Beans: Loma Grande
Roaster: Akai-mi Coffee
Roasting Degree: Medium
Region: Sotará, Cauca, Colombia
Varietal: Caturra, Castillo
Grade: N/A (Auction Lot)
Altitude: 1,770m
Processing: Wet-Process
※14th place, COE Columbia 2013
【Impression】
Medium light to Medium, nutty, fruity aroma as white grape, almond flower, high tone roasted nuts, hazel nuts, Brazil nuts, mild, mellow, soft, clear sweetness followed by crispy bitterness as 98% Lindts' dark chocolate, thick and full layered bitterness, mild and gradual sweetness as grain syrup, malts syrup, a touch of soothing citric sourness, syrupy almonds sweetness as a long lasting aftertaste.
【Note】
Castillo is only the latest and greatest effort taken by Colombian traditional coffee research. Crossbred Variedad Colombia with Robusta, Columbia created the new varietal, Castillo, which is remarkably tolerant for Rust disease, Hemileia vastatrix. Nowadays, it is said that Castillo is the most popular varietal in columbia. Some says Castillo has less flavor and aroma; however, this varietal is now mixed COE winning lots. Originally, Variedad Colombia is a hybrid of Catimor and Arabica, and Catimor is Arabica and Canephora.
Thinking back, Variedad Colombia was poorly evaluated when that came into the market, so was Catimor. Castillo may win the same popularity as they did in the future.
Coffee does not depend on only Variety. It gives amazing flavor only when the long chain of Farmer, Buyer, Roaster, and Barista connected perfectly.
Beans: Udo's Micro lot
Roaster: Akai-mi coffee
Roasting Degree: Medium
Area: Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua
Finca La Virgen
Altitude: 1,250～1,300m
Varieties: Catura, Burbon
Processing: Natural
Screen: N/A
Grade: N/A
【
Impression】
Medium, fruity citric aroma, grapefruits and lime, cacao, lightly jasmine, bay leaf, mellow, clear but rich in flavor, juicy, well balanced sweetness and bitterness, sweetness as maple syrup, cane juice, plum, a touch of citric and cacao acidity, lime, lemon, fruity acidity of fresh green grape, raspberry, crispy bitterness, juicy sweetness as a long lasting aftertaste.
【Note】
Finca La Virgen August 2012 →
La Virgen is often introduced in Akaimi Coffee, which one of the COE nominated estate in Nicaragua.
Beans: Seasonal Special Blend ~Winter 2013~
Roaster: Akai-mi Coffee
Roasting Degree: N/A, After-mix ～ Blend
【Impression】
Medium, aromaful, lemony citric impression followed by Almond flower, Jasmine, sweet aroma as roasted almonds, hazelnuts, toasty, crisp, focused, well balanced bitterness and sweetness, round, hazy sourness follows after dignified sweetness, layers of sweetness raps dark chocolaty bitterness & spiciness, mellow sweetness as a long lasting aftertaste.
Tangy bitterness grows when cup is chilled.
【Note】
Warm winter welcome enjoyment from Akai-mi coffee. This year, Loma Grande adds sweet but heavy and rich flavor. Seasonal blend always entertain and surprise coffee geeks with a creativeness of the roaster. Also, they reminds us of that coffee is balance and creation of flavor, aroma, and so on... Thank you always for reminding me the core of coffee.
This time, Loma Grande and Udo's Micro lot came with this one.
Beans: Eleven Of Spades ～ Blend
Roaster: EXTRACTO COFFEE ROASTERS
Roasting degree: Medium
【Impression】
Light to medium, flavorful, lightly citric, chocolaty, almond flower, sweet, well balanced, smooth, juicy, fruity, top note sweetness of fresh pear, apricot and plum, Polysaccharides like slow sweetness, brown rice malts, plane almond milk, oat milk, clean bitterness, nutmeg like spiciness hidden, multi-layers of sweetness as a long lasting after taste.
【Note】
First one to try for mellow coffee lover enjoys pour-over. "Eleven of Spades" is Extracto's signature blend and the first one to recommend for first timers to bring home. Eleven of Spade stays rather lighter compared to "Seattle roast" but reminds me of Blue Bottle in SF.
