Cupping & Tasting Notes

August 19, 2010

Finca Nueva Armenia

Filed under: Central American, Counter Culture, Cupping & Tasting Notes, Direct Trade — Devlin @ 2:55 pm

Origin: Guatemala

Region:

Huehuetenango

Producer:

Recinos family

Farm:

Finca Nueva Armenia

Elevation:

1500-1833 Meters

Harvest:

Jan-Mar

Cultivars:

Bourbon Rojo, Typica

Roaster:

Counter Culture

Roast date:

7/2

Cup date:

7/20

Cantadores:

Devlin and Dan

Fragrance:

Roast beef and clementine

Aroma:

Ginger,orange, sandalwood, saltwater taffy

Break:

Brightness:

Mild

Flavor:

Walnut, chocolate milk, licorice, rosemary, carrots

Body:

Medium

Aftertaste:

A little roasty

Descriptions:

Warm aromas of ginger, orange and sandelwood chill out with flavors of walnut, licorice, rosemary and carrot. Finishes a little roasty. All three cup samples were really different.

Comments (0)

Finca El Puente

Filed under: Central American, Counter Culture, Cupping & Tasting Notes, Direct Trade — Devlin @ 2:41 pm

Origin:

Honduras

Farm:

Finca El Puente

Roaster:

Counter Culture

Roast date:

7/2

Cup Date:

7/20

Cantadores:

Becca and Devlin

Fragrance:

Shortbread, wood shed, sweet peppers

Aroma:

Dark honey, toast

Break:

Sweet pistachio

Brightness:

Medium, the body covers it up

Flavor:

Chocolate, slight spearmint

Body:

medium/heavy

Aftertaste:

burnt+smokey

Likes:

Nice balance between acidity and body

Dislikes:

Roasty aftertaste

Description:

A good alternative for a dark roast drinker. Medium to heavy body brings in aromas of sweet pistachio and honey with flavors of chocolate in a twig of spearmint. A slight roasty note follows through all aspects of the cup, affecting it negatively

Comments (0)

July 29, 2010

La Maravilla

Filed under: Central American, Cupping & Tasting Notes, Direct Trade, Intelligentsia — Devlin @ 3:56 pm

Origin:

Guatemala

Producer:

Mauricio Rosales

Farm:

Finca Maravilla

Region:

Huehuetanango

Cultivar(s):

Bourbon, Caturra

Elevation:

1500-1850 meters

Harvest:

January- April 2010

Roaster:

Intelligentsia

Cup date:

7/26 +7/28

Cantadores:

Lindsay, Dan, Devlin

Fragrance:

Cherry, raspberry, chocolate nougat.

Aroma:

Piecrust, cherry, peach

Break:

Brightness:

Mild

Flavor:

Cake donuts, dark chocolate, cheap red wine, cooked cherries.

Body:

Round and sweet

Aftertaste:

Short but sweet

Likes: Nothing quite bad about it…

Dislikes: Not exciting in the least.

Descriptions:

Devlin respects Lindsays palate and opinions an all matters of coffee. This coffee however Devlin must strongly disagree with his fellow barista in arms. Simply put, this cup is a delight offering aromas of piecrust and cherries, flavors of glazed chocolate donuts.

Comments (0)

Finca La Guatuza

Filed under: Central American, Cupping & Tasting Notes, Direct Trade, Ecco Caffe — Devlin @ 2:31 pm

Origin:

Nicaragua

Producer:

Canales family

Farm:

La Guatuza

Cultivar(s):

Caturra

Roaster:

Ecco Caffe

Roast date:

6/3/2010

Cup date:

6/7/2010

Fragrance:

Woodsy, hazelnutty, buttered popcorn, honey suckle, clean

Aroma:

Raw sugar, ribbon candy, sweet

Break:

nutty, dry nuts

Brightness:

Not to bright, sweet/smooth low acidity

Flavor:

Cherry, dzark chocolate, orange, cantaloupe, bread, willows(?)

Body:

Light

Aftertaste:

Milky, Salami(wtf?)

Comments (0)

Coope Dota

Filed under: Central American, Cupping & Tasting Notes, Direct Trade, Ecco Caffe — Devlin @ 2:19 pm

Origin: Coasta Rica

Producer : Coope Dota

Farm:

Cultivar(s): Typica Caturra, Catuai

Process:

Roaster: Ecco Cafe

Roast date:6/3/2010

Cup Date: 6/7/2010

Catadores: Bianka, Devlin, Lindsay

Fragrance:

Smooth, Woodsy, Raspberries, Blueberries, Fruity Pebbles, Cherry, Banana

Aroma:

Raisin bun, Sugar+Spice, Lime, Cantelope, Spicy chocolate, Berries

Break:

Smokey, Berries, Beef and Broccoli,

Brightness:

Muted

Flavor:

Nutty,

Tobacco, Berries, Vanilla, Leather, Chocolate milkshake, Caramel, Mint

Body:

Med/Heavy

Aftertaste:

Light, Smooth, Nutty, Rubber

Descriptions:

A stand out cup laced with nuance. Covered under a heavy body and deep chocolate notes, citrus and sweet berries peak out. The aromatics are one of the standout features of Coope Dota. We have chosen to brew this in the Chemex for that reason.

