbon
Cup Profile: Sweet, caramel, creamy and great mouthfeel.

Coffee: El Salvador Las Delicias Pacamara
Special Notes: Santa Ana Region 0% Bourbon (says 100% Bourbon on the packet)
Cup Profile: Sweet, caramel, creamy and great mouthfeel.

Another double header this week, and again proof that varietals have a huge impact on flavour and aroma.  Given that the Special notes of the Pacamara said 100% Bourbon, I’m not sure that too much should be read into the fact that the cup profiles for the 2 coffees is the same, although this is also true of the listings on HasBean, so perhaps it is correct.  I certainly didn’t find them at all similar, and after attempting to drink them side by side last night, I decided that I needed to review them separately, as I just couldn’t get into the Bourbon after the Pacamara.  In particular it smelt very odd, and for a while I wondered if it was tainted, although I did get used to it.  I’m going to do the Bourbon first so that I don’t get the same effect today.

Bourbon

After last nights disappointing cup, I decided to up-dose the Bourbon in the hope that might improve it, but to be honest this just isn’t a great coffee when made in a french press in my opinion.  It does have a good mouthfeel, and it is nice enough, but there is nothing about it that excites me.  I prefer the french press when reviewing coffee since it is a lot easier to get right than espresso,  I don’t want to be reviewing my barista skills after all, but for this coffee I think I will come back to it after trying it as an espresso.

Pacamara

This is much more my cup of tea (coffee?).  It is bright and acidic, without the acidity being overpowering.  There is plenty of creaminess and caramel going on.  After the last few weeks of wild and challenging coffees this is a much more conventional coffee, but it is definitely not a boring one.  Perhaps not as clean and crisp as the yellow bourbon of a couple of weeks ago, but a very nice smooth coffee.

Bourbon Revisited (as espresso)

Having tasted the espresso, I am still not loving this coffee.  It is definitely more suited to espresso, but it is just not pushing my buttons.  I guess this coffee vindicates my decision not to give scores each week.  I am not keen on it, but I don’t feel that makes it a bad coffee.  I guess it is possible to judge a coffee dispassionately, but I am not there yet.