Beans: Summer Special Blend
Roaster: Akai-mi coffee
【Impression】
Medium Light to Medium body, orange flower like aroma, smooth gentle texture, well-balanced, hint of citrus acidity followed by mellow and moderate juicy sweetness as maple syrup, ripe gooseberries, gentle bitterness of cacao beans, crisp short lasting aftertaste. Light refreshing cup for summer morning, well-balanced sweetness and bitterness gives layered flavor depth, lemony acidity gradually grown beneath. Good for morning cup without sugar and milk.
Compared to 2011's summer blend, mellowness is increased. Syrupy, fruity sweetness grows more than bitterness as 2011's blend did. This increase impression of "Well-balanced" flavor more. A hint of lemony citrus acidity softly touches as a top flavor, mild/round pearly sweetness as a middle and base. Bitterness detected, but not as much as 2011's.
【Blending Beans...】
"Special Bend is experiment", the owner of Akai-mi coffee said. Seasonal Special blends gives different impression every year; Summer 2010 was high acid, 2011 bitter/bold, and 2012 mellow. 2011 flavor was more like Tanzanian, earthy and spicy flavor compared with 2012.
The beans differs every year: in terms of flavor, in terms of quality, in terms of cultivation and so on. Certainly, they are nature given gifts which affected by weather, soil, and so on. Hence, blending is the best tool to value/grade roasters technique.
"House blends" types are usually expected to be "same" or "stable", so blending beans to create same impression. "Seasonal Blends" are often the way to show "creativeness."
Blending is always based on creativeness and experiments, and so as roasting. Flavor can be categorized by varieties, regions and countries, but cupping is only and the best way to "see" the flavor of each beans. Maybe, Blending builds on experience and memories.
Beans: Rwanda
Roaster: Akai-mi Coffee
Roasting degree: Medium Roast
Area: Rubengera, Karongi-District, Western Province
Kopakaki Dutegure
Altitude: 1,500 ～ 1,700m
Varieties: Bourbon
Grade: N/A
Processing: Free washed
【Impression】
Medium dark to dark, full bodied, fruity citrus with hibiscus aroma with caramel like sweetness, complex flavor: lemony sourness, fragrant flavor of roasted almonds, barley malts like juicy deep sweetness with tropical fruits, mixed fruit-ness of oranges, grapefruits and papayas, a long lasting aftertaste with citrus sourness. Unique flavor, which even coffee lovers may have divided opinion. Mocha lover may like this high sourness level flavor. Serving sugar and milk varies flavor in the wide range, especially sugar makes it unique. One of the best for iced coffee, water blew.
Special care may be necessary for water temperature to hand-brew methods: sourness enhanced, extracted solely without harmonizing and sweetness suppressed originally, not extracted from the beans.
Beans: Kenya Gachami
Roaster: Akai-mi coffee
Roasting degree: Medium dark
Area: Kirinyaga district, near Kianyaga, Central Kenya
Gachami coffee factory
Altitude: 1,600 ～ 2,000m
Varieties: SL28 and SL34
Grade: N/A
Processing: Traditional Kenyan methods
☆In Traditional Kenyan methods, the coffee cherry is milled by a four disc depulper, double fermented, washed, soaked and finally dried in two different stages. Each harvest day coffees are processed meticulously and kept separately since quality varies everyday.
【Impression】
Medium to dark, silky texture, high density, fruity citrus aroma as blood oranges mixed with light flowery sweet aroma of Daphne odora, Winter daphne, layers of cacao nibs like bitterness bottomed with tangy earthy acidity, gradually growing sweetness of vermouth cassis and dark berries with dark chocolate, dark bitterness as long lasting aftertaste. Good for afternoon coffee in hot summer, maybe for water dripped iced coffee.
【About Gachami】
Operated under cooperative system of the Baragwi Coffee Farmer's Society, the Gachami coffee factory presents high quality coffee beans to COE. Built in the early 1970's, members of Gachami are blessed with deep red volcanic loamy soils of Aberdare range and with sufficient water supply from Kaboyo River provides, and grow SL28 and SL34, varietal of Arabica commonly found in Kenya.
In this area, the average annual rainfall is between 1,100 ～ 1,200mm and the average temperature 19 ~ 20 Celsius degrees. It is said that over 1,000 active members belongs to this cooperative, who work within walking distance of the coffee mill. The cooperative provides educations to farmers together with supports for every aspects of coffee business, which has been expanding possibilities of this factory in the world markets.
Although exploring new roasters is entertaining and exciting, flitting from "flower" to "flower" enhance cravings for acquired taste and a familiar casual environments just like missing your hometown.
So, here is Akai-mi coffee again.
This roaster is the one keeps trust with coffee maniacs; wide range of coffee selections, concrete roasting techniques, relaxing environments. If there were coffee version of "le Guide Michelin", this would be the one to be nominated with five stars on top!
As usual, he carries Kenya and Panama. Finca La Berlina, Panama, is one of the regular nominee to The best of Panama run by SCAP, Sorry for "COE" winning lot lover, but the owner of the Akai-mi coffee has particular taste and his own philosophy to select beans rather than cheering COE winning lots. There is certainly the moderate level of respects to Specialty Coffee, so beans are selected from highly achieved farms and factory. Personally, SCAP competition accelerated, somewhat over estimated, after GEISYA has heated up Panama coffee. So, his stable attitude increase reliability in his beans selection for person like myself.
There was Kopakaki from Rwanda as well. This Rwandan coffee also impressive fruity flavor and aroma, which entertains and terms heats from hot summer. Also Guatemala and Mandheling were charming enough...
Unfortunately, Finca La Berlina was out.
So, there are the selection for the day in July:
Special Summer Blend 250g
Kenya Gachami 100g
Rwanda Kopakaki Dutegure 250g
Coffee always cools off summer heats, so these coffee may disappear soon enough to crave for another butch.
