PUSSY PUSSY-na

 

The very First beans from PUSSY PUSSY-na Coffee in Takamatsu, Kagawa. 

The package came with a hand-printed postcard, hand written message on the back.  Everything in the package was so cute and heartwarming!!  

There are thousands of coffee roasters and cafes in Japan lately, some focus on "Specialty coffee" and some "old good Cafe style.  Pussy Pussy-na has both characteristics together with a new feature: Art gallery.    

Surrounded nice pieces of art, photos, paintings, and etc., specialty coffee must taste wonderful and relaxing. 

Not visiting the actual store, I picked 3 different coffee beans out of the list.

Yemen, Ecuador, House Blend: “Tove Blend”

Tove Blend is named after by Tove Jansson, a Finnish writer!!

Moomin lives my childhood and so does the owner’s heart.

For your first shipment from new coffee roasters, it might be better to ask for "samplers" but, if the roaster is own by someone has grown up with Moomin, there is no doubt everything is tasty.

El Salvador Andalucia Estate

Beans: El Salvador Andalucia Estate
Raster: Akai-mi Coffee
Roasting Degree:
Estate: Andalucia Estate
Area: Ataco Auachapan, El Salvador
Grade:SHG
Screen: N/A
Altitude: 1200m

Varieties: Bourbon65％、Pacas 25%, Pacamara 15%

Processing: Fully-washed

【Impression】

Medium body, transparent clearness with depth, light texture, orange flower mixed with citrus aroma, moderate and well balanced flavor, decent acidity.  Citrus flavor with mild chocolaty bitterness like dark chocolate  and flavor in depth, sharp apricot sweetness mixed with ripe white grape, fruity thin layer of sweetness lightly covers well polished bitterness, sweet bitterness as a long lasting aftertaste.   


Thanks for Akaimi coffee, bland new aspect of El Salvadorian coffee has been opened by combination of this beans and roasting technique.

Tanzania Kibo AA

Beans: Tanzania Kibo AA
Roaster: Akai-mi Coffee

Roasting degree: Medium
Area: Kibo, foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania 
Altitude: 900 ～1500m
Varieties: Bourbon, Kent
Grade: AA
Processing: Washed

【Impression】Rich full body, smooth velvety texture, earthy grounded aroma with citrus fruits with black pepper, mild and delicate acidity as lemon, cacao like bitterness bottomed with rice molts sweetness, well-balanced strong flavor, bitterness cored with high acidity as long lasting aftertaste.  Suitable for drinking throughout the day, it can be enjoyed with or after most foods. It will prepare in all coffee makers. Serve black or with cream or hot milk.

【Note】
The Tanzanian coffee is often categoraized Central/Eastern African bright and flavorful coffee in terms of flavor.  Blessed with Volcaninc soil, Tanzanian coffee has full, rich flavor but clean cup, and zesty, competing Kenya's in specialty coffee market.  Quality of Tanzanian coffee has been improved, and now still improving.  

Akaimi in August

A personal entertainment/treat for myself, 4 different specialty beans from one of the best roaster in the world!

Akai-mi coffee always provides the finest beans with supreme roasting technique, always go much beyond expectations in terms of flavor, aroma, quality or anything.  

  

【Selection in August】

Indonesia Aceh long berry

Tanzania Kibo AA

Rwanda Muyongwe

El Salbador Andalucia Estate

Bourbon Santos

Beans: Bourbon Santos

Roaster: Koruri Coffee

Roasting degree: Medium

Estate: The Ipiranga Estate

Area: Guaranésia, Estado de Minas Gerais, Brazil

Varieties: Bourbon

Screen: Ｓ-16.17.18

Altitude: 900～1100m

Processing: Natural, Sun-dried

IMO, Organic JAS certified

【Roaster’s Comments】

Roast light medium to enhance mild acidity of Bourbon Santos, core characteristics of this varietal.  Enjoy clear and mild Americano type flavor w/o milk and sugar.