Beans: Yamazakura ～Blend～
Roaster: Sepia Coffee
Roasting degree: Medium
【Impression】
Light to Medium, sweet nutty aroma as almond butter, maple syrup on a hot frying pan, slight citric tone as yuzu on the bottom, light texture, watery, juicy, well-balanced sweetness and bitterness, honey like layered sweetness, mellow bitterness, tint of fruity sourness, pear, black berry, blue berry, delicate and refreshing, juicy sweetness as a long lasting after taste.
Yamazakura ”山桜" means Wild cherry blossoms. This blend is characterized with fruity & flowery aroma combined with soothing after taste inspired by silently blossomed dark pink yamazakura.
【Note】
Ymazakura is specially created for Cafe Yama by Sepia Coffee, coffee bottega Sepia in Sakaide city, Kagawa-ken. The owner of Cafe Yama performs pour-over with HARIO and offer aroma-ful cup with their original blend, Ymazakura and Yamabuki.
These two beans can be purchased at Cafe Yama, Tadotstu in kagawa.
Cafe Yama:
1 Chome-４-３８ Sakuragawa, Tadotsu, Nakatado District, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan
Beans: Uganda BugisuAA
Roaster: Beans Tei
Roasting degree: Medium
Area: Bugisu sub-region, Eastern Uganda
Altitude: 1,600～1,800m
Varieties: Typica
Processing: Washed, Sun-dry
Screen: S18 up
Grade: AA
【Flavor scale】
Aroma: 4
Sweetness: 4
Acidity: 2
Bitterness: 3
Richness: 3
※Grade 1 to 5
【Impression】
Medium body, aromatic, sweet and floral, caramel, red currants, cacao, apple flower, freshly baked whole wheat Baguettes, smooth in texture, gentle, well-balanced, buttery, mellow, rich fruity sweetness, chestnuts honey, raw almonds&cashew, bright but low tone bitterness as cacao beans, blackberry like acidity hidden, juicy sweetness as a long lasting aftertaste.
【Note】
Bugisu has been recognized as the finest coffee beans production area in the global coffee market. There are hundreds of small coffee farms, maybe individual farmers, cultivating on the western side slope of Mt. Elgon, This lot is delivered from 49 micro farms on the west slope of Mt. Elgon which cultivate naturally.
A green beans broker emphasized "Natural farming", pesticides and chemical fertilizer free farming, as the recognized point of this beans. However, this is cynic. Any chemical farming "aids" have brought by the people, countries, that the brokers are selling the cultivation. Both natural and organic farming were "usual" for the farmers in Bugisu, but now it seems "usual" has changed to the industrialized farming style.
Beans: Seasonal Blend ～Fall 3013
Roaster: Akai-mi Coffee
Degree: N/A, After mix
【Impression】
Medium body, watery texture, spicy, nutmeg, cacao nib, a touch of satsuma citrus flower aroma, juicy, layer of sweetness followed by citric acidity bottomed with tangy bitterness, maple syrup, honey, demerara sugar, caramel, lime, bitterness as dark chocolate, tangy bitterness as a long lasting aftertaste.
【Note】
Compared with Fall 2012, fall 2013 is lighter in flavor and deeper in aroma, as well as less in mellow impression.
Here is the one of Americans coffee lovers favorite, Coava coffee Roasters in Portland.
Coava is already well-known as one of the leading coffee roasters in Portland. The shop shares space with Bamboo art craft studio, called Bamboo Revolution, in an industrial area in the Southeast neighborhood. The founder, Matt Higgins, graduated from Albina Press, the up-front coffee bar in Portland, and found Coava in 2009.
Coava's cozy and unique atmosphere seems to inspire many people. Although the location is a bit away from the city center, there were people walking in and in. Their line-ups are based on U.S. trendy, Specialty Coffee, and roasting degree seems lighter than so called Seattle roast, but not on the side of Scandinavian.
Coava developed their own unique Stainless Steel coffee filter, Coava Kone Pourover Filter, and this may be only one place you can have a cup with original Pourover flavor with their filter.
Coava is the one leading Portland coffee culture. Although it is difficult to measure their success objectively, besides financial aspect, it is not too much to say Coava has consolidated their reputation as Portland's best neighborhood coffee roaster.
Seattle used to be referred as "a coffee sanctuary", maybe is now. However, the actual third wave movement is supported by other locations, such as Portland and San Francisco, where have number of hidden neighborhood roasters with much higher potential. It is very fun to smelling around these town to look for something new.
