Description
Garry’s coffee special features three of our more interesting coffees. Higher acidity, interesting processing, this bundle is leaning towards more exotic coffee tones.
*Bundles change over time. You will get the listed coffees at the time of order. *
A pound each of:
Ethiopian Guji Org. Natural Gr. 1 – Kayon Mountain Shakiso
Fresh Kayon Mountain has become a tradition around here, marks one of our favorite times of the year, new Ethiopian season!
Beautiful coffee and screen. The Kayon Mountain Coffee Farm is 500 hectares with about 300 hectares planted in coffee and has been owned and operated by Ismael Hassen Aredo and his family since 2012. It is located 510 kilometers south of Addis Ababa, and the property crosses the border of two villages—Taro and Sewana—located in the Oromia region, in the Guji zone of the Shakiso district of Ethiopia.
Ismael oversees a staff of 25 permanent full-time and 300 seasonal employees, and the farm management offers free transportation services as well as financial support for building schools and administration buildings for the community. The farm competes with a nearby mining village for seasonal workers, so Ismael and his family tend to pay higher wages to their pickers in order to incentivize them returning year after year.
Tasting Notes:
Clean, bright, sweet with a very diverse flavor set. Stone and darker fruit, citrus & floral, and spiced chocolate tones are the main flavors one can see in this cup, either accentuated or muted depending on roast level. Nice jammy body will be seen in the medium to borderline dark roast mark. Very dependent on roast – lighter roasting gives much more of the citrus, red-fruit with just a hint of a spicy chocolaty factor, a much dryer finish. Darker roasts produce much more of a bakers chocolate cup with a hint of a strawberry like fruit note and good sweetness, far less acidic. A very enjoyable cup from light to dark.
Roasting Notes:
Classic natural processed, fairly even roasting (one can see a couple shades but they are close to each other) with high chaff. We liked it best right around a medium roast – not as bright or floral but developed a real nice fruit versus chocolate profile. Many lighter roast fans will like to take it lighter – 2 out of 6 here who tried it did like the lighter roasts better – super dark roasts will get pretty edgy but have very nice aromatics and a strong chocolaty smoky cup profile.
Indian Karnataka – Ratnagiri Estate – Pearl Mountain Natural Processed
This is a fruity natural processed. Very different tasting from traditional Indian coffee. A very premium product but with a whole different flavor profile. Fruity naturals are slow dried in the coffee fruit itself adding a level of sweet fermentation. This is our first fruity natural Indian coffee, and one you natural fans will not want to miss but be aware if a traditional Indian fan, this has closer links to fancy Central American Honey/Natural processed coffees than other Indian beans.
The Hindi word ‘Ratnagiri’ translates literally to ‘Pearl Mountain’, a reference to the dense silver oak canopy which crowns this farm. Ratnagiri was established in 1920 and is owned and operated by Ashok Patre, having been passed down from Grandfather, to father to son. Ashok Patre is a progressive. Well-travelled and bursting with initiative, he has drawn inspiration from elsewhere to step beyond the boundaries of traditional Indian coffee cultivation and processing. Brix levels are tested before harvesting. Processing includes natural, honey and fermentation experiments alongside the traditional washed.
For all intents and purposes Pearl Mountain Estate is an organic/biodynamic farm and also maintains official Rainforest Alliance Certification. Quarterly soil tests and organic corrections to soil are applied. Ionic seawater and sea weed extract are applied to improve plant immunity and sugar levels of the fruit. The estate is a lush shaded environment with 3 stories of shade. It is home to over 48 recorded bird populations, monkeys, leopards, wild boar, tigers, mongoose and – on occasion – elephants. The rich biodiversity demands that Ashok and his family have an approach to farming which places ecology and harmony with the environment at the forefront. This is a world class farm, truly one of the leading in India and a great example of the farmer working together to engineer excellence.
Tasting Notes: A beautiful delicate and clean natural processed bean best served at the lighter roast points. Hint of citric acidity upfront are quickly covered up by lovely layers of sweet fruitiness. We put it down the stone (red) fruit alley, similar tasting to Cascara (dried coffee skin tea). There is some lovely darker toned balance: a little almost barrel aged, rustic oak like spice with some nuttiness, and if you push the roast towards medium or dark, turns much more chocolatey. Medium roasts are mellower and smoother but can roast out the fruitiness pretty quickly. Dark roasts will get a bit bitter.
Roasting Notes: High chaff but even roasting for the coffee type. To see it shine and if playing towards a crowd that is familiar with natural processed coffee, stick with lighter roast points. If unknown if you like naturals, or giving away gifts, generally we shoot for a strong medium roast, builds some stronger traditional coffee tones to not shock the system.
Guatemalan Premium Santa Rosa – Blue Ayarza – Natural Processed
A wonderful new crop natural processed bean. These beans do have a slight fruitiness to them but it would be considered very mild for a natural processed. A good choice for any coffee fan.
The region of Ayarza is a special one, landmarked by the drastic landscape and cold blue water from the Laguna de Ayarza and Laguna Azul. The lake was formed by two massive volcanos that collapsed and formed a large crater. The legends surrounding this lake are numerous like te one that says the bottom has never been found. There is a large white rock that resembles a petrified woman who didn’t follow the orders of Jesus. In short, there are simply too many good stories about Ayarza to do it justice!
This natural was created by our buddies over at Covoya Coffee, who runs a couple mills throughout Guatemala. They purchase prime cherry from the local small holders and have the processing expertise to create wonderful high rated lots consistently. Producing a quality natural is no easy task. Four years ago they started by renting a wet mill at 1,500 meters on a RFA certified farm. The quality coming from the washed coffee was much better than they expected. So they moved onto producing top grade naturals. Natural coffees under the Blue Ayarza name, mark the best cherries from small holders in the region delivered to their mill, often in their own pickup trucks.
Tasting Notes: A solid cup from light to dark, but for most drinking, a medium roast will be the way to go. Sweet with just a pinch of citric upfront, medium bodied, good mouthfeel, just a pinch of fruitiness and ends with a nice malty undertone. Lighter roast get a bit brighter and slightly more fruity but can risk a little grassy, medium roasts present great balance to the flavors and was very easy drinking, darker roasts retain a lot of sweetness and hefty malty tones, but will get pretty roasty/smoky.
If drinking for drip or pour-over, medium roasts are where to go. If using for blending, espresso or cold brew, light or dark roasts can produce some really tasty results.
Roasting Notes: A bit higher chaff bean but even roasting for a natural, great prep all in all. Error a little lighter than darker on this bean, just a little development past first crack makes a real tasty treat. A short setup works well with this bean, pops the fruit notes right out but if a little too sharp, set it aside for a couple days before drinking.
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