LA PALMA Y EL TUCAN - WILLIAM POVEDA - LA ESMERALDA

Personal Tasting Notes: Creamy strawberry, Brown sugar, Carmel, Rasberry

Mouth feel: Creamy and mouthwatering (Primarily due to the lactic process)

Ground on a Baratza Encore, medium course, 201°F | 28g/420g | 3:30 end time

Coffee from La Palma Y El Tucan has always had a special place in my heart. My first encounter with coffee from Oddly Correct led me to realize my love for experimental processed coffee such as this Lactic processed Columbian. La Palma Y El Tucan processes coffee from the surrounding area of it's neighbors farms. Thus, allowing for small scale farmers to produce exceptional coffee with a helping hand.

Why Lactic Process?

Short for Lactobacillus, this process allows for a complexity of creaminess, a unique sweetness and a emphasis on citrus and fruit notes. The complexity in taste directly corresponds to La Palma Y El Tucan patience of monitoring pH balance, sugar content and oxygen levels. Once satisfied, farmers soak the coffee in water to halt the process of bacteria growth and are put on raised beds to dry.

Who Is BrandyWine Coffee Roasters?

Located In Wilmington, Delaware and founded by Howard Pyle, Brandywine seeks to introduce exceptional coffee through a diverse process of cupping and tweaking until satisfaction is meant. Sourcing is done responsibly with an adequate price paid to farmers to ensure that compensation is met for the efforts of these premium coffees presented. BrandWines selection is insane, like i'm serious. I was blown away by the amount of selection they had all throughout the year. Most coffees, are roasted light, persevering the natural profiles of each bean. This small batch roastery offers seasonal varieties to ensure a premium product regardless of the season of the year. 

Columbia La Palma El Tucán Gesha - Natural processed 

Personal Tasting Notes: Cedar, Mango, floral, tropical 

Mouth Feel: Tea like, velvety, smooth

Ground on a Baratza Encore, medium fine (14), 199°F | 17.5g/280g | 1:45 end time via Aeropress

Ground on a Baratza Encore, medium fine (18), 201°F | 28g/420g | 3:45 end time via Kalita Wave.

I extracted this Columbian coffee a few different ways and was impressed by how acceptably unique it was at various extractions. Notes of tropical flavors transcend on the backend and front, with lingering finishes of soft cedar. While other times intense tropical sweetness linger throughout the entire finish. Gesha's are prized within the coffee community, but this one is extra special coming from La Palma El Tucán. Probably the most expensive coffee i've bought coming in at $100!

La Palma’s passion for designing new ways to showcase how fermentation can produce a new way we see and taste coffee is only the beginning. If you haven't had the chance to try anything from La Palma theres various roasters that sell La Palma processed coffee at a way more affordable price. Perhaps not a Gesha variety, but it's out there!

Peru Alfonzo Rafeal Cordova - Washed

Personal Tasting Notes: Rose, Hibiscus, Honey, Stone fruit, floral and sweet.

Mouth Feel: Tea like, velvety, smooth

Ground on a Baratza Encore, medium course, 203°F | 24g/350g | 3:00 end time

This was one of my favorite coffees from Onyx, so much so, that I converted the bag into a home for some of my herbs. I've been going through so much coffee lately that part of me felt like I could do something with the access bags I had laying around. I may touch on a tutorial on how to do these yourself, but for now.. lets get back to this velvety, floral and sweet coffee from Peru.

This coffee is grown in Peru on the farm of La Primavera produced by Alfonzo Rafeal Cordova. The sweetness, and floral notes in this cup are so damn pronounced, which is why I always look for coffees grown above 1700MASL. The affect of coffee grown in higher altitudes generally correspond with a brighter, more complex cup, but with higher altitudes comes a decrease in climate temperature. Thus, a climate with lower temperature encourages coffee cherries to grow slower, allowing for this complexity in taste to expand. With that being said, coffees grown in these climates usually need devoted care due to the lower amount of product yield that could be risked otherwise.

Alfonso's coffee is grown on a micro lot just 3.5 hectares large. Enough for this Caturra variety to really separate it from the masses and show some true uniqueness to Peruvian coffees.

Who Is Onyx Coffee?

Located in Arkansas, Jon and his wife Andrea strive to create harmonious perfection through science and craft. Batches are produced in quantities of 20lbs or lower, small batch roasted. I could go on about the amount of craft that goes into the production of Onyx coffee. However, I'm more particularly interested in the connection Jon and his wife make with each farmer. Because onyx is direct trade to it's clients, they don't use a traditional middleman to purchase green coffee. Instead, the money goes directly into the hands of the farmers from the buyer themselves. While direct trade and fair trade have gave a positive outcome to the coffee community, it also brings some negative aspects as well. However, the direct trade that Onyx brings allows them to build real relationships with their farmers. I wholeheartedly believe that with stable and proper relationships good things reap from those who devote the time and care to them. With that being said, Onyx coffee is nothing short of extraordinary, well produced and bound by good relations.

Gesha Village Natural

Personal Tasting Notes: Hibiscus, Peach, Pomegranate, Green Apple, Sweet.

Mouth Feel: Mouthwatering, Velvety

Ground on a Baratza Encore, medium fine (15), 197°F | 17.5g/280g | 1:30 end time via Aeropress

Process: 30g bloom for 25seconds and one stir as soon as 30g is dispensed, 250g added with 3 stirs. 15 second rest, plunge at 1:10, final hiss at 1:30.

I'm a bit spoiled by the fact that my local coffee shop Ground Work Common carries retail bags of Black and White coffee that i'm able to purchase weekly. With that being said, this is my 9th bag from Black and white and each bag was something totally different. Whats crazy is that, out of 9 different coffees I've tried from them only one was meh to me. Black and White has been producing some insanely fruit forward/floral coffees and continues to push the limits while producing an end product that always has you fighting for your next sip.

This is a Natural processed coffee from the Ethiopian Gesha Village farm grown at 1,909-2,069 masl that produced an immense amount of sweetness, floral notes and tropical fruit cupping notes. This has been by far one of my favorite natural Ethiopians and I intend to keep buying this until its gone

Who is Black & White?

Located in Wake Forrest, NC. Founded by U.S barista champions 2016/2017 Lemuel Butler and Kyle Ramage. I couldn't find much about the backstory of these two, sustainable measures, values etc. However, i'm blown away by the quality they produce and intend on visiting Wake Forrest soon to find out more.

Luis Reinoso - Cup Of Excellence - Washed

Personal Tasting Notes: Rose, Jasmine, Cherry and mouth watering peach

Mouth Feel: Tea like, velvety, smooth

This columbian coffee was mindblowing. Firstly, the variety is a bourbon/Gesha mix which makes for a surprisingly complex cup. The bourbon variety usually brings a lot of sweetness and citrus notes while Gesha varieties are known for their tea like consistency. If you're into really sweet, floral citrus cupping notes then defiantly give this a shot.

What is Cup Of Excellence?

In short, coffee farmers gather and submit their coffees for a blind cupping by a group of judges. Each coffee is then examined. First by a National Jury of about a dozen qualified jurors from the origin country, and then by an International Jury, comprised of approximately 20-25 experienced jurors from around the world.(1) The winning coffee is highly valued. I'd give this a shot before it's gone!