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Dose: 20g
Ratio: 1:17
Grind: Significantly Finer than Neutral
Lab Grind: 3.5 EK43 Drip Burrs
Brew Time: 2:40
TDS: 1.33%
Extraction: 19.66%
Sensory Description:
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.
Dial Notes:
Under-extracted cups of Esperanza Kenya were still fruity, but became quite delicate and somewhat lacking in body. They reminded me more of fruit tea as opposed to the richer, more textured fruit juice characteristic of better dialed brews. Most of the flavor was in the beginning of the sip, leaving the second half and aftertaste not as complex. This made the chocolate bar notes fleeting, rather than in balance with the fruit notes. For cups like this, I would recommend grinding finer on the next brew.
Over-extraction on this coffee was actually somewhat difficult to achieve, as it requires a very fine grind setting for proper extraction. However, if you do over-extract the cup, you’ll experience a muddled sweetness, a very heavy texture, and an absence of the citric acidity that makes this coffee feel lively. The flavor profile becomes one almost entirely of chocolate, losing complexity and clarity compared to better dialed brews. In this instance, I would grind coarser for the next cup.
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.
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.
