A new order: Rwanda, Columbia and Ethiopia

Coffee, cigars and rum go togther like priests and choirboys. Indeed the brothers are known to have a tipple now and then. Oh and some rum, cigars and Belgian beer as well, lol...
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Capn Jimbo
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A new order: Rwanda, Columbia and Ethiopia

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Sleepy, et al....


Over time and to my long favorite Columbian coffee, I first added Ethiopian so that I could create a blend: Columbians to FC or FC+, with Ethiopian to City and City+.

I recently got a mailed from Maria's that I found extremely intriguing:
Rwanda Tumba Cocatu:

"This lot from Cocatu is competition level coffee and definitely one of the best we tasted this year. The dry fragrance has the smell of caramel apple candy and toffee malt. It's very sweet, I'll say 'saturated' sweet, and with a floral note underneath it all that is delicate. This floral aspect becomes more vivid when adding hot water, taking on characteristics of honeysuckle. Like the fresh ground coffee, the wet grounds are super sweet with notes of hot apple cider, pie spices, and fresh whipping cream, and the break is loaded with the smell of caramel. The aromatics are closely tied to the cup profile, which as it turns out, is nothing short of spectacular! The body is thick, which conveys flavors of raw cane juice and pulpy citrus very well. Cocatu has a bit of 'heft', yet is a balanced cup when we compare it to other Rwandas.

Citrus flavors like Naval orange and pink grapefruit juice come out in the cooling cup. Light roasts are especially juicy, with a blend of dark berries making a distinct impression. The acidity has definition and is grape-like (tartaric) but with a pomegranate tartness to it. Full City roasts remain oh so sweet and juicy, with a bit of chocolate roast tones in the background. With all this, it's safe to say that new crop Cocatu is a real 'highlight' coffee all the way, and we highly recommend trying Full City-and-beyond roasts as single-origin espresso."
Pretty hard to ignore, so this time I ordered 6 pounds, 2 lb each of:

Rwanda Tumba Cocatu: $6.50/lb (description above)

Colombia Familia Guerra - La Gallineta
: $6.50
"This coffee has a structured sweetness in the cup that is alluded to throughout the aromatic profile. There's a smell of butter cookies in the ground coffee, with a culmination of butter and unrefined sugar. This sweetness is found in both light and darker roasts, along with dried fruits like apple and plum. The wet aroma also has a sort of cookie smell to it, most like butterscotch brownie. Breaking the crust reveals notes of dried stone fruits, and maple candy. This coffee is truly candy sweet, and the cup boasts heaping doses of buttery caramel and honey.

Light roasts have a refreshing flavor of apple juice, golden plum replete with the tart skin, and also vibrant, malic acidity. Flavors of cocoa also come about and are especially present in the already sweet finish. Even at Full City, this coffee's sweetness is like fruit nectar - thick and syrupy, and with caramel sugar and malt chocolate. This is a full bodied cup of coffee, and at Full City and beyond, this makes a fantastic SO espresso - viscous, chocolatey, and with a apple juice-like brightess. "

Ethiopia Anfilo -Shebele Fana Cooperative
: $5.95
"This lot from the Shebele Fana washing station reminds us of the early Illubabor coffees we used to buy - a solid, crowd- pleaser, a drinking coffee. It has a solid sweetness and is heavy with notes of complex sugars. Grinding the coffee brings out a smell of caramel and raw honey. Light roasts have a citrus accent that alludes to the coming cup profile as well as a slight note of hot chocolate mix. Adding hot water adds an element of baked goods to the aromatic profile. I get a sense of rhubarb pie, or apple crisp, with a dark brown sugar smell and cinnamon and all-spice notes.

Darker roasts definitely capitalize on chocolate roast tones and are sweet - more in line with milk chocolate. There's a delicate scent of wild flowers on the break as well. The cup shows developed sugars and red fruits at light and dark roasts. Lighter roasts are slightly more nuanced, with floral accents and citrus notes (pomelo, soft acidity), as well as a bit of red berry. Light and dark roasts show flavors of stone fruit flesh as well as the bittering skins and with a cocoa and citrus finish - like candied citrus with a dusting of fine Dutch drinking cocoa."
What I found interesting was the notably lower prices on all three, particularly the Ethiopian. Can't wait...
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Post by sleepy »

I reviewed the Rwanda several months ago and will continue to keep it in stock as long as it lasts. It is a surprising and outstanding coffee!

