Monthly Archive for July, 2009

Cupping 7-31-09

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Alex
on July 31, 2009
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Decaf Valle del Santuario

Kicked it off with some sweet smells :  chocolate, raisins, prunes, caramel, molasses, maple, raspberry

Then got into some savory smells:  peppery, beef jerky, salted meat, toasted chiles, cumin

Finished with some comfort:  Grandma’s attic, warm biscuits, pumpkin pie, fireplace (starter log)

We found the acidity to be very bright at first (high, lemon, twang, snappy), then lowered as it cooled (spice, medium, medium low, fluid).  Our flavors  were floral/herbaceous (Hops, cilantro), sweet (peach, spiced cake, chocolate, gingerbread, overcooked caramel), and nutty (roasted nuts, almonds, amaretto).  The body was thin, light, and translucent; however, smooth and silky at the same time.  Finally we were left with a savory/metallic/meaty aftertaste that was muted yet clean.

2 favorites and a general uproar at the discovery of the decaffeination.

Idido Misty Valley gathered 7 of the favorite votes (despite its age), but those who know it well were a little bummed out by its decline in body and sweetness.  Amazingly, this coffee is still tasting great.  I think the best descriptor of the day was “berry blast” which pretty much says it all about this coffee.  I like that underneath the berries and fruits in the coffee there is some nice chocolate and earthiness to help pull it into balance.   I was also excited about the minty and refreshing sensation we experienced in the aftertaste–I never know what to call this sensation, but I liken it to eating a peppermint candy then drinking really cold water very quickly.   We are already mourning the loss of this coffee and will continue to enjoy it until the end.

Finally the new crop Finca Pashapa comes back to us and is really tasting nice.  some cuppers were a bit skeptical after the fragrance and aromas, but once we started tasting, people were liking it more and more.  We had our share of FR haters, but even the most staunch opponents couldn’t argue that there was something really nice about this coffee.  We tasted a lot of savory flavors (cooked greens, barbeque, hickory, grilled chicken, charcoal, meats, burnt toast) and a few sweet ones (muffins, sweet, chocolate, dark fruits).  The body was creamy, syrupy, full and silty.  We tasted lots of metallic, earthy, garden, and bitter smokiness on the finish.

6 people said it was their favorite coffee.

That is all–thanks to all who cupped with us this morning and thank you even more if you are reading this now…

Alex

Cupping 7-24-09

Published
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Alex
on July 27, 2009
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Hello folks who read this and love coffee…

We had 8 cuppers on Friday.

Finca El Puente was first on the table and it was delivering some really nice things to our noses and tastebuds.  We all went around the table and talked about what memories this coffee brought up in us and here is what folks said:

A bright, warm sunny lawn with dandelions all around and the smell of freshly mowed grass floating atop the afternoon breezes.

A trip to Murky where a cupper had a single, black cup of coffee for the first time in their life–a departure from their normal order of a  sugary sweet latte drink.

A day walking through grandma’s garden where potatoes, raspberries/blueberries, corn, and other summer vegetables grew.

A day of being young and building forts in the woods behind the house on a summer afternoon.

2 favorites

We were really excited about the Ndaroini when we got to it–it was a nice contrast to the Puente with its deeper savory notes, its milk chocolate, and sour cherry brightness.  The aftertaste was quick and sweet leaving cuppers ready for another cup.

4 Favorites

Finally the Finca Nueva Armenia really intrigued everyone with its full, round sweetness.  Blueberries were mentioned again and again as we were discussing this coffee.  Someone said the brightness was a 40W light bulb–soft and rich, but provided bright.  We were excited about the creamy body and sugary-sweet aftertaste.

Some memories were:

A bakeshop with scratch-made pastries and desserts.

A Grandpa, his grandson, and a horse all standing in the stall together.

A first cupping at Murky when a cupper realized there were differences between coffees for the first time!

2 Favorites

Thanks all and tune in next week!

Cupping 7-17-09

Published
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Alex
on July 20, 2009
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The DCTC welcomed 12 cuppers this morning (including one Dynamite Durhamite!)

Valle del Santuario,

San Ignacio, Peru

We got off to a very savory start with this coffee:  Tomato (minestrone), savory (cheese?), yeasty, bready, cooked greens, and then we moved into some sweetness and fruitiness in the aromas: Black cherry, orangex3, dried apricot, cherry pie, lemons, floral, and perfume.  The break was chocolaty and sweet with a smooth, balanced aroma.  Also some clean linens, earth, walnuts, and some smoked wood.

