Category: Coffee
Coava Coffee Roasters Ethiopia Kilenso
We moved to Portland just over seven months ago. It’s hard to believe. Time has gone by very fast. All in all, it’s been a blur. New jobs. New place to live. Great new friends to get to know. And of course, new gastronomic destinations to check out.
High on the list of things we were looking forward to in Portland was all of the local coffee roasters. Everyone knows about Stumptown, but once you get past them there are several small roasters (sometimes referred to as “micro roasters”) plying their trade here in town, including Cellar Door Coffee, Heart Coffee Roasters, Spella Caffe, Water Avenue, Public Domain, and our favorite of them all Coava Coffee Roasters. Each of these produces good to very-good coffee in a storefront/roasting facility, and the settings are unique to them all.
For instance, Coava is located on Grand Ave. in Southeast Portland, in an area you wouldn’t expect to find a niche coffee roaster. But they’ve partnered with Bamboo Revolution – a producer of bamboo flooring, cabinets, and doors – to craft a really beautiful space for their cafe. The relationship is clearly a symbiotic one. Bamboo Revolution fabricated the cabinets, bar, and tables for the coffee shop part of the space, while using half of the overall interior space to display their bamboo wares. The bamboo gives the space a really warm feeling, and provides a perfect backdrop for the artisan approach that Coava takes with their coffee.
Coava has made their mark with coffee in two separate ways. Firstly, they engineered the Kone coffee filter, designed to replace the paper filters used for Chemex coffee makers. The Kone is a laser-welded steel filter with a series of microscopic holes that are designed to filter the coffee while letting a certain amount of oils and sediment through. Coava calls the resulting coffee a hybrid brew, part Chemex and part French press. We’ve been using one here since December, and it produces a bright, clean, expressive cup that really puts the coffee (and its roast) on display.
One can only imagine that part of the motivation behind developing the Kone filter was to provide the perfect stage for their coffee to express itself. All of Coava’s coffees are small-batch, light-to-medium roasts, and typically represent what is seasonally available from farms and suppliers. In the shop, they always offer two coffees on Kone/Chemex drip, and two on espresso. Oftentimes, the same coffees are offered in both formats, giving you the chance to taste two different expressions of the same bean and roast. Across the board, we’ve found their coffees to consistently be really intriguing, often veering towards a tea-like style. They don’t always make good coffees for a weekday morning (when coffee is your stimulant of choice to wake a foggy brain), but they are excellent for a quiet start to a weekend morning.
Tasting Notes
This coffee is from the village of Kilenso Mokonissa in the Borena Hagermariam district, Sidama region. It’s an heirloom varietal grown at an elevation of 1750-1800 meters and naturally processed.
Right out of the grinder, notes of blueberry and black raspberry fill the air. In the cup, the most prominent note is blueberry pie, underscored by spice and oak notes. The palate has a creamy texture with minimal acidity supporting flavors of blueberry, melon, and toast. The lingering finish has lingering notes of berries and mint.
Very tasty, with the classic blueberry notes of Ethiopian coffees. If you happen to be in town and haven’t checked out Coava yet, you owe it to yourself to stop by.
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Stumptown Coffee Roasters Burundi Kinyovu
Here in Portland we’re very gastronomically blessed. Within a couple miles of where we’re living now, there are several breweries, three distilleries, a couple of restaurants specializing in house-made charcuterie, one specializing in selling and serving incredible local cheeses, and a chocolate maker. Not to mention the slew of good restaurants and food carts. Phew! Oh, and a couple of coffee roasters.
Actually, a plethora of coffee roasters is more like it. The number of coffee roasters is right up there with the number of breweries in town, and their range in terms of size can be just as dramatic. There are small micro-roasters who are roasting a pound at a time, just as there are small nano-breweries brewing 1-barrel (31-gallons) at a time. And the quality can be just as variable as well. Let’s face it, not all of the breweries brew good beer, and not all of the coffee roasters are roasting great coffee. But on the whole, the quality is quite good, and often outstanding.
So it’s really a wealth of riches here in this regards. Which makes it tough each Saturday morning, when I make coffee and realize, “Oh crap! That’s the last of the coffee!!” (and for some reason, this seems to happen only on weekend mornings), to decide where to go to pick up a pound of coffee or two for the week. Literally, within walking distance are 5 good roasters.
