EastTimor Quirlelo

Beans: EastTimor Quirlelo
Roaster: CAFE FACON
Roasting Degree: High
Origin/Area: Quirlelo, Letefoho Subdistrict, 
                        Ermera District, East Timor 
Grade: N/A
Screen: N/A
Defect: N/A
Altitude: 1,550-1750m
Variety: Native heirloom, arabica
Process: Fully Washed, Sun-dried

※Organically grown: JAS organic certified

【Impression】

Low tone, sweet aroma, light, Dutch cocoa powder, mellow, cane sugar, bright, clean, mellow, roasted sunflower seeds, hazelnuts powder, medium body, high tone, sharp, clean mouth feel, high tone citric acidity, lemon, lime, green apple, white grapefruits, sheer sweetness on bottom, cane syrup like, thin layer of bitterness on bottom, high tone clean acidity follows candy like sweetness, lemon juice like feeling as a long aftertaste.

Aroma mazes.  Flavor impression totally differs from aroma: lemon juice like freshness together with citric acidity.  It goes very well with sweets like Crème chantilly. 

 【Note】
Quirlelo is a small village located in Letefoho Subdistrict,  in the west-central part of East Timor.  There are 21 families own and manage their  coffee farms.  In total, about 15.0ha of farm is managed organically, using skill like shade grown.  Cherries are matured on tree, and hand picked.   

madrona coffee Co.

Motivated by CBS Seattle post, "Best Independent Coffee Roasters in Seattle" issued in August 7, 2012, a day trip was made to visit "madrona coffee co." in Tacoma, WA.
　
Unfortunately, a roastery was closed on Sunday.  However, Charles Banner, the owner and roaster of Madrona coffee, was inside watching football game with his kids and kind enough to give us a short tour of roastery/cafe.

This was before KEMEX became competitor of V60.  This was before "hand-pour" taken by Harrio tools.  The main hand-pour tools here are KEMEX.  Series of KEMEX were on a espresso machine which made us think of Design and flavor.  There are there roasting machines, Probat  and Diedrich.  There were one Smart roaster as well if my memory did not trick me.

Madrona coffee Co. is basically the roaster mainly for the whole sale so there are several cafes around use and sell their beans. 

Tacoma is a bit slow but cozy town with many coffee roasters.  Located between Seattle and Portland, the coffee culture here is somewhat dark and dense flavored.  "Edgy" is not the word to describe Madrona coffee but "reliable" will be the word.  We happened to stop by the cafe near by to grab a bag, flavor was decent even pouring technique has deficiency.  Not too dark, not too bold.  The flavor fits both in the morning and afternoon.  
Madrona coffee is certainly on the third waver heritage with a flavor of good old American.

  

Kinden estate, Peaberry

Beans: Kinden estate, Peaberry
Roaster: Home roasting 
Roasting Degree: Full City
Origin/Area: Wahgi Valley, Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea
Grade: Peaberry
Screen: SC13up
Defect: ～10
Altitude: 1,550m ～
Variety: Typica, 10% of Catimor
Process: Washed, Sun dried

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

【Impression】
High, complex, fruity and nutty, sweet aroma, soothing, fresh, clean, Broma process cocoa, light touch of cacao beans, orange hidden, kumquat, lightly green, medium, smooth mouth feel, mild, mellow sweetness, rice malts, sesame butter, a touch of citric acidity, moderate flavor but memorable, lightly leafy, mint, Romaine lettuce, green grape, cocoa with a touch of mint as a long lasting after taste.

【Note】
Highly well balanced flavor with above average, but none of specific flavor/aroma impression noted.  It is quite impressive to find beans fits multiple brewing methods and gives average high flavor.  The brewing methods are, so far, Melitta, Harrio V60, Nel Drip, Siphon, and Moca pot. 

Honduran COE winner: Palo Seco - Juan Claros Cardona

Beans: Palo Seco Farm
Roaster: Home roasitng 
Roasting Degree: Full City
Origin/Area: Masaguara, Intibuca, Honduras
Grade: N/A
Screen: N/A
Defect: N/A
Altitude: 1,675m
Variety: Catuai 
Process: Washed and dried on patio
※COE Honduran program 2015 Winning farm 

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

【Impression】
Medium, aromaful, shady, thick sweetness, lightly spicy, high fruity aroma, peach, matured prune, a touch of mix spice, crushed black peper, nutmeg, sheer green apple, cocoa powder as a top note, full bodied, bold, smooth, earthy, juicy mouth feel, complex, sheer layer of clean bitterness between thick sweetness, caramel, mellow, a touch of citric acidity, lemon juice, cacao nib, reduced milk, clear bitterness, cacao nib, lightly buttery, deep roasted almonds, mix of nutty and bitter chocolate as a long lasting aftertaste.

