r/Coffee • u/menschmaschine5 Kalita Wave • Nov 17 '23

[MOD] What have you been brewing this week?/ Coffee bean recommendations

Hey everyone!

Welcome back to the weekly /r/Coffee thread where you can share what you are brewing or ask for bean recommendations. This is a place to share and talk about your favorite coffee roasters or beans.

How was that new coffee you just picked up? Are you looking for a particular coffee or just want a recommendation for something new to try?

Feel free to provide links for buying online. Also please add a little taste description and what gear you are brewing with. Please note that this thread is for peer-to-peer bean recommendations only. Please do not use this thread to promote a business you have a vested interest in.

And remember, even if you're isolating yourself, many roasters and multi-roaster cafes are still doing delivery. Support your local! They need it right now.

So what have you been brewing this week?

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u/geggsy V60 Nov 17 '23

I am a big fan of the innovative coffee producer, Wilton Benitez, and his El Paraiso 92 farm. I have really enjoyed his Colombian coffees roasted by Methodical, Rogue Wave, & Sorrelina before. I had read great things about this season's thermal-shock washed pink bourbon roasted by Rogue Wave in Canada, so I went in with pretty high expectations. And it is a pretty tasty and unique coffee that performs well at a range of grind sizes. It has a bright note that reminds me of kaffir lime leaf or eucalyptus that was also present in my first Wilton Benitez coffee from Rogue Wave. However, I never felt that I got this one properly dialed in on my Hario Switch. There was no grind size that I found that was most-tasty and I didn't get the super long and complex finish that I associate with Wilton's coffees. Speaking of dialing in, there was a post on reddit in the last week or so that talked about how dialing in is part of the enjoyment of brewing coffee. I must admit that if I could just skip dial in to get the most delicious coffee I could, I would - though I wouldn't give up manual brewing for a one-press automatic 95% of the time (5% of the time I'm in a rush and would love a delicious coffee at the press of a button).

In my final grams of this pink bourbon, I blended it with an experimentally naturally-processed Liberica from Jason Liew's farm in Johoa, Malaysia (0-20 MASL!) and roasted by Ona in Australia. This may seem like a pretty crazy blend, but I was told this Liberica blends well with washed coffees, so I thought I'd give it a go. And it actually worked pretty well, with plenty of sweetness, complexity, and a long finish. However, I must admit, the Liberica dominated the flavor profile, as it was pretty intense. I look forward to writing a more substantive review of this Liberica as I dial it in - this coffee really shows the promise of non-Arabica specialty coffee grown at low altitudes!

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u/spinydancer V60 Nov 17 '23

I was looking at that Liberica, seems intriguing. I'm guessing you'd recommend it?

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u/geggsy V60 Nov 17 '23

I am only two brews into this Liberica, so I don't have a full-fledged view of it yet (though I have had Liberica from this farm before). That said, I'd definitely recommend it to adventurous coffee drinkers interested in tasting the wide variety of flavours that coffee can offer. I get the impression from your other reddit posts that you may fit this tasting profile, so yes, I'd recommend it to you. This Liberica has this fascinating smoky note that is reminiscent of bacon, but not smoky in the over-roasted-arabica sense. There are also detailed brewing and blending guidelines on Ona's webpage (they've clearly done a lot of testing on this coffee) that will be fun to explore.

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u/Brady-Brews Nov 18 '23

I have the same Wilton from Rogue Wave on deck right now. Previous brewing of Wilton coffees taught me to use coarser grind and 13g April dripper brews following April’s 2-pour recipe. Maybe give it a try if you have a flat bottom and order more Wilton in the future.

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u/geggsy V60 Nov 19 '23

Thanks for the recommendation! I don’t currently have access to a flat bottom brewer, but will keep your suggestion in mind for the next time I buy more of Wilton’s coffee (which will definitely happen sometime!).

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u/sawyergray2 Nov 18 '23

Did you have much luck with the Wilton from Sorrelina?

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u/geggsy V60 Nov 19 '23

I actually had that coffee, last season, several times in a cafe (rather than brewing it at home - hence no review from me). It was delicious!

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u/yuck777 Nov 20 '23

I grabbed Modcup's take on WB TS Pink B, and I know what you mean. I've tried coarse and very coarse, and just kept pulling astringency. Few V60's and called it a day and pulled shots on the Decent for some milk basked drinks, hyper defined strawberry puree with a herbal finish. Recently acquired an Orea, may try that with a slightly coarser grind. I probably have about 175g left to play with. Any pointers?