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Dose: 21g
Ratio: 1:16
Grind: Significantly Finer Than Neutral
Lab Grind: 4.0 on Lab EK with drip burrs with a V60 filter
Brew Time: 2:30
TDS: 1.41
Extraction: 19.9%
Sensory Description: Well-dialed cups of Calagual are dynamic in experience, a lovely combination of process and terroir. Grown in Santa Rosa, Guatemala, this anaerobic natural pache opens with a soft and bright apricot and raspberry yoghurt, reflecting its process, and finishes with a vanilla and cashew-like sweetness and texture. There is clarity to the flavor profile, while carrying a velvety texture and slightly thicker mouthfeel.
Dial Notes:
Like some other Guatemalas and El Salvadors we’ve had in recently, this coffee draws down fairly quickly at a significantly finer grind. In order to get the sweetness and texture of the finish of this Guatemala, I chose to increase the dose by a gram.
Under-extraction of Calagual results in high acidity and clarity, but lacks sweetness and body. I found this to taste more like underripe raspberries, missing the smoother mouthfeel and body that would lend to the “yoghurt” characteristic. The finish was very quick with none of the vanilla sweetness. If this is where you land, go a little finer on the next cup.
Over-extraction of this coffee is mostly found in its drying aftertaste, with the sweetness of the stone fruit and red berries being muted by the bitterness of what hits more like roasted cashew. If you end up here, I’d coarsen up by a notch or two to get rid of the slight drying aftertaste. I found it easier to under-extract, so don’t be afraid to go much finer for this coffee.
A well-dialed La Maravilla La Cumbre is a great example of what we look for in our Orange label series. It’s remarkably chocolatey, with the creamy sweetness and richness of a good cup of hot chocolate. Perceived acidity is relatively low, and the cup leans on flavors of vanilla, caramel, and dried dates. Milk chocolate lingers on the palate, giving the coffee a long, pleasant finish. Sweet and full-bodied, it works as an everyday coffee on either pour over or espresso.
For a natural processed coffee, well-dialed cups of San Joaquin are quite chocolatey. And much like our other El Salvador offerings, this coffee is very sweet and has a nice creamy texture. You can expect a lot of candy bar flavors like milk chocolate, caramel, and vanilla. There’s also an underlying red fruit characteristic that adds complexity to the cup. Pay special attention to subtle notes of cherry and red apple when dialing. On the finish, you’ll find some cola, maple syrup, and pecan-like notes.
A well-dialed cup of Esperanza Kenya will present with a lot of fresh fruit-like sweetness similar to peach juice, clementines, and ripe strawberries. Compared to most naturally processed coffees, there is also a unique pop of citrus acidity that reminded me of lime. This fruit characteristic is paired with a lot of candy bar flavors like milk chocolate and nougat mousse, making the overall cup profile one of fruit and chocolate notes working very pleasantly together with a creamy, relatively heavy body. On the aftertaste, you should get some subtle florals and a lot of chocolate bar.
