What you'll find in this month's drop
This month’s drop features some truly great coffee. This is a great time of the year for coffee and the roasters we’re working with this month have done a great job highlighting these coffees. Our washed coffee of the month comes from Rwanda, which has been having a stellar harvest year, and is roasted by Apollon’s Gold out of Japan. Our Fun coffee comes from Dak in the Netherlands and is a natural Caturra from Bolivia. And lastly our Funk coffee comes from Meron, a Romanian roaster that focuses on unique origins and processes. We have a lactic washed Catucai S2L from Fazenda Guariroba in Brazil.
☆ Wash: Gatare - Washed Red Bourbon, Rwanda
Apollon’s Gold is an artisanal small batch roaster from Tokyo, Japan that focuses on highlighting the flavors of each terroir and season. They are one of the best known light roast roasters in Asia and really bring out the best of every coffee they work with.
Gatare is the oldest washing station in Rwanda, operating since 2003 and their coffees have participated in the Cup of Excellence competition many times with great results consistently. This lot is a classic representation of the terroir of Rwanda, and delivers exciting fruit flavors on its bright yet very elegant acidity. Expect pineapple, white peach and lemongrass.
Rwandan coffee has a bit of a bad reputation in the coffee world due to the prevelance of the potato bug defect, however production has been improving and they are steadily becoming one of the best coffee producing countries in the world. Rwanda has had a particularly good harvest this year, and this lot from AG really showcases how great coffee from this country can be!
Apollon’s Gold recommends resting their coffee for at least 45 days. We’ve found that they taste best with a minimum rest of 3.5 weeks, and continue to improve until the 50 - 60 day point.
Brew Recipe:
Water: 208F
Water recipe with Lotus Water: Light & Bright <- link
Grind: Medium (6.1 on Fellow Ode w/ SSP)
Ratio: 21g : 350g
Recipe: Bloom for 30s with 50g of water. Divide remaining water into 3 equal pours. For the first 2 pours, pour water in a spiral and swirl the coffee bed after. For the 3rd pour, pour 1st 50g in a spiral and last 50g in the center. Do not swirl. Finish between 3:15 - 3:30
☆ Fun: Natural Caturra, Bolivia
Dak Coffee Roasters is based in charming Amsterdam, Netherlands and was founded by two Canadians from Montreal. They select beautiful and unique coffees and carefully roast them to highlight the best flavors they have to offer. They have consistently great coffee, whether it’s funky and experimental coffee or more classic origins.
This coffee has been sourced with Agricafé - a Bolivian family business that produces coffee from its own farms and sources high-quality micro-lots from small producers in the regions of Los Yungas and Santa Cruz. As pioneers within South American specialty coffee, Agricafe initially entered the coffee industry in 1986, when Pedro Rodriguez decided to pursue his passion for agriculture. Over 34 years later, he has seen and lived the ups and downs of Bolivian coffee and is now working along with his daughter Daniela and his son Pedro Pablo. The trio runs the company with the idea of restoring and improving Bolivian coffee by launching producer training programs and planting its own farms across the above-mentioned regions.
This lot is a very clean natural Caturra from Floripondio farm by the Los Rodriguez family with notes of figs, grapes, melon and choco cream. Bolivia is an up and coming producing country and the Los Rodriguez family is one of the best producers in the country. I've loved every coffee I've tried from them and this lot is a great representation of the region!
Brew Recipe:
Water: 208F
Water recipe with Lotus Water: Light & Bright <- link
Grind: Medium (6.1 on Fellow Ode w/ SSP)
Ratio: 21g:350g
Recipe: Bloom for 30s with 50g of water. Divide remaining water into 3 equal pours. For the first 2 pours, pour water in a spiral and swirl the coffee bed after. For the 3rd pour, pour 1st 50g in a spiral and last 50g in the center. Do not swirl. Finish between 3:15 - 3:30
☆ Funk: Lactic Ferment Catucai 2SL, Brazil
Meron brings you high quality coffee from the heart of Transylvania. They focus on promoting specialty coffee, both through empowering smaller farmers and by providing education in Romania. They carry a unique selection of coffees that can be hard to find elsewhere and their roast profile shows off the best of each origin.
Embark on a journey through time and taste with Brazilia Fazenda Guariroba, a coffee rooted in the 19th century legacy of patriarch João Ferreira Carneiro. Nestled in the fertile soil of Santo Antônio do Amparo, where sweet coffee grains flourished, the farm’s story unfolds across five generations, reaching the hands of Homero Aguiar Paiva.
In the capable hands of Gabriel Lamounier Vieira and Elisa Paiva Lamounier, Fazenda Guariroba has become a beacon of Brazilian coffee on the international stage. Acknowledged as the champion farm of the Cup Of Excellence, it represents the culmination of dedication and expertise.
At an altitude of 1150 meters, the Catucai 2SL beans undergo a meticulous Lactic Fermentation process, resulting in a cup that delights the senses.
I've been very impressed by the coffees I've had from Brazil this year, but this one takes the cake. A great representation of terroir with a delicious hazelnut chocolate richness coupled with a zesty floral note and sweetness that comes from a high quality lactic ferment. This is a perfect example of a processed coffee that maintains it's origin's unique notes.
Brew Recipe:
Water: 206F
Water recipe with Lotus Water: Sweet
Grind: Medium (6.1 on Fellow Ode w/ SSP)
Ratio: 21g:350g
Recipe: Bloom for 30s with 50g of water. Divide remaining water into 3 equal pours. For the first 2 pours, pour water in a spiral and swirl the coffee bed after. For the 3rd pour, pour 1st 50g in a spiral and last 50g in the center. Do not swirl. Finish between 3:15 - 3:30