Beans: Peru
Roaster: Anana Coffee
Roasting degree: Medium
【Impression】
Medium light, balmy, lightly nutty and roasted oatmeal, clean, soothing, very clear, well balanced sweetness and bitterness, lightly tangy at first, thick layer of creamy sweetness follows, roasted chestnuts, matured fresh black soy beans, steamed pumpkins, a tint of goat milk yogurt like sourness mixed with black currants, juicy sweetness as a long lasting aftertaste.
Chilled cup brings flowery aroma, highly citric impression on top note.
【Note】
Peru is often on "Today's special" at Anada coffee. Last Peru had organic certification but this one does not have any additional info. According Mr. Anada, the owner of this neighborhood cafe, said this comes from very small farmers' group hidden in the valley. It was good to meet Mr. Anada who talks about coffee endlessly.
Beans: Finca Las Rosas ～ El Lobre
Roaster: Greens Coffee Roaster
Roasting degree: Medium Dark
Area: San Pedro Necta, Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Altitude: 1,370〜1,680 m
Varieties: Typica, Bourbon
Grade: N/A
Processing: Washed
【Impression】
Medium dark to Dark, nutty as roasted cashews, rich sweet aroma with white tea, flowery accent with Satsuma citrus flower, citric aroma hidden, mellow, juicy, rich, well-balanced sweetness and bitterness, gentle touch of soft acidity like asian pears, creamy caramel, cacao beans with Mexican vanilla, Weiss dark chocolate, rich refreshing sweetness as a long lasting aftertaste.
【Note】
Finca Las Rosas is nested in the western slopes of Cuchumatanes mountains, San Pedro Necta region, near the Mexican border.
The estate has 6 areas, such as El Lobre and El Mangal. Each areas cultivation is managed separately, hulled/milled and stored as parchments.
The history of Finca Las Rosas is dated back to 1915, starting with Bourbon and Typica varieties.
Now, the estate is managed by the 4th generation and grows Caturra, Bourbon, Mundo novo, Catimor, Typica and Geisha. The biggest advantage of the estate is their altitude with microclimatic conditions which allows the traditional wet mill and sun-dry.
COE contestant.
Beans: Colombia
Roaster: Anada Coffee
Roasting degree: Medium
【Impression】
Medium light to Medium, nutty, well-balanced, light texture, sweet aroma, roasted azduki beans, almonds, cashews, mellow, juicy sweetness followed by a tint of bitterness, mouthful fruity sweetness, thin layer of fresh plum, peach, caramel, green grapes, soothing bitterness and brief citric acidity, lime, white grapefruit, refreshing, juiciness as a long lasting after taste.
A wonderful cup served w/o milk and sugar.
【Note】
Mr. Anada's recommendation at the time. This may be Andean Condor from Takengon Boyanaca. Unfortunately, there were no specific information available besides country origin. "Tampopo", the cafe managed by Mr. Anada, has been there for 39yrs as a nice neighbor food coffee shop, so it might be the reason there are no specific beans' information listed. However, Mr. Anada, the owner/master roaster, often travels to coffee estates around the world and pours cups with highly selected beans.
Beans: Fazenda Das Almas
Roaster: Greens Coffee Roaster
Roasting degree: Medium Dark
Area: Cabo Verde, Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Altitude: 1,025m～
Varieties: Mundo Novo
Grade: N/A
Processing Methods: Pulped Natural
【Impression】
Light to Medium, gentle floral aroma, roasted almonds & peanuts, clean, juicy&fruity, gentle blend of sweetness & bitterness, no acidity, calming warm flavor, clear sweetness as white grapes, roasted cacao beans, dagoba's pure cocoa like, a touch of mild & light bitterness as refreshing flavor accent, juicy nutty sweetness as aftertaste.
Note
This rot is exclusively imported by Green's coffee roaster, according to the owner. Fazenda Das Almas, Das Almas Estate, has been growing coffee since 1942 and is now managed by the third generation of the family. "Almas" means "Soul". As the name shows, their coffee beans carries the soul of Muniz family.
Beans: Gajah Aceh Organic
Raoster: Stumptown Coffee roasters
Roasting Degree: Medium
Area: Gayo Lues, Aceh province, Indonesia
Altitude: 1,300 -1,600m
Varieties: Typica, S795, Bourbon, Catimor
Processing: Indonesian wet hulling, Semi-washed
Screen: N/A
Grade: N/A
【Impression】
Medium to medium dark, spicy sweet caramel, cinnamon sugar, deep rich but clear aroma, syrupy, apricot kernel, round mellow sour berry like acidity, high tone, moderately tangy, sourness of fresh-berry such as blackberry, black currant and mulberry, sweetness mixed, moderate chocolaty bitterness, earthy bottom, grounded, high tone fruity acidity and butter scotch as a long lasting aftertaste.