In this landscape, a roaster such as Stumptown gets shunted to the side on many occasions. With roasters such as Coava, Water Avenue, and Cellar Door so close by, it’s easy to dismiss Stumptown as the corporate behemoth of the lot. Whether or not that’s true, I have to admit that the reality is that they do appear to go to great lengths to source their coffee and to work directly with farmers as much as possible. Their current offerings include fourteen “direct trade” coffees, of the total of eighteen that they have on offer. This includes three of their four blends, the components of which are all directly sourced.
And the coffees are typically quite good, and they range the spectrum of the world’s coffee-growing region. Stop by the Stumptown Annex, and you can get a single cup or a pound of any coffee they’re offering, including Central American, African, and Indonesian coffees. The coffees are all light-to-medium roasted, and do a good job of letting the flavor of the bean come through.
I don’t mean to write a post glorifying Stumptown. But, as I brewed a cup of coffee this morning and mulled over where to go pick up a pound later today, I found myself reflexively dismissing Stumptown. For no other good reason than they have 9 locations, sell Panama Esmerelda coffee at crazy prices, and are a verifiable hipster scene.
Tasting Notes
During a recent coffee-resupplying trip to the Annex, we had picked up two 1/2 pounds of the Burundi coffees they were offering, Bwayi and Kinyovu. I didn’t get around to writing up anything about the Bwayi, but really enjoyed the Kinyovu and so jotted down some notes.
The Kinyovu washing station is located in the Kayanza Province of Burundi. It’s a group of farmers that Stumptown has worked with for a couple of years, and their notes indicate that new and changed practices at the station have gradually improved the quality of the coffee. The coffee is grown at an elevation of 1700-1900 meters, and includes the Bourbon, Jackson, and SL varietals.
I tasted this after brewing the coffee using Coava’s Kone drip filter.
The coffee’s aroma is earthy, with spices and cocoa. The palate is supple with a gentle mouthfeel and very balanced acidity. The flavors are subtle, with a subdued presence harboring flavors of cocoa dust, oak, plums, and peppery spices. The finish is reminiscent of the aroma with notes of carob and nuts.
This was an enjoyable coffee. Not one that really spoke to me, and likely not one I’d get again. Both this and the Bwayi were very understated coffees with an earthy, somewhat spicy palate. Good, clean coffees, but not a flavor spectrum that calls out to me.
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Terroir Coffee Co. Panama La Esmeralda Baru Lot 2010
Panama La Esmeralda. No other words in the world of coffee convey as much excitement or allure as these. Since it first took the coffee world by storm in 2004, the renown of the La Esmeralda coffee has steadily grown, and today it easily generates more excitement than any other coffee out there.
The farm was founded by Daniel and Price Peterson in the Boquete region of Panama, and for many years functioned as most coffee farms do – blending its various coffee varietals. But in 2004, the Petersons decided to take an alternate course, and separated out the Geisha varietal to submit to the annual Panama coffee competition. That year their coffee won the Best of Panama, and essentially the rest is history. They’ve since increased the number of acres devoted to the Geisha varietal, and continue to win awards.
This particular lot of coffee is from trees planted only four years ago in the Canas Verdes region. According to Terroir, this growing area, situated on the south-facing slopes of Volcan Baru at an altitude of 4900-5400 meters, has a notably different microclimate than the areas where Esmeralda grows the rest of their Geisha coffee, with more sun and less rain throughout the year.
Prior to tasting this coffee, I’d had the chance to try an Esmeralda coffee roasted by Portland roaster Public Domain. It was a good coffee, but one that I found difficult to think about objectively. I’d read and heard too much about Esmeralda before being able to actually drink it. So while I enjoyed the cup, my expectations were totally out of whack.
I’m really glad I had that cup of Esmeralda, because it paved the way for me to be able to fully appreciate this batch from Terroir (it’s also worth noting that the two coffees were not from the same lot). I was also totally excited to be able to brew this using our new Kone+Chemex combo from Coava Coffee, as I’m fully convinced that this is the optimal way of brewing up more delicate coffees such as Esmeralda.
