Mandheling

Name: Mandheling (MandheRich LingtonNihuta)

Roaster: Coffee Roaster Grancino

Roast degree: Dark 

Area: Lintong-Nihuta area, Northern Sumatra, Indonesia

Production: Small farmers, Co-op style

Variety:  Ateng
Grade: Mandheling G1

Screen: 18

Altitude: 1300m

Crop: Oct. ～ Mar.

Processing: Sun-Dry, Pulped-natural (Sumatera Processing)

【Roaster’s Comment】

Lintong-Nihuta is well known production area for the high quality Indonesian coffee beans among the traders/exporters.  MandheRich, the highest grade of Mandheling, is specially screened large-size and fully matured beans from this Lintong-Nihuta area and has elegant sweetness and bouquet.

【Impression】

Full & dark body coffee with smooth velvety texture.  Layer of different degrees of bitterness and chocolaty sweetness, similar to chocolate from gran couva.  Fruity bitterness developed both original beans’ taste and dark roasting, leaves strong impression.  Filter blew coffee tastes similar to demi-espresso, but much clear and sharp in aftertaste.  Highly satisfying, prefer to save this for a winter nights special, sitting in king chair, in front of a fireplace with a favorite book and chocolate.
 

Out of all Grancino Coffees I have tasted, I liked mandeling/Dark roast the best, which made me wondered this roaster, or maybe the roasting machine, might fit better with darker roast.

Sumatra Lintong, SARI MAKMUR

Beans: Sumatra Lintong
Roaster: Doi Coffee
Variety: Arabica
Roasting degree: Full City
Area: Sumatra Lintong, Indonesia
         PT. SARI MAKMUR TUNGGAL MANDIRI

Sari Makmur Tunggal Mandiri is Sumatera Utara based company, processing and producing coffee products such as coffee bean and coffee powder, value added coffee products.

【Impression】
Dark and full body, well matured cocoa, spicy, fresh plum, yuzu-citrus as a top note, clear heaviness, velvety taffeta like texture, solid, aromatic, well balanced, bitterness of cacao beans, pepper like spiciness hidden, light touch of lemon zest acidity, fruity sweetness of ram-raisin,  Kaoka's Arroyo -Dominican origin dark chocolate-, chocolaty bitter sweetness as a short lasting after taste.   
This enjoyable cup presents very well balanced flavor of dark coffee.  Unlike "Mandheling", this has clearness in bitterness/creamy flavor texture with fruitiness as fresh fruits.   

Mokha Sidamo

Name: Mokha Sidamo
Roaster: Grancino
Roasting Grade: Medium


【Comment on Web】
Ethiopia is where native-grown coffee trees are found, and the word "COFFEE" comes from "Kaffa" Region.

Mokha, original species of coffee, still fascinates us with its outstanding charactor in world nowadays, which has became common to grow.  Especially, Natural-processed coffee beans is in a class by oneself, stronger flavor of citrus and tea.
Native arabica

【Impression】
Mixed size, rather tiny beans with peaberries.
Although the first cup left impression of little over roasted, found dark carbony roast taste,  a second cup gave less bitter and earthy note with medium body.  Mokha Sidamo is often characterized by floral aroma and light citrus sourness, which keeps Mocha as my the last choice, but this Sidamo has mild bitterness wins over sourness.

   

Columbia Spremo

Name: Columbia Spremo
Roaster: Coffee Roaster Grancino
Roast degree: Medium

【Impression】
Little bitter, charcoal bitterness wins over beans sweetness and bitterness, but clear after taste.
Columbia Spremo is basic or standard selection for coffee shops or roasters, which is often used as a core for house blend.  This beans is unique for mild, moderate, and well harmonized flavor.
Grancino's Columbia stays mild and full flavored as it said on their web, but is not well matured and developped fully enough to satisfy the image of "Columbia" taste.

However, their roasting method is very much experimentally and theoretically analyzed, it might be worth trying again someday.
 




 

Blue Bottle Coffee

Blue Bottle Coffee Co., it may be too famous to introduce.
Until I have a sip of latte at Blue Bottle, I do not feel at home...

Blue Bottle is Coffee Roaster which manages cafe.

This does not guarantee their taste, but their 48hrs rule guarantee their quality:

Blue Bottle roasts beans everyday and sells beans only within 48hrs after roasted.  

Now they have store opened in NY and Tokyo, so it would not be too much to say that this coffee company is glowing Nation wide, Global maybe, chasing after STARBUCKS with beyond higher quality.

Although they offer wonderful cups, both Espresso base and fresh blewed, the best cup they have is at Mint Plaza, blewed with 5 siphons.

Thank for James, owner of Blue Bottle, we are horner to enjoy wonderful coffees in SF.  

Enjoy ART of coffee world.

El Porvenir

Beans: El Porvenir
Roaster: Doi Coffee
Roasting degree: Full City
Estate: Finca la El Porvenir
Area: La Mesa, Cundinamarca, Columbia 
Varieties: Typica, Catura, Castillo
Altitude: 1,600～1,700m
Processing: Natural, Sun-dried
RA Certified


【Impression】
Medium body but rich in flavor, well polished clear texture, citrus aroma.  Light acidity mixed into well established body of full scaled fruity sweetness and light bitterness.  Mild and light impression but stays as highly harmonized short and clear aftertaste.

【About El Porvenir Estate】  El Porvenir is one of the oldest estates located in Cundinamarca, Columbia.  The estates holds a strong conviction in traditional farming, rather called Philosophy; to minimize mechanization, most of farming tasks are managed manually.  They have earned Rain forest alliance certification as a result of their efforts on organic and traditional way of farming to protect environment.

Don Pepe Estate

Beans: Panama Don pepe

Roaster: Doi Coffee

Roasting degree: Full city

Estate: Don pepe

Area: Boquete, Chiriqui, Panama

Varieties: 100% Bourbon

Altitude: 1,550-1,800m

Processing: Fully washed, 100% Sun-dried

【About Don Pepe Estate】
Don Pepe Estate is located on the slopes of Baru Volcano, between 1500 to 1700m in altitude, in Panama's famous Boquete growing region.
Blessed with Tropic climate, Panama contributes and focuses on, so called, specialty coffee cultivation especially in Chiriqui, Western part of Panama.
Since 1899, Don Pepe Estate has devoted their effort on growing high quality coffee beans.  Blessed with environments, Volcanic ash and high altitudes, they became well recognized coffee estate in Panama.  Cofee berries are divided in small lots and processed in wet methods, then the parchment are fully sun-dried over African beds.

【Impression】
　　Dark strong body, full flavored, silky texture, leaves similar impression as high quality bourbon whisky.  Citrus acidity of Orange and lime mixed, dark chocolate like cacao aroma, hazelnuts like sweetness with deep Tanzania cacao like dark and layered bitterness with buttery mildness in flavor.  Pearly shiny round flavor, bitterness and sweetness in center,  with a touch of citrus acidity in long lasting aftertaste. 
　　This cup has strong character and leaves a memorable impression, easy to retrieve its flavor.  Good for afternoon cup, on fall to winter afternoon.