Copy from Stumptown Coffee card:
"Gajah Aceh is our first Direct trade venture into Indonesia. Our producer partners in Indonesia reside near Takegengon and Lake Tawar in the Ache Province of the Island of Sumatra."
A good reliable advice showed us directions in the middle of coffee sanctuary; "Visit The 12th Ave."
The Stumptown of Stumptown is located on Capitol Hill, Seattle, near Seattle University, which represents fashionable but a little edgy coffee culture. This cafe proves cozy atmosphere and high-fashion can coexist in the same space.
There is a roasting space in the basement with a small segmented chamber with a big window, which appears to be a tasting space or education area.
Unfortunately, it was not a roasting day so the room as dark and quiet, with a lingering flavor of coffee.
There are several "looking good" pastries and scones to go with, but my choice was always same: Soy Latte. Although Soy latte relies mostly on flavor of soy milk, the cup gives relaxing happy moment. Simple beauty latte art increases happiness in a short afternoon break.
Name: Cascara
Retailer: Verve
We usually consume coffee beans, but here is new suggestion: Coffee cherry tea.
High quality coffee cherry brings a cup of refreshing and new sensation. Unlike usual coffee beans, aroma of CASCARA is a bit like Chinese herb. Brewing is same as herbal tea: put a spoonful cascara into a pot and pour hot water. The flavor of this eliminates the first aroma impression: English tea with lemon plus unique flavor.
Cascara perhaps derives from a Spanish word, means "husk". I have no idea how this product become popular but now there is a bit market in the States. It is said that Cascara contains higher caffeine than usual coffee beans, just like green coffee extract.
Does this Cascara bring a new market for coffee industry?? It is better to wait until how this booming expatiation turns out.
Beans: Queen Anne ～Blend
Roaster: Caffe Ladro
Roasting degree: City
【Impression】
Medium dark to dark, creamy texture, dark chocolate, a touch of roasted nuts, citric sourness merged into bitterness, a thin layer of syrupy sweetness, brown sugar, 90% cacao dark chocolate like bitterness as a long lasting after taste.
【Note】
Qeen Anne is the signature coffee named after their first neighborhood cafe, according to the note.
Cafe Ladro is WA based coffee roaster & Espresso bar started from Queen Ann, Seattle.
The photo shows the one of theirstore located in Kirkland, which has an appropriate sized dine-in space, cozy and quiet.
The store faces Central Way, a cute shopping street in Kirkland, and has a enough parking lots across the Central Way.
There is a small park called "Marina Park", within 5 min walk from this cafe, so it might be nice to grab a cup to stay at park when the weather is nice enough.
As usual, soy latte to go. Smooth and thick layer of foamed soy milk may quenches our tired feeling. Unlike globalized coffee shops, Indie coffee masters/baristas still have their souls in cups they serve.
Cafe Ladro has their own bakery to entertain us with freshly baked cookies, breads, scones, sandwiches and Danish/French pastries. There is a few items for vegan, so it may be fun to pick some with freshly brewed coffee.
Beans: Doka Estate
Roaster: Doi Coffee
Roasting degree: Full city
Area: Alajuela, Costa Rica
Altitude: 1,340 - 1,420m
Varieties: Caturra, Catuai
Processing: Wet
Screen: 17up
Grade: N/A
【Flavor scale】
Aroma: 4
Richness: 1
Sourness: 5
Bitterness: 3
Sweetness: 4
※Scale 1 to 5
【Impression】
Medium, soothing, nutty, mellow, sweet orange, well matured apricots, clean fruity&juicy, nutty sweetness of almonds, cashews and macadamia, citric impression a tip of bitterness bottoms flavor, juicy sweetness as a long lasting aftertaste.
Unlike Flavor scale, sourness is not detected as sourness. Flavor impression may changes by the brewing methods.
【Note】
Doka Estate is one of the oldest coffee estate in Costa Rica which produces the highest quality coffee beans. The estate is located on the slopes of Volcán Poás, blessed with the rich volcanic soil, ideal altitude, and climate such as dry and cold night. The environments is maintained by Eco-friendly way of farming such as shade grown and organic, to conserve the soil and nature resource.
