El Salvador Hot Springs

Name: El Salvador, Hot Springs
Roaster:  Beans Tei
Roasting degree: Medium
Area: San Ramoncito,Ahuachapán, El Salvador, 
         Finca El Madriado
Variety: Bourbon
Grade: SHG, EP
Screen: 16up
Altitude: 1250～1350m
Processing Method: Fully Washed, Sun-dried
RA, JAS, BCS certified


【Flavor scale】
Mildness: 3
Bitterness: 2
Richness: 3
Aroma: 4
Acidity: 2
Sweetness: 3    ※Grade 1 to 5

 【Impression 】
Medium Body, creamy and clean flavor, soft texture, well balanced , Mandarin Orange like flowery aroma mixed with sweet aroma as ripe banana, dried raison sweetness as carmel covered with milk chocolate bottomed with moderate richness and bitterness from roasting, shade tone of acidity slightly detected on top, short lasting aftertaste with creamy natural sweetness.

【Note】

While ago, there are only few farms provides speciality beans with "Hot spring processing method" in El Salvador, but it seems to become one of popular processing methods.  Hot spring.  Many of farms are surrounded by hot springs in this volcanic small country and now some of them realized that "hot spring water" may add extra vale to their cultivation.  Now one of popular "Hot spring" processing variety is Paca-mara, a hybrid seed varietal of the Pacas and Maragogype.  I believe this was the Original HOT Spring beans.  Since Hot Spring process adds special values in the market, appreciated especially in Japanese Market, each farm are trying to rise the market value with certifications or recognized methods, such as shade grown, organic and so on.

Coffee processed with Hot Spring/Sun-dried gives clear and sweet flavor, although El Salvadorian coffee often characterized its clear, transparent flavor.  It's maybe because fully matured cherries, red-cherries, are often used initially, but hot spring may help to add extra sweetness through fermentation.

Finca El Madriado is now called as Finca Altamira, lies on Santa Teresa area, won 25th place in 2003, 19th 2007, in COE.  This farm is one of excellent SPECIALTY beans producer in competitive El Salvadorian coffee market.

Finca Amitabha

Name: Finca Amitabha

Roaster:  Beans Tei

Roasting degree: Medium

Area: La Libertad, El Salvador

Production: M icro Farmer

Variety: Bourbon

Grade: N/A (No information provided)

Screen: N/A (No information provided)

Altitude: 1 000～1100ｍ

Crop: Jan. ～ Mar.

Processing: Sun-Dried

【Impression】

Light to medium body, soft citrus aroma, silky smoothness with clearness as spring water,  light and moderate flavor, pearly round sweetness with blight distinguished  honey like richness bottomed with light and mild bitterness, clear bitterness as a short aftertaste.  Wonderful for morning coffee w/o cream and sugar.  Non coffee lover may love this.

Food pairing: something light texture and simple flavor such as Vanila Mousse.

Peru Sun Pedro

Beans: Bourbon Sun Pedro
Roaster: Beans Tei
Roasting degree: City
Area: Sun Pedro, Sun Ignacio, Cajamarca Region, Peru

Altitude: 1,750m
Varieties: Bourbon
Grade: N/A
Processing: Washed, 
Rain forest Alliance, JAS 

【Flavor scale】
Mildness: 4
Bitterness: 1
Richness: 2
Aroma: 4
Acidity: 2
Sweetness: 4
※Grade 1 to 5


【Impression】
Light to Medium Body, clear taste, mild texture, nutty and lemony flavorful aroma, smooth and well balanced bitterness and sweetness as very shot aftertaste.  Light and refreshing bitterness underneath of core sweetness, no distinguishable acidity.  Very mild and light, but well balanced.  Matured prunes like fruity sweetness together with nutty flavor.  Smooth and light but satisfying well balanced "Coffee" flavor, fit to non coffee lovers as well.  Recommended Black, can be offered to non Coffee drinker.







【Roaster's Comment】
San Pedro village is located north of Departamento de Cajamarca, Northern part of Peru.  This Bourbon is organically grown, focusing on cohabiting with environments and farmers.  This cup is characterized soothing sweetness with rich flavor with sweetness as long aftertaste, it is recommended to enjoy a first sip without milk and suger.  Non coffee lover may like this wonderful bourbon.

Guatemala Santa Felisa

Beans: Guatemala Santa Felisa
Roaster: Beans Tei
Roasting degree: City
Area: Acatenango, Guatemala 
     Finca Santa Felisa @ Acatenango Volcano Valley
Altitude: 1500-1700m
Varieties: Pache, Typica, Bourbon
Grade: N/A
Processing: Washed, 
Rain forest Alliance, Organic, OCIA, NOP, EU, JAS 




【Flavor scale】
Mildness: 2
Bitterness: 3
Richness: 3
Aroma: 3
Acidity: 2
Sweetness: 3
※Grade 1 to 5

【Impression】
Medium body, very clean, roasted nuts with jasmine like aroma with a tint of lime, silky smooth texture, elegant and mellow with clean finish, a little bitterness as after taste.  Mild and consistent body, caramel like creamy feeling with agave syrup sweetness, green apple acidity, matured sweetness of plums and roasted almonds.