【Note】
Congrats to Juan Claros Cardona and all his efforts.  Palo Seco Farm is small farm own by Juan Claros Cardona, located on a slope of mountain of a desirable altitude with good soil condition. The farm nurtures Catuai as the main, solo, variety with support from IHCAFE, Instituto Hondureño del Café, to manage Coffee rust.  Juan Claros Cardona Juan is an inspiring example of enthusiasm and commitment toward his farm and cultivation. 

Finca Santuario

Beans: Finca Santuario
Roaster: Home roasting 
Roasting Degree: Full City
Origin/Area: Popayán, Departamento del Cauca, Colombia
Grade: Excellso
Screen: N/A
Defect: N/A
Altitude: 1,850-2,100m
Variety: Bourbon 
Process: Washed

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

【Impression】
Bold, sweet aroma, vanilla, soothing cacao, hot chocolate, lightly fruity, orange, peach, fuzzy, caramel, complex, full mouthfeel, mild acidity, cooling, light texture, distinguishable sweetness, criollo cacao chocolate, mixed spice, not overly rich but memorable and impressive, juicy, clean, well-balanced sweetness, round, bitterness and acidity, chestnuts honey, syrupy, hazel nuts, brown sugar, cocoa, citric, lemon and lime, matured clean traces of cocoa, syrupy, clean sweetness and round flavor as a long lasting aftertaste.

【Note】
Finca Santuario was designed and founded as an sustainable coffee farm to resurrect old Columbia mild coffee in 1999.  The estate is surrounded by a wild forest, tall trees, which provide desirable shade for coffee trees.  Coffee trees are planted about 70 percent of the estate.  The owner, Camilo Merizalde, changed his carrier from a successful businessman to a coffee farmer.  He cultivate the land own by his wife's family and named "Santuario", which means sanctuary or shrine.
Thanks for altitude, no pesticide needed to manage trees.  Instead of using chemical fertilizers, they decided to use organic manures and Tephrosia, plant in pea family, to manage soil condition.  

Robert's coffee, Fukuoka

Robert's Coffee land in and opened their first cafe in Fukuoka, Japan.  
Originated in Finland, it is quoted as "Finland's the most popular coffee shop" which I am not confident since I am not familiar with Finish coffee industry.

Besides Moomin Characters, there are some about Scandinavian: coffee flavor and cinnamon rolls.

A cup of espresso does not make coffee flavor Scandinavian roast, but espresso drink did.  It was early morning, right after cafe opened, so coffee did not "reduced" yet even on the coffee machine.  So call "Scandinavian style roasting" flavor in the states always accompanied by "greener" and "immature" feeling, but Robert's Japan cup tasted "old good American", while a espresso had green, minty feeling added.
   

The cafe is located in the middle of the city center, Tenjin, so if you are tired with "at every corner cafe" such as Starbucks and Seattle's best, maybe this was a good hidden place to spend a moment.  Although it was very clouded, as I read, when this cafe opened, now is no line to grab a cup to dine in. 

Cameroon Mifi/CAPLAMI Java

Beans: Cameroon Mifi Java 
Roaster: Home roasting 
Roasting Degree: High
Origin/Area: Bafoussam, 
　　Mifi department, the West Region, Cameroon
Grade: Type A
Screen: 14up
Defect: Not slenderized, but none 
Altitude: 1,300 - 1,800m
Variety: Arabica, Java
Process: Fully Washed, 100% sun dried

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

【Impression】
Light, woody, medium tone, caramel, amber maple, a touch of cardamon, flowery, silver birch, soothing aroma, lightly milky, medium light body, extremely clean mouth feel, juicy, fully matured white grape, slightly citric, orange peel, lemon and lime juice, sugar cane, brown sugar, well balanced sweetness and acidity, chestnuts, roasted walnuts, mellow as whipped butter, a touch of goose berry syrup, thin layer of walnuts skin like tangy-ness, sweetness and brief orange note as a aftertaste.

【Note】
The Arabica variety was brought to Cameroon in 1913, which origin can be traced back to "blue mountain" of Java and Jamaica.  While 85% of coffee cultivation is Robusta, lest Arabica shipped exclusively to France and Germany, the people who once colonized and brought Arabica to this country.  It is said that Cameroonian farmers recover from the bottom, after a sharp decline from late 80's to early 90's.  
This coffee beans was from Societe Cooperative Agricole des Planteurs de la Mifi, CAPLAMI, at Bafoussam village in the Mifi area. The cooperative was founded in 1958 under the name CPCAB and changed its name in 1978.