【Impression】
Light body, mild and airy texture, fine clear flavor.  Almond like nutty sweetness with a touch of bitterness, fruity light pear like sourness. 
Certainly it tastes coffee and have soothing aroma, but does not leave “impression” or after taste, just like having green tea.  This light flavor coffee may fit with occasions and can pair with any foods. 

【About The Ipiranga Estate】
The Ipiranga Estate is located in the highland area covers Estado de Minas Gerais and Estado de São Paulo, and occupies 1300 ha, 60% of which is now used to grow 7 million coffee trees.  This estate is the only one organically certified estate in Brazil whose core varietals are Mundo-novo, Catuai and Bourbon.  Their focus is not only “Organic farming” but also “Sustainable environmental and social developments”.

To learn more about the Ipiranga Estate, find "Blue de Brasil", the core trader of  Ipiranga.

Blue Lake

Name:　Blue Lake
Roaster: Namamame Hompo
Roasting degree: City
Area: Lago de Atitlán, Sololá, Guatemara
Variety:  Burbon, and others
Grade: SHB
Screen: 15up 
Altitude: 1,500m ～
Defect: ～ 8
Processing Method: Fully washed

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

【Impression】
Light to Medium body, fruity and flowery aroma of highland.  Strong citrus flavor, a tint of nutty bitterness, sheer sweetness, short aftertaste remaining a clear blue summer lake.  Lime and Sudachi-citrus like light acidity, fine and clear flavor.  Definitely for Black, fits any time of a day and any time of a year.

【Note】
Blue Lake is named after Lago de Atitlán, which are grown around the lake.  Surrounded by three main volcano, Volcán San Pedro：3,020m, Volcán Toliman 3,158m and Volcán Atitlan 3,535m, coffee were cultivated on the slope of these volcanos since 1950, when Burbon varietal brought to Guatemala. 

Roasting Variation ~ Mandheling

Koruri Coffee offers roasting variations, which entertain coffee lovers curiosity as well as emphasize importance of roasting degrees.

Here are Lington Mandheling experiments, same beans with different roasting degrees:

One is Medium roast, the other Medium dark.



Left:Medium Roast/Right:Medium-Dark roast

    Overall, the core character of this Lington Mandhelig remains same, even roasting grade differs: a dense consistence, dark chocolate notes, rich and spicy flavor with sheer acidity.  Clear and light but consistent and mild bitterness gives soothing impression at the first ship.  However, Medium-dark roast has less acidity and floral aroma than Medium roast, instead, has deeper nutty and chocolaty flavor with a tint of bitterness as aftertaste.  No dramatic flavor or impression change are not detected in these 2 different roasting degree, but they obviously had difference in flavor.

  Mandhelig is preferrable coffee in Fall to Winter, when body favors something darker tastes.  Medium roast Mandeling may fit in late Summer as well, or mid Summer if you like, because of its soothing and clear flavor.  Medium dark roast also has clear flavor but may fits better to a little cooler days with dense sweets like chocolate flavored.

There are already separate posts reviewing over both roasting degrees.

Please check ★ for Medium roast and  ☆ for Medium Dark roast.  Thanks!  

【About Arabica varietal in Indonesia】

At the beginning of 17^th century, Arabica varietal were introduced and planted in Java as the beginning of Indonesian Coffee history.  In the late 19^th century to early 20^th century, Arabica varietal were destructed by Hemileia vastatrix, cause of coffee leaf rust, and, currently, they are grown only 1000m above, which accounts for only 10% of total production of Indonesian coffee.

Indonesia produces following high quality Arabica beans: Mandheling and Lington in Northern Sumatra, gayo-Mountain in Ache, and Toraja in Southern Sulawesi.  Indonesia sets the high quality standards for each processing categories, washed and un-washed and evaluates the beans by faults counts to sort into 6 grades.  Total faults are picked and calculated out of 300g sample.  Sumatra-Mandheling G1 is rare Arabica Coffee which passed the highest and the most difficult standards.