Description
This is the full natural version of the 18 rabbit, very fruit forward and on the wild side for naturals. Filled with sweet, fruit forward more fermented tones. Higher chaff and uneven roasting. A wonderful treat for fruit forward natural fans.
Nestled near the pyramids of the Mayan King, 18 Rabbit (from which this coffee pulls its name), Flhor Zelaya Ontreras set out to change the coffee culture in her area.
Starting her first farm when she was five years old, she was already focusing on growing organically. Now, as an adult, Flhor is committed to total sustainability of the land. She acquired a Biodynamic certification, which guarantees that her farming not only has the absence of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, but that the planting of coffee does not disrupt the ecosystem. It instead works with it.
She manages an all-female cooperative and has now partnered with Cafe Kreyol and Cafe Femenino, to begin an entrepreneur program for indigenous women in the mountains.
Healthier land makes better coffee, and for her hard work, Flhor earns over 300% higher wages than the Fair Trade minimum. We have come to love her in the time we have known her, and we hope you can see why.
Tasting Notes: A very fruit forward, delicate and sweet cup. Best served in the light to medium roast range. At light roasts it hold up well but will be higher acidity and very fruity and winy upfront, only a hint of a darker toned contrast. Medium roasts introduce a more chocolaty balance and mute up some of the acidity making it nice for a lower acidity fan. A great mix of fruit and chocolaty factor where one can play with the balance of tones through roast level. Darker roasts are not recommended, get edgy and smoky with a little hint of fruit coming through.
Roasting Notes: A bit more challenging to roast, higher chaff and roasts pretty uneven but well worth the challenge. I would cut the batch size a bit and bring it up to temp a bit slower. When shooting for the lighter roast mark you have to make sure to get the lighter beans through first crack otherwise you will want to flick anything out of the roast that has not quite expanded. Medium roasts a great and much easier to insure those lighter beans get where they need to be. Pushing close to 2nd crack still creates a tasty cup but will mute a lot of acidity and fruity factor, into 2nd crack is not recommended.
Lauretta Main (verified owner) –
Quite possibly the best I’ve roasted!! Blueberry and chocolate tones without any bite. This makes a beautiful cup of coffee!! Please please please restock!!
Jon Burman –
Yes! Glad you like that one.
It will be restocked with the new crop, looking like a bit of a waiting game for it, I would give an ETA of 4-6 weeks. Getting closer but still not close enough to hold our breath :-).
Olivia –
Beautifully tasting coffee, got the opportunity to roast for a class. I had hints of pomegranate, blueberry, and chocolate in my roast. Not a lot of bite or bitter after-taste, lots of fruity flavors came through!
bcockman (verified owner) –
This might be the best single-origin bean I’ve ever roasted for espresso. It’s roasting behavior is very different from my other varieties. It doesn’t give up first crack easily. I use the Fresh Roast SR800 w/extension tube and a separate electric bean cooler and roast 8oz at a time. I’ve ended the roast at 9 minutes while 1st crack has nearly ended. And I’ve also let it go 20 seconds further which produced tiny oil spots, but provided an excellent espresso cup. I get lots of chocolate, but beyond that I don’t have all the words to describe the notes. Lots of chaff also. I want it back.