Free U.S. Shipping on Orders Over $40
Dose: 21g
Ratio: 1:16.2
Grind: Finer than Neutral
Brew Time: 3:00
TDS: 1.43%
Extraction: 20%
Sensory Description:
One of the defining characteristics of a well-dialed cup of Tumba Natural is its velvety vanilla-syrup-like texture and body. To accentuate this attribute, I’m recommending a slight up-dose to 21g. At this dose and hitting extraction around 20%, the result is a juicy and sweet cup that reminds me of vanilla, strawberries, apricots, and wild honey. It has a pleasant and mellow berry-like acidity, adding some liveliness to this naturally processed coffee. The overall impression from this coffee, however, is one of fresh fruit and syrupy sweetness.
Dial Notes:
When dialing, I found that a slight up-dose helped accentuate this coffee’s body. At our typical 1:17 ratio, I was able to get pretty clear tasting notes, just without the velvety quality that came through on the cupping table.
Under-extraction came across as thin and tea-like in body, with a lack of sweetness that reminded me of watermelon rind. If you’re not getting the syrup and honey-like sweetness and texture, you likely need a finer grind or a small up-dose.
Over-extraction muted some of the strawberry-like acidity that this coffee is capable of. While maintaining a decent amount of sweetness, it fell a little flat compared to cups at lower extraction percentages. While sweetness and body are what stand out in this coffee, it does have a pleasant acidity that should be easily detectable. If not, you likely need to grind a little coarser.
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.
