Beans: Finca La Virgen
Roaster: Akai-mi Coffee
Roasting Degree: Medium
Region: La Laguna, Dipilto, Nueva Segovia
Nicaragua
Varietal: Caturra
Grade: SHG
Altitude: 1,250～1,300m
Processing: Wet-Process
【Impression】
Medium dark to dark body, aromatic, fully matured, dry fragrance with citrus, lemony aroma with a touch of floral sweetness, strong characteristics well balanced, high in dark chocolate acidity, rustic caramel and raw-maple sugar sweetness with roasted almonds w/o skin, cacao like bitterness, totally balanced flavor layered with acidity, sweetness and bitterness, lemony acidity followed by creamy sweetness as a long lasting aftertaste. Despite high tone lemony acidity in top note, creamy and delicate sweetness leaves soft impression.
For the very first ship, taste w/o cream and sugar. W/ a drop of high quality cream may reduce acidity and increase sweetness.
【Note】
Nueva Segovia is GOLD MINE for coffee lovers. This area is practically new, but one of high-profile growing region. Due to high altitude and blessed environments, this area fascinates more growers with the highest motivation to grow the finest coffee beans. There are many micro-lot farmers there presenting their coffee beans to COE and has received high evaluations.
Beans: Panama La Berlina Estate Special lot
Roaster: Akai-mi Coffee
Roasting degree: Medium Roast
Area: Rubengera, Horqueta, Boquete region,
Chiriqui Province, Panama
Altitude: 1,450m ～
Varietals: Bourbon, Typica
Grade: N/A
Processing method: Wet process(Washed)
【Impression】
Light to medium body, citrus lemony aroma with white grapes, clear transparent, airy texture, mellow, crisp, well-balanced sweetness and bitterness with clear thin layer of acidity on top, sweetness of roasted nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, tangy but flat acidity gradually growing, mellow watery sweetness as a long lasting aftertaste.
This cup is definitely for hand-drip, hot, w/o milk and sugar. Good pair with summer sweets like naturally sweetened bavarois and blancmange, something not heavy.
Once a cup chilled, sweetness and bitterness lay low and tangy acidity grows.
【Note: La Berlina Estate】
Located near Boquete, one of the finest coffee growing area of Panama, La Berlina has impressed the world coffee market sunce 90's. Coffee from this estate has won several prestagious awards, such as 1st place on Best of Panama, which made the name of Berlina well known. From organic to prestagious, La Berlina Estate satisfies and leads Panaman coffee world.
Talking Coffee beans has a well balanced deep flavor, moderate sweetness, with a mild citrus crispness in the cup. Hints of chocolate are present. Its finish is called "refined" by one coffee expert . Since La Berlina is one of the few estates still growing exclusively old Typica trees and not higher yield producing hybrids, this selection offers you a chance to experience the full flavor of old style coffee. It is perhaps, the quintessential Central American Cup.
Lovely treat from AKAIMI coffee!
Together with flavorful Kenya, same as last time, there are two new selection from fresh crop:
Panama: Finca La Berlina
Nicaragua: Finca La Virgen
Both Panama and Nicaragua are from Prize wining estate, Finca La Berlina and La Virgen. However, these beans are not taken from prize winning, auction lots but grown at prize wining estate. Does these have value? To be honest, we do not know until we cup them. There are millions estates in coffee growing region; some of them are well known and some of them are hidden, thus COE winners are appreciated with apparent in quality.
Prize winning lot gives unique flavor certainly, but it also price worthy as we all know very well. Unfortunately, not all of us identify the uniqueness in flavor, nor appreciate value of COE or any kind. In common market, Prize winning estate means the center of quality standard, which creates and heightens flavor, in general, "quality", of coffee beans. COE winning estate means mostly well managed estate and "special selection" or "selected" beans from these estates may satisfy coffee lovers soul and mind when they meet the finest roasters.
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.