So 26 grams of finely ground (#12) Esmeralda, 400 grams of boiled water, Kone, and Chemex, later, I sat down and thoroughly enjoyed a cup of Panama La Esmeralda.
Tasting Notes
The aroma has notes of orange peel, apricot marmalade, and cinnamon. The palate has a soft texture, with just enough brightening acidity to keep things interesting. Flavors of almonds, lemon, orange, apricot, and white wine – lots of complex layers of fruit that gradually unfold as the coffee cools. The finish winds down with notes of fruits and a white wine.
All in a all, a very complex, delicate coffee. I found that the brewing and temperature I was drinking it at was critical for really getting the most out of this coffee. French press was too coarse, and the flavors weren’t bright enough or as well-defined as when brewed with the Kone+Chemex. And even with the Kone+Chemex, a difference of 4-5 grams of coffee produced a notably different cup. In any of these cases, the coffee was splendid, but it really peaked when I got the amounts, grind, and method down right.
No doubt, if you love coffee, you owe it to yourself to try La Esmeralda at some point. In some sense, I suppose this may be like saying if you love Sauternes, you owe it to yourself to try Chateau d’Yquem. But then, Chateau d’Yquem is several hundred dollars a bottle, whereas La Esmeralda is a much more reasonable indulgence!
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Verve Coffee Roasters Karumandi Peaberry Kenya
We discovered Verve Coffee Roasters during our recent trip to San Francisco. We had one day to spend in town, and decided to conduct our own little gastronomic tour. First stop on our itinerary was breakfast at farm:table, a great little coffee shop/breakfast spot just outside of the downtown area. We ordered up some excellent pastries and quiche, and a carafe of coffee.
Right away, the coffee came across as significant. Instead of a french press, farm:table made our coffee in an Eva Solo coffee maker. This was our first time having coffee made this way, and I’m in love! It was great how the coffee was somewhere between a melitta filter and a french press, well-balanced between body, texture, and light, fresh flavors from the beans. After we finished our breakfast, I inquired about the coffee, and learned a few things about Verve. They’re located in Santa Cruz, CA and were founded in 2007 by friends Ryan O’Donovan and Colby Barr. They say all the “right” things about their approach to sourcing and roasting coffee, but just taking a look at their offerings, and having gotten to taste a couple of them, I’d say they’re backing up their words with very good coffees.
They offer a range of coffees from Latin America, Africa, and Indonesia, and after some hemming and hawing I chose to go with the Kenya Karumandi Peaberry. After a string of Latin American coffees recently, I was hankering to have a Kenyan coffee at home once again. This Karumandi coffee is produced by the Baragwi Farmers Cooperative Society, in the Kirinyaga district. The coop numbers 1200 members, and all of the coffee is grown between 1700-2100 meters. This specific coffee was harvested in April and May of 2010, and includes the SL28 and SL34 varietals. This is washed coffee, so you can expect some bright, sweet flavors.
Tasting Notes
I served this up from a french press, still my preferred way of brewing coffee. Although I’m pretty amped to look into an Eva Solo, and a Chemex using Coava Coffee’s new Kone filter.
The coffee pours a deep, dark black with crimson highlights. The nose is smoky, sweet, and earthy, leading to a palate rich with dark fruit flavors, plums, black cherries, carob, turbinado sugar, mint. The texture is deft, supple, and mouth-filling. The coffee finishes with notes of sweet syrup and soft fruits.
All in all, a nice coffee that displays the classic Kenyan character in a soft, supple frame. I’d gladly give some other Verve coffees a whirl, and have heard that they’re even served at a spot or two in Portland. So I’ll have to keep my eyes open. Of course, there’s no dearth of good/great coffee places in Portland (OR), so the challenge may be to not let a good roaster like Verve get lost in the shuffle!
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Barrington Coffee Roasters Daterra Reserve 2005-2007 Vertical
I recently had the privilege of taking part in a vertical tasting of three vintages of coffees from Brazil’s Daterra Farms, all roasted by Barrington Coffee Roasting Company. According to Barrington Coffee’s Barth Anderson, “each year Daterra chooses what they deem to be ‘the best’ of all of their coffees and they give it the Daterra Reserve distinction. It is a choice they make based upon cup quality, rather than uniformity of varietal or terroir.” Excitingly, what this means is that because Daterra grows a number of different varietals of coffee, each year the Daterra Reserve distinction may be bestowed upon a different varietal. Anderson stated that, “As they use an appellation system for keeping their coffees geographically distinct, they certainly have the ability to offer exactly the same coffee from each years harvest. But this doesn’t necessarily guide them in their choice of each year’s best. This did, however, happen to be the case in ’05 and ’06 with the Acaia.”
