Counter Culture Coffee Washington, DC

A great cupping this very clear and cold morning…

La Golondrina - The fragrance for this coffee was a nutty, dark cocoa powder with a slight earthiness.  This developed into a rich, dark chocolate brownie batter in the aroma and smelled like a stout with yeasty malt character.  We found some green veggies on the break along with a caramel sweetness and some more dark chocolate.  The brightness was lower (delicate orange) but increased as it cooled.  The flavor was described as chocolate, nutty, orange, and smooth.  The body was thinner and the aftertaste was substantial and lasting.

Teka -

1.  Smelling the dry grounds reminded us of a floral, cherry pipe tobacco.

2.  When we added the water, we smelled a Yankee Candle:  Mulling Spices (cinnamon, clove).

3.  Breaking the crust brought up memories of caramel covered apples (brown sugar, sweet spices, apples).

4.  Brightness was medium high like a sweet tangerine.

5.  The flavor was smoky and spicy with a little red fruit.

6.  We felt the body was silkier than the first.

7.  This coffee finished with a pleasant, juicy aftertaste.

Michicha - This coffee was summed up in three words:  ”Chocolate covered blueberries.”  I think that says it all.  This coffee was unanimously everyone’s favorite on the table today (8).

Hello fellow cuppers…
Due to the crazy snow storms this week, we won’t be cupping at th training center on Friday February 12th. Please join us next Friday as we continue our slurping tradition!

Alex

Hi all

Today we had 3 coffees on the table to evaluate:

Aida’s Grand Reserve 2009 - a blend of peaberries from Finca Mauritania, Los Alpes, and Finca Kilamanjaro farms in Santa Ana, El Salvador.  ”Citrus! Lime! Sweet!” were the first couple words from people after I had asked what they smelled in the coffee.  There was also a bready-peanut thing happening in conjunction with raspberries and honey.  We were off to a great start and ready to dig into this coffee and see what lay ahead in the slurp.  But first, we evaluated the break and folks thought that the citrus and bready notes were the major descriptors.  When we finally started to taste, we found there was a lot going on:  more citrus (orange and lime), sweet & sour sauce, rich and sweet chocolate, and a savory/salty element too.  The body was light and waxy with a clean/quick/sweet finish.  Great job, Aida–This is a really terrific coffee!  6 favorites

Teka from Muramvya, Burundi - This is a coffee from the Teka washing station–a quality focused mill in Burundi.  We got some great smells starting off including earthy chocolate, salted meats, black pepper, and fruits.  The break was sweet maple syrup and oranges.  This was a bright coffee (with acidity ramping up as it cooled), but not quite as citrusy as the 1st coffee.  Flavors were juicy red fruits, bitter chocolate, sweet pipe tobacco all wrapped up in a syrupy, whole milk body.  The finish was resiny pine with dry tannins reminiscent of red wine.  We were really into this coffee.  6 favorites.

Gayo from Aceh, Sumatra - Hemp and nut seed oil on the nose first off became green pepper and strawberry jam when water was added.  During the break we smelled toasted corriander, nuts and dark cherries–a little winey.  We started tasting this coffee and really noticed the herbaceous flavors:  sage, black pepper, thyme, and earth.  The brightness was high, but in a different way than the previous two…more of a baking chocolate acidity.  We felt that the body was thinner than we expected based on the aromas, and the finish was very lasting and vegetal.  Gayo was named “most interesting coffee on the table.”  3 favorites.

Hello folks!  Great cupping today at the DCTC!  It was a blast with 4 new visitors and 4 baristas who did great today at describing the following 3 coffees:

Ndaroini– Nyeri, Kenya (2 fav)

Fragrance:  Chocolate, cherry/rasp/hazelnut/berry, cayenne, heavy fall forest, woodsy, autumn musk, tomato sweet.

Aroma:  Earth, currant, charcoal, rasp, dark chocolate, sweet, raspberry pie baking, high mountain snow

Break: Oatmeal, BKFST, toast, honey, cedar, green pepper, cooked carrot

Brightness: High, med-high, orange, light, muted citrus into super pop, sweet cherry tomato, initially, low and ramped as it cooled.

Flavor: Tinny-tomato, caramel, mulch, nutty, savory kombu, black peppercorns, popcorn, salty, lemons & citrus as cooled.

Body: Weak into chewy, silky, light, soft, thin, “feeling of a hand across a balloon–on my tongue.”

Aftertaste: Tobacco, greens, savory, well rounded, deliciousness, sour, longer as cooled.

Washed Shakisso–Sidamo, Ethiopia (5 fav)

Fragrance:  Cherry,oak, floral blossom, vanilla beans, orange blossom, plum, fresh linens, strawberry

Aroma:  All red fruits, cinnamon x2, raw hazelnuts, coffee liqueur, flowers, potpourri, green pepper, apricots, apple

Break: celery, sage, curry & caramel x 3, early morning dewy lake, roasted chestnuts.

Brightness: Dark red, medium, med-low, white outlined with yellow, warm, glowy, strawberry lemonade.

Flavor: Earth, dill, baked potato, roasted artichokes, honey, lime at cool, lemon-orange x 3, citrus, lime, pineapple.

Body: Thin x 2, old citrus dryness, medium x 2, blooming.

Aftertaste: MSG, Caramelly, nada, milk choc, lingered.

Natural Shakisso–Sidamo, Ethiopia (1 fav)

Fragrance:  Roasted apple/oak, grass, toasted sea weed, vinegar & raisins (malty mash sweetness), blueberry x 3, dried key-lime.

Aroma:  Blueberry citrus, cologne, black licorice, cereal, grains, fireplace, hops (pale ale), rubber, blood orange.

Break: Blueberry kamikaze, smoky cab, sav blanc

Brightness: Purple, low, medium, sharp into low smooth…sour as cooled.

Flavor: Walnut, durian, blueberry, woody, cocoa, brown sugar, berry clementine, whisky bitterness, chocolate, Cabernet.

Body:  Thick coating, waxy, more pop, malted, round, gritty

Aftertaste: Tannic, lingered, heavy/long, not as long lasting, deep fruity earthiness.