【Note】
Finca Santa Felisa always provides the Guatemalan rich coffee: rich, flavorful, transparent and well-balanced.  Flavor relies on somewhat roasting techniques although how flavorful/wonderful green beans are.  Guatemalan seems to fit Japanese style roasting, small rot with small-size machine compared with mega size US machines.  Probat & Fuji-Loyal are often found, 5kg to 15kg in space-wise, which excel in light to medium roasting.  Dark roast, such as Italian roast, may strongly depend on Machine size, and also say low quality beans.  Whereas, lighter roasting degree is one of techniques to enhance flavor of High quality beans.       

Sumatra Mandheling Pawani SP

Beans: Sumatra Mandheling Pawani SP
Roaster: Beans Tei
Roasting degree: Full City
Area: Takengon, Aceh,the northern end of Sumatra
Altitude: 1,200m～
Varieties: Original Arabica
Grade: G-1
Processing: Washed


【Flavor scale】
Mildness: 2
Bitterness: 4
Richness: 4
Aroma: 4
Acidity: 1
Sweetness: 3
※Grade 1 to 5


【Impression】
Mild and dark aroma, strong impressionous body, Sweetness with deep tone bitterness, acidity not detected, fruity sweetness to finish. Poerful earthy flavor but not too bitter.
Unlike other mandeling, less powerful and complicated.  Symple mild flavor with well balanced sweetness and bitterness.

【Note】
Roaster said this beans is replacement of Biru seleksi, means blue Mandheling select in Indonesian, clear, transparent flavored mandheling grown in Takengon, Aceh.  Compared to Biru Seleksi, This Mandheling is small in size of beans, shorter and rounder with high tone bitterness, but flavorful.  Depending on roasting degree and technique, this Mandheling may excel Biru seleksi somehow...

FACTORY KAFE Kousen

  Wondering around Kyoto, Japan, along Karasuma street, a arty  but very analog sign will catch your eyes.  Factory Kafe Kosen is one of the well known a "third waver" in Kyoto ( The States definition of  "third wave" is applied here).  Hidden in a old, retro looking building near Kyoto Imperial Palace, near Kawasuma-Imadegawa bus stop, there are 2 indications to find this coffee "factory": 1) Hand printed sign shown on right, 2) Number of bicycles in the hallway.  Certainly, this coffee roaster has cafe space, cozy and nice, about 6 to 8 seats with a counter table, which allow us to enjoy a fresh hand brewed cup.  Woody and retro looking inside relaxes us and makes us forget about time.  At the end corner, there are bicycles and roasting machine.  Atmosphere at Kafe Kosen is similar to one of SF coffee roaster. 

Roasting degree at Factory Kafe Kosen is rather dark, although they say "medium".  Influenced by Seattle style roasting, I am assuming, their beans loudly speaks capability issues of roasting machines.  Since Seattle style dark roast  techniques has been achieved with the high volume/capability machines, it is difficult to apply technique to small size machines often found in Japan.  Sorry to say, Japanese Dark roast coffee beans often taste like "charcoal"...Charcoal enough to feel sorry for COE winning beans..  

Chojzunil, The Agricultural Cooperative Chojzunil

Beans: The Agricultural Cooperative Chojzunil (Chojzunil)
Roasting degree: Medium dark
Roaster: Coffee Kobo Higuchi 
Area of production:  Chojzunil, santa eulalia,
                     Department of Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Grade: SHB
Screen: N/A
Altitude: ranges around ：1,300m～1,800m
Defects: N/A
Processing: hand picked, fully washed, sun-dried
Variety: Typica, Bourbon
FLO Certified organic, Fair trade

【Impression】
Full bodied, fresh roasted almond and cacao like sweet aroma, juicy vivid citrus flavor and tangy acidity of lime combined with condensed pomegranate syrupy sweetness, moderate bitterness of dark chocolate with pecan nuts crisp flavor, well-harmonized and balanced elegant flavor.  
This will give good flavor with both Americano and Espresso, and may give good harmony with milk  Hand brew for morning  macchinetta in the afternoon.      


【The Agricultural Cooperative Chojzunil 】
Located 269 km NW from Guatemala City, Huehuetenango is the home for high quality coffee beans where Chojzunil, santa eulalia village is hidden.  This village is blessed with wonderful environments to cultivate coffee beans: foggy, larger difference of the morning and evening temperature.  There are about 150 enthusiastic coffee farmers organize The Agricultural Cooperative Chojzunil and focus on organic farming.  Although environmentally rich for coffee cultivation, their cultivation were not rich enough due to low level of knowledge in farming.  So, some farmers voluntary formed co-op to learn agricultural technology from FEDECOCAGUA to improve quality of their cultivation.
The Agricultural Cooperative Chojzunil is now one of the best micro lot coffee farming estate/mill in Guatemala grows their coffee organically and supports their lives of  the village.