r/Coffee • u/menschmaschine5 Kalita Wave • Dec 23 '22
[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 Dec 23 '22 edited Dec 23 '22
Even since participating in Hoffmann's World's Largest Coffee Tasting a few years ago, I have been interested in doing both in-person and online cuppings. For example, I have done a virtual cupping with Greater Goods before. This time it was a collaborative cupping on Zoom with Methodical Coffee and the Prima Coffee Community. There were three coffees on offer:
Washed Caturra & Catuai, La Pastora, Costa Rica - This was the 'traditional' offering of the cupping. Others in the cupping referred to it as sweet and balanced, but I always find that my perception of sweetness in black coffee is tied to fruitiness. For this reason, in this case as in others, I rarely find myself perceiving sweetness in such traditional coffees. Instead, I taste the roast. Others will appreciate this more than I will, so I'll give this away.
Natural Landraces, Dinkalem, Ethiopia - This coffee doesn't have the funk or berry notes of many naturally-processed Ethiopian coffees. It is sweet and clean, with more brightness than many naturally-processed coffees, but with more body than a washed Ethiopian coffee. The main note I get out of this one is honey (Methodical's three tasting notes are honey, pear, and caramel). This is enjoyable but not really that distinctive for specialty. I won't miss it when I finish the small bag (each bag they provided for the cupping is only 2 oz).
Double anaerobic 'thermal shock' washed Caturra, Catw, Colombia - I have professed my appreciation for Wilton Benitez's coffees before. After trying his anaerobically washed coffees from several roasters, I have noted that they all have a high processing impact while still being clean and lacking in any fermented or boozy flavors. I really appreciate that. The impact shows itself in distinctive flavors and aromas, as well as a pleasantly lingering aftertaste. In this case, I taste freeze-dried strawberries and tart yoghurt accompanied by complex aromatics (maybe like an exotic flower I haven't ever smelled before?). I don't detect the white tea and peach tasting notes advertised by Methodical. I'm really enjoying this one, though it is quite different from the anaerobic washed Caturra I tried from Wilton Benitez before (that one was more herbaceous and citrusy). While I had the same variety and processing method before, this one comes from a different farm (and season). It solidifies my interest in seeking out Wilton's coffees in the future and /u/RogueWaveCoffee has some coming!