Coffee: El Tanque
Roaster:   Camber
Producer/Farm: Danny Moreno
Origin/Region: Honduras/El Cedral, Santa Barbara
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1670 masl
Variety: Pacas




Tasting Notes: This coffee offers a floral aroma and flavor notes of maple, toffee and caramel making a rich cup. What really pleases the palate though are the lovely fruity notes that emerge as it cools. Honeydew melon and red delicious apple are front and center in the flavor profile with the sweetness of this coffee providing a backdrop. There are hints of cinnamon, cocoa powder and nougat too. The sweetness is complex and clean. The body is lightly syrupy and the aftertaste is lingering and pleasant. Overall it is nicely tart and sweet - well balanced and extremely quaffable.

Roaster’s notes: Moreno family members have become somewhat of a farming dynasty in Santa Barbara, inspiring many of their neighbors to pursue specialty coffee. The Morenos are in a special category of coffee producers, consistently cultivating and producing the highest quality coffee. This requires a mixture of ambition, long term planning, understanding what their market is looking for, and constant reevaluation of agronomic, harvesting and processing techniques. El Tanque is Danny Moreno’s highest altitude tablon, producing this exceptional coffee.

Brew recommendations: The Origami brewed a good cup but the V60 brought out the fruity notes that make this coffee distinctive. I used my typical pour-over protocol which is posted here.

Coffee: La Bruma -  Women in Coffee

Roaster:   Devocion
Producer/Farm: Martha Ligia Reinoso
Origin/Region: Colombia/Tolima
Process: not specified (probably washed)
Altitude: 1800 masl
Variety: Colombia


Dry Fragrance: raisins, graham cracker, spice

Tasting Notes: This is a coffee full of surprises with flavors of grapefruit, cinnamon, cola and vanilla all in harmony with a light but present citric acidity and maple/molasses sweetness. There are floral notes as well - like lilacs in bloom. As it cools there’s a back note of black tea. The mouthfeel is lightly syrupy and juicy. The aftertaste is pleasant, clean and lingering with sweetness that persists. It is a complex but harmonious blend of flavors with perfectly balanced acidity, sweetness and bitter notes.

Roaster’s notes: Martha Ligia Reinoso's farm lies a few hours drive from Chaparral, Tolima, tucked away deep in the nearly impenetrable jungle mountains that few outsiders visit. Here, she has a striking farm painted bright pink, from the farm house to the processing equipment. Here, Martha tends to a handful of picturesque hectares of land along with her daughter, to whom she is passing down her knowledge of specialty coffee cultivation, and standing out against her agricultural landscape typically dominated by men. The coffee is a limited edition offering from Devocion.

Brew recommendations: Results with the Origami dripper were excellent with a TBT of 3:15 - 3:30 mins. I tried both the Kalita filter and the V60 and found the Kalita filter gave a more complex and juicier flavor profile.  I used my typical pour-over protocol which is posted here.

 I brew most coffees the first time using a 1:16 ratio (21 g/340 g water) on my go-to Origami dripper with a Kalita filter and adjust it as necessary to achieve a pleasing extraction profile. If the brew is too slow (longer than 3:30 mins) I will next try a V60 filter with the Origami dripper to reduce the total brew time (TBT). If the brew tastes too dense or lacks distinct flavor notes I repeat the brew at 1:17. If that still doesn't make the coffee show off it's best flavor profile I try different drippers: V60, Kalita or Beehouse until I find that sweet spot. My brew protocol is as follows:  At 0 secs pour 50 ml with a 30 second bloom (no stirring) then pour in pulses: at 1 min pour 50 mls, at 1:30, 2 and 2:30 and 3 mins pour 60 ml each for a total brew time of 3:15-3:30 mins and a total water volume of 340 ml. Do a gentle swirl after the 2:30 min pour to enhance extraction.

Coffee: Faith Estate

Roaster:   Nomad
Producer/Farm: Cecilia Wanjiku, Faith Estate
Origin/Region: Kenya, Kirinyaga
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1850 masl
Variety: SL28



Dry Fragrance: caramel, pineapple, fruity

Tasting Notes: Fruity and floral qualities predominate in this Kenyan coffee with characteristic juiciness and nectar sweetness. Flavor notes are tropical and candy-like: honeyed-pineapple, fresh cherries, hibiscus and just a hint of butterscotch and cinnamon. The mouthfeel is syrupy with a pleasant lingering aftertaste. Overall, it’s a bright, well-balanced coffee that keeps you coming back for more.

Roaster’s notes: Cecilia Wanjiku is the owner and co-founder of Faith State, a farmer cooperative located in the region of Kirinyaga in the centre of Kenya. As it happens in many other coffee producer countries, the smallholder’s farmers in Kenya, organize themselves into small coops. Faith Estate provides monthly training about growing, processing coffee and business planning to more than 30 small estate owners in the area, with the goal of improving the production of high-quality coffees. The AA nomenclature of this coffee means that the size of the beans (screen size 17/18 or 7.2 mm) are high-quality. As most of the Kenyan coffees, this one is fully washed. After a selective handpicking the beans are de-pulped and fermented for 24 hours. The beans are washed with cold water and then dried on raised beds. Note: Roaster’s notes taken from the Nomad website were edited as needed for clarity.

Brew recommendations: The hibiscus notes in this coffee can impart a touch of astringency so it’s best to brew this one under 3:15 minutes. The flavor profile was better on the Origami dripper using a fast-flow V60 filter. I did my usual protocol and a 1:16 ratio (21 g/340 g water) with a 30 second bloom. Pour in pulses: 0 secs 50 ml, 1 min 50 mls, 1:30, 2 and 2:30* and 3 mins add 60 ml to finish around 3:10 (*swirl gently after the 280 pour).

Nomad shared this brew recipe on V60: We use 15 g of medium ground coffee and 260 gr of water at a temperature of 96ºC. We pour the water in 2 times. One of 50 gr, we wait 30 seconds and then pour the rest of the water until it reaches 260 grams. The total infusion time should be between 2 and a half and 3 minutes.