We picked up some nice brightness that was like an overripe orange and med-low like a sweet lemon.  We tasted the typical nutty (toasted nuts), Sweet (buttery caramel), and earthy (dirt-topsoil) with some surprising notes of fruits (cherry pie, orange citrus), Herbs (spicy, rosemary, hibiscus, herbal lemon tea), and rounded it out with that yummy savory-veggie (green beans sauteed in butter).  The body was quick, light, med-smooth, and satisfying.  It had a nice clean aftertaste that was silky and dissipated nicely.

favorites 4.5

La Golondrina

Popayan, Colombia

Fragrance:  mustard, bananas, caramel, tangy, walking in the woods, depth of fragrance

Aromas:  beans, grapes, lemons, wine, cherry pie, earthy, citrus, lemon

Break:  post bleach cleansed, warm sugar, lemon vanilla

Brightness:  med med high,  brightest on table, brighter as cooled, punched in face

Flavor:  disappointing (expected more based on fragrance and aroma), V8, sweet in beginning, no fullness, too quick, balanced, refreshing (savory), lemonade, bright, lingered, citrus, nutty, tea,  melon, orange, peachy

Body –watery, light, heavier than first, medium

Aftertaste:  clean, toasty, molasses, spiciness, more about the aftertaste

3.5 favorites

Cenaproc (French Roast)

Caranavi, Bolivia

This coffee began with heavy savory fragrances of grilled veggies and smoked meats.  We found a lot of Dark chocolate with some surprising floral and lavender aromas.  One cupper described the break of this coffee as being “high up in the mountains.”

The brightness was low, but not as low as we all expected–it had a nice subtle tingle.  We experienced nice flavors like pungent blue cheese and dark chocolate mixed with oak and toffee.  We all thought the body was milky and heavy and coated the tongue–it was likened  to the body of a good Irish stout.  We were left with the lingering aftertastes of evergreen and smoked tea.

3 favorites.

Cupping 7-10-09

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Alex
on July 10, 2009
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There were 18 cuppers today in Washington DC…

The Purple Princess has returned!  Finca El Puente was the first coffee on the table today and it made a big impression on the cuppers here.  I could barely write fast enough to record all of the fragrance and aroma notes that were coming my way (Blackberry, lemon tart, sweet, citrus, sour, cobbler baking, coconut milk, peach, cinnamon, nutty, toffee, sherry, toast, butter, savory, Slim Jim, root beer, chocolate, bacon, firewood, smokey)!

…And then we began talking about the brightness:  Mild, light tang like a kiwi or melon was the middle of the road description, but we also had some folks who really enjoyed the brightness and described it as A big, high acidity with tart berry notes.  The flavors were complex being mostly fruity (kumquat, tart orange, blackberry, plums) and herbaceous (parsley, mild herbs, and radicchio).  The body was Rounded and full and reminded us of 2% milk.  It lingered pleasantly, but didn’t hang around too long.  The aftertaste was mild, sweet, and clean with a little drying sensation–overall very pleasant.

Even though this coffee got everyone excited, only 4 folks picked it as their favorite.  We all agreed it was a great “porch drinkin” coffee.  It will be nice for the summertime and everyone is anxious to try it iced!  This coffee was a brilliant way to start our morning and it only got better from here…

We moved on to an awesome coffee that caught my attention this morning while I was weighing out cupping samples.  When I cut this bag open, I got a super-intense whiff of perfume!  it really whetted my palate for what was to come.  The Rusenyi started out with some great floral notes of perfume, Tonka beans, candy, and sweet cherries.  It only got sweeter as people smelled the aroma:  cotton candy, vanilla ice cream, raisins, browned butter, mangoes, almond blossoms, and peaches.  the break was savory with celery, eggs, grass, and bread dough as the descriptions.

The brightness in this coffee was simply citrus and overripe melons.  The yeast and savoriness really began to show up in the flavor notes.  People tasted Marmite, cheeses, brewers yeast, earthiness,  meats, and roasted things.  But let’s not forget the fruity notes:  Berries, melons, apricots, tangerines, Orange Dreamsicles, and peaches!  We felt the body was light, a bit elusive, and juicy while the aftertaste was described as “balanced and refreshing, a perfect hot weather coffee!”

We were really excited about the floral/sweet/fruit notes from the Rusenyi and thought that it was well balanced by a savory anchor of great umami flavors.  9 people chose this as their favorite coffee today.

And finally, we moved on to Gayo.  I think that we enjoyed this coffee even better than the last time we cupped it.  The very first descriptor on the board today was “blueberry.”  I have never found that in this coffee before, but when someone said it, everyone nodded in agreement.  We also found dried cherries, fruits, dark cherries, sugar, candied yams, sweet roasted beets, and cherry pie filling–all very exciting notes for a Sumatra coffee!  It had the usual mushroom, wet leather, damp soil, black pepper, herbs, spices and the signature green bell pepper descriptors, but really showed off its complexity and reminded how great the Gayo is.  The body was creamy like 1/2 and 1/2 and the aftertaste lingered with a mulchy spiciness.

This was described as a “wake me up and get me started” coffee for morning time.  It was also tasty enough to tie for second place with Finca El Puente–4 people voted this their favorite coffee on the table today.

Exciting times, yummy coffees…

Cupping Cancelled for July 3rd 2009

Published
by
Alex
on July 2, 2009
in Free Weekly Coffee Cuppings
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Hello everyone,
the cupping scheduled for Friday July 3rd is canceled. Please join us on Friday, July 10th as we resume our normal Friday morning schedule. Thank you and please feel free to call Alex Brown 202 903 4802 with any questions.