The Cup

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.

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

July 29, 2010

Finca La Soledad

Filed under: Central American, Direct Trade, Intelligentsia — Devlin @ 4:45 pm

Origin:

Guatemala

Producer:

Henio and Raul Perez

Farm:

Finca La Soledad

Region:

Acatenango

Cultivars:

Red bourbon, yellow bourbon, caturra, pache

Elevation:

1500-1850 meters

Harvest:

December 2009-March 2010

Cantadores:

Devlin and Dan

Fragrance:

Blueberry pie filling!

Aromas:

Graham cracker, salty

Brightness:

a bright coffee

Flavor:

Dark caramel, raisin, ripe peach, bread crust, carob, apricot

Body:

thin

Aftertaste:

a bit metallic

Dislikes:

metallic aftertaste

Description:

A bright coffee who’s flavors are kinda dull. while the flavors of apricot, ripe peach, caramel and raisin are nice, the roaring acidity turns metallic almost instantly and affects the cup negitively

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.

Los Delirios

Filed under: Central American, Direct Trade, Intelligentsia — Devlin @ 3:31 pm

Origin:

Nicaragua

Producer:

Milton Canales

Farm:

Finca Las Termopilas

Roaster:

Intelligentsia

Cultivar(s):

Caturra

Cup date:

7/8/2010

Catadores:

Devlin

Fragrance:

Maple syrup

Aroma:

Fresh wood, grilled sweet veggie, carmel and walnut, mango

Break:

Pineapple juice! apricot

Brightness:

High

Flavors:

Pear, golden apple, juicy Reisling, dry cocoa, grapefruit

Body:

medium

Aftertaste:

short tart maple

Likes:

great balance of sweet and acidity

Description:

Dynamic and delicate. Light body carries beautiful aromas of pineapple and apricot, flavors of ripe pear, golden apple and grapefruit. A treat.


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?)

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.

May 14, 2010

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.

May 7, 2010

Fruta D’Oro – Rainforest Alliance – Costa Rica

Filed under: Central American, Cupping & Tasting Notes, Origins Organic Coffee — Jay @ 12:38 pm

Origin: Los Santos, Tarrazu, Costa Rica
Producer: unknown
Farm: Fruta D’Oro
Varieties: Arabica SHB
Elevation: 4200-5900ft
Harvest: unknown
Process: Wet
Roaster: Origins Organic Coffee – Vancouver, BC
Roast Date: 4/16/2010
Cup Date: 5/7/2010

Catadores: Jay, Devlin, Rebecca

Average Score: 6

Fragrance:
Steamed shrimp, spice, old bay, paprika

Aroma:
Candy apples, mango

Break:
Spices, sweet, green chiles

Brightness:
Medium

Flavors:
Sweet candy, oily hazelnut, citrus, lemon

Body:
Light

Aftertaste:
Shrimp, clean

Descriptions:
A rather interesting coffee with heady aromas of steamed shrimp with old bay seasoning that morphs into candy apples and mango with hints of green chiles. A medium bright coffee that goes from sweet candy and hazelnuts to citrus and lemon notes as it cools. A light bodied coffee that finishes off with shrimpy clean notes.

Jay’s Notes
I’m really not quite sure what to make of this coffee. I hadn’t eaten anything odd for lunch nor were we cooking anything nearby, so I don’t know where in the world the fragrances of steamed shrimp and old bay came from. Then to have the coffee morph into citrus and lemon notes as it cooled? Crazy.

May 5, 2010

Finca Candelaria – Guatemala

Filed under: Central American, Cupping & Tasting Notes, Origins Organic Coffee — Jay @ 12:19 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: 4/19/2010
Cup Date: 5/5/2010

Catadores: Jay

Average Score: 7

Fragrance:
Tobacco, leather, dark chocolate

Aroma:
Creamy, warm, mellow, comforting

Break:
Moss, grass, earth, mulch

Brightness:
Medium

Flavors:
Milk chocolate, sweet candy, bitter

Body:
Medium

Aftertaste:
Clean

Descriptions:
From the highlands of Guatemala comes this deep and moody coffee that begins with lurid fragrances of tobacco and leather, giving way to aromatics that are both creamy and warm. A medium bright coffee with notes of milk chocolate, sweet hard candy that’s slightly bitter and a clean finish.

Jay’s Notes
I was particularly surprised by this coffee because it’s been awhile since I’ve cupped a coffee with heavy tobacco and leather notes. Kind of a manly man’s coffee. The “Old Spice” of coffee or something that you imagined your grandfather drinking after he came back from WWII in the Navy.

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