Barrington Coffee created their Landed Aging Program as a means of carefully aging those coffees that they believed would further develop and improve with time. In their warehouse they have a number of coffees aging, from a variety of producers and vintages. They began the program several years ago, and now have multiple vintages on hand from many of the same producers, allowing them to stage exactly the kind of vertical tasting that I took part in. Coffees that are part of their Landed Aging Program are sealed in special bags and stored in a temperature controlled environment, with the goal of allowing them to age gently and evenly.
Now, as anyone who has thought about aging wines knows, not all wines get better with age. Some, such as those from Barolo and Sauternes are known to improve with age, showing well after decades. An extreme example of this would be the longevity of Vin Jaune from France’s Jura region, wines that are known to show beautifully after six decades or more! Yet, most wines are not meant to be aged, and holding onto them too long simply results in a wine that is a lesser shadow of its former self. Barrington Coffee faces a similar dilemma in choosing which coffees to include in their Landed Aging Program. Not all coffees will improve with aging, and yet the very practice of aging coffee (on purpose) is in its infancy, and we know little about what qualities a coffee needs to have to age well.
From the outset of their Landed Aging Program, Barrington Coffee has been putting away vintages of the Daterra Farms Reserve, a coffee that has a very good reputation. The varietals are not the same each year, but vary from year to year. The 2005 and 2006 are both Acaia and the 2007 is Yellow Bourbon. The 2008 and 2009 (not included in this tasting) are Red Bourbon. All this really means is that Daterra Farms felt that for each of these specific vintages, these varietals were the best of their many lots of coffee. It’d be interesting to speculate as to why Acaia was the choice two years in a row, followed by three straight years of bourbons. Anderson stated that, “[this] helps to illustrate how even the same varietal on the same plot of land can exhibit different characteristics from year to year.” So what leads to these year-to-year differences? What in the growing season results in such vintage variations?
Tasting Notes
This vertical tasting was done as a cupping, with the coffees initially presented one at a time, followed by side-by-side comparisons.
2005 Vintage (Acaia varietal)
The nose has notes of macadamia nuts, milk chocolate, black cherries, and cinnamon. The palate is gentle and softly textured, with warm sweet flavors of almonds, chocolate, caramel, and roasted peanuts, complemented by a touch of orange zest. The finish is tantalizing, lingering, and sweet. Of the three vintages, I found this one to be the nuttiest of them all, full of peanuts, almonds, and cashews.
2006 Vintage (Acaia varietal)
The nose on this vintage has notes of cayenne, cardamom, brown sugar, and roasted nuts. The palate is softly textured, opening with flavors of smoke and toast, and then transitioning to sweet flavors of vanilla, turbinado sugar, and cocoa powder, with an undercurrent of almonds and lime citrus. The medium-length finish leaves lingering flavors reminiscent of the palate. This coffee was the sweetest and smoothest of the three.
2007 Vintage (Yellow Bourbon varietal)
Right from the start, this coffee is an entirely different experience from the previous two vintages. Notes of smoky game, chocolate covered cherries, spices, and pie crust waft out of the cup. The body is firm with a supple texture supporting sweet flavors of caramel, apple butter, milk chocolate, almonds, hints of citrus. A brightening acidity offsets this collection of sweet, mellow flavors. The gently rolling finish exhibits flavors of milk chocolate and key limes.
In sum, this was a very fun, thought-provoking experience. Being able to taste three consecutive vintages of the coffees that Daterra Farms felt were the best from each year’s crop really illustrated both how coffees change over the years, and how different varieties age in such unique ways. As I mentioned earlier, the last two vintages have been bourbon varietals, same as the 2007. It would be a great experience to taste the 2007, 2008, and 2009 side-by-side when the 2009 is released this fall, and then again a couple of years down the road, when they’ve all gotten a few years of aging in. Something to look forward to I hope!