Comments (0)

July 19, 2010

Camocim

Filed under: Cupping & Tasting Notes, Ecco Caffe, South American — Devlin @ 12:15 pm

Origin: Brazil

Producer: Unknown

Farm: Unknown

Cultivar:

Process:

Roaster: Ecco Caffe

Roast date: 7/6/2010

Cup date: 7/11/2010

Catadores: Devlin, Jeremy

Fragrance:

Chocolate raspberry, Black pepper, Canned tuna

Aroma:

Almond slivers, Steamed brussel sprouts, Ocean beach air, Peanut butter, Marshmellow

Break:

Caramel

Brightness:

Hidden. Shows up as the coffee cools

Flavor:

Vanilla, Almond milk, Coco powder, Mole, Radish, Juicy

Body:

Heavy

Aftertaste:

Long and Chocolaty

Descriptions:

Wafting chocolate and raspberry with a hint of black pepper. Almond slivers and steamed brussel sprouts chime in followed by woodsy acorns. Vanilla, almond milk, mole add other entrancing flavors. Heavy body and long decay

Comments (2)

May 21, 2010

Escuela Vieja – Colombia

Filed under: Cupping & Tasting Notes, Intelligentsia, South American — Devlin @ 1:43 pm

Origin: Guayata, Lejanias, Colombia
Producer: Unknown
Farm: Boyaca Meta & Boyaca Cauca
Varieties: Typica & Caturra
Elevation: 1700-1800 meters
Harvest: November 2009 – February 2010
Process: Washed
Roaster: Intelligentsia Coffee – Chicago, IL
Roast Date: 4/27/2010
Cup Date: 5/21/2010

Catadores: Devlin, Rebecca, Kimmy

Average Score:

Fragrance:
Pecan pie, grade B maple syrup, molasses, coco crisps, marshmallows

Aroma:
Cherries, mulling spice

Break:
Milk chocolate, brown sugar, almonds

Brightness:
Medium

Flavors:
Cherry, black tea, surprising sweetness, caramel

Body:
Medium light

Aftertaste:
Sweet, little tart

Descriptions:
Breaking out with notes of pecan pie, maple syrup and coco crisps, this Colombian coffee offers notes of milk chocolate, brown sugar and almonds. In the cup, strong notes of cherry and black tea dominate over a surprising sweetness and caramel. Medium bodied, the Escuela Vieja finishes off sweet with just a hint of tartiness.

Comments (2)

May 14, 2010

Ruvuma AAA – Tanzania

Filed under: African, Cupping & Tasting Notes, Origins Organic Coffee — Jay @ 12:45 pm

Origin: Mbinga District, Songea, Tanzania
Producer: Unknown
Farm: Unknown
Varieties: Nyara Typica
Elevation: 5500-6000 ft
Harvest: December 2009 – March 2010
Process: Washed
Roaster: Origins Organic Coffee – Vancouver, BC
Roast Date: 5/4/2010
Cup Date: 5/14/2010

Catadores: Jay, Devlin

Average Score: 7.5

Fragrance:
Sweet, creamy

Aroma:
Corn on the cob, spicy tobacco

Break:
Cigar tobacco, butter & sugar

Brightness:
Light

Flavors:
Bitter cacao, mild grapefruit, sweetens as it cools

Body:
Light

Aftertaste:
Clean, steady, mellows as it cools

Descriptions:
From the northern region of Tanzania comes a coffee with aromatics of sweet cream, corn on the cob and spicy tobacco. A nice summer drinking coffee. A lively but smooth bright coffee that starts off with flavors of bitter cacao then into wild grapefruit that sweetens and mellows as it cools.

Jay’s Notes
According to what I’ve read, it seems that coffees from Tanzania face great transportation problems. The country can produce good coffees but the transportation out of the country is where they suffer and die. This particular Tanzania is an interesting cup that surprised me with its spicy tobacco aromas and smooth finish.

Comments (3)

Finca Candelaria – Guatemala

Filed under: Central American, Cupping & Tasting Notes, Origins Organic Coffee — Devlin @ 12:34 pm

Origin: Alotenango, Sacatepequez, Guatemala
Producer: Irma Soto
Farm: Finca Candelaria
Varieties: unknown
Elevation: 5500-6000 ft
Harvest: December 2009 – March 2010
Process: Wet, Sun Dried
Roaster: Origins Organic Coffee – Vancouver, BC
Roast Date: 5/4/2010
Cup Date: 5/14/2010

Catadores: Jay, Devlin

Average Score: 6

Fragrance:
Sweet Madras Curry, lime, pepper

Aroma:
Junior Mints, medium bitter chocolate

Break:
Wood, mulch, lemonade, citrus, Kaffir lime

Brightness:
Very

Flavors:
Lemony, acidic, grass, barn, beef jerky, turning beefy sour as it cools

Body:
Medium

Aftertaste:
Clean

Descriptions:
Delivering unusual notes of Madras curry, limes and Junior Mints, this bright and medium bodied coffee gives off notes of lemonade, Kaffir limes and even beef jerky while balancing with flavors of wood, mulch and a clean aftertaste.

Jay’s Notes
It’s interesting to see how a coffee can be different as it ages and at different points after the roast. We cupped this coffee nine days ago from a different roast date and while there are a number of flavor characteristics that are shared, the notes of Madras Curry and Kaffir Limes were quite surprising.

Comments (3)