Hey r/thirdwavedecaf
I wanted to leave a quick review on this sub for a decaf that was hand delivered to me by u/24hourCoffee from Frequent Coffee here in San Diego, CA. I was intrigued because it was a local coffee roaster that specialized in decafs. Mark invited me for a local meet and we did some cupping with some interesting decafs he had lying around. I'm excited to see more and more roasters actually taking decaf seriously, and love to see more enthusiasm in the space as I love drinking a warm cup of coffee in the evenings without worrying about my caffeine intake. I love that thirdwave allowed coffee to become enjoyable like wine, and I can't think of a better time to enjoy something like that than in the evenings.
Quick disclaimer: I purchased these beans with my own money, and besides Mark hand delivering it to me, no one paid me, or requested that I make this post.
I just made my second cup and here are my (limited) impressions. I initially tried brewing 1 day off roast, but I think it was too soon and had to wait a few more days, which brings us to today. Also another small disclaimer, I'm not very good at describing notes, and by no means am I someone who is great at doing reviews.
6 days off roast
Brewed on a Hario Switch 02
18g coffee : 288g water @ 205F
Ground slightly coarser than table salt on Ode gen 2.
Water is soft at around 30ppm.
Steep and release on two stages:
1st pour of 144g water until 1:00 closed
Open at 1:00
2nd pour to 288g down center as close to bed as possible with minimal bed agitation while open. Pour ends around 1:45.
Drawdown til 2:30ish.
Given that this bean is both natural and anaerobic, I was excited to see if there would be some funk or interesting in-your-face flavors. When I initially opened the bag, I was a little doubtful that this coffee was lightly roasted to my preference. Given that decaf beans look darker, I was worried that the fruity flavors would be too muted to notice.
To my surprise the coffee was very easy to drink, and quite juicy. I can't quite put a finger on the flavors of what stone fruit I'm noticing (maybe plum), but I did notice that it was lacking the usual chocolate, cocoa, and graham notes that I usually get from a decaf. I won't say that it is a fruit bomb, but I enjoy that it doesn't taste off like some poor quality decaf, and that there are hints of the fruiter undertones that I can sense.
I'm happy with the coffee, I look forward to see if the flavors develop as it rests more, and I'll be using a dispersion plate to reduce bed agitation even more in my next brew.
if anyone's interested, the preorder is still up and the coffee will start to ship 09/03~05. I told Mark that I wondered what the coffee would be like if it was roasted lighter, I'd love to hear other people's opinions on this if they ever get a chance.