The Colombian sounds atypical to my experience, as they tend to far lighter-bodied than described and this description is far closer to my comfort zone - I need to order soon, so may try it.

It stays interesting, for blending, I think you may want to try reversing the formula - lighter Col. and darker Eth. It sounds as if the Eth. may need a bit of taming with a bit of darker roasting.
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

I hadn't thought of that...


So far I've deferred to Maria's and tried to follow their package recommendations, but I'll certainly try this in any event when I get them. In the meanwhile, could you please expound in more detail as to why you made these roast recommendations insofar as a Col/Eth blend?

And how would you approach the Rwandan? Part of a blend? Standalone? To what roasts and why? Thanks in advance...
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Post by sleepy »

Based on Tom's descriptions, it sounds as if this is an unusual Ethiopian that it will please more at somewhat darker roasts (mind that I haven't had it) and the Colombian, although tasty at full spectrum, might better balance for mixing w/ the Ethiopian at a lighter roast in order to provide some acidity and lighter fruit notes, while adding to the strong chocolate and heavy fruits of the Ethiopian.

Pure speculation on my part - it may well be that the sweet spot is both at FC - or they may just battle, causing a tempest in a coffee cup!

I LOVE the Rwandan and wouldn't consider blending it. I usually roast it to C/C+; FC is very tasty and a bit richer; at all into 2nd crack starts to kill the rich complexity. For me, C+/FC retains the bulk of it's brighter notes, while opening just enough of it's deeper tones to provide a complete, complex and verry satisfying cup.
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

Sleepy, thanks again...


Whilst waiting for the coffee to arrive (is it me or is Maria's running slower these days?) I stooped to the gutter to buy a discounted pound of Charbuck's "Tribute" blend, 4 coffees from 3 regions, incl. Papua New Guinea, Sumatra and Columbian Narino. An oily dark roast and to be fair, it really wasn't bad.

Now that this blend is about gone, I now have my Maria's shipment and decided to roast the Rwandan, did a 50/50 blend of City+ with FC. With Maria's top review and your experience I chanced being unable to sleep and couldn't resist brewing up 4 cups of the still warm roast.

The bean aroma is vegetal, the grind was terrific but of course the flavor is the game. Sue Sea - whose palate far exceeds mine - found the taste likewise vegetal with a bit of a slightly bitter aftertaste: "...like a black tea she said". I found it smooth and creamy, gentle in the mouth, touch of chocolate. Now as you'd guess, it's quite different than the Charbuck's which was definitely darker toned and spicier (which we like).

Our notion is to give it time and withhold judgement until we've had a few more chances with it.
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Post by sleepy »

Hmm - interested to hear how it is after rest. I get none of the vegetal quality, but usually let it get well clear of first crack before pulling.

And, yes, Sweet Maria's may be struggling. Although this is a comparatively slack season for coffee, when I went to restock yesterday, they were out of all Kenyans, Ethiopians, Costa Ricans, Ecuadorians,...

Delivery time, however, is usually dependent on UPS - pack and ship is almost always 2 days.
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Post by sleepy »

Just got a new order in yesterday: (not obsessing over exact varietals) the same Rwanda, your Colombian Familia Guerra and new Sumatran and Guatemalan offerings. Roasted the Rwanda, Sumatra and Colombian today.

First, my roast profile: in the rotisserie drum roaster, it is actually very difficult to get a uniform roast on most coffees roasting 1 pound in a 5 pound capacity drum <shrug>. At proper temperature, I usually enter 1st crack at 7-to 8:30 minutes; lasting typically just short of two minutes before last crack. Unless I want a very light City (pulled when there is a 10 second gap between cracks), after last crack, I go :15 for City, :30-:45 for City+, 1:00 +/- for C+/FC 1:15-1-:30 or so for FC, and 1:30-2:00 for FC+ - with full preparation for crash cooling if 2nd crack begins! (Once 2nd crack starts, it's a challenge to cool the coffee quickly enough to avoid overshooting the target roast. I prefer a 6th sense to let the 2nd crack start in the cooling basket. But, "Sometimes the magic works, sometimes it doesn't"{bonus points for identifying the near quote})

So with that measure, I roasted the Colombian to C+ (:45), Rwanda to FC (1:10) - my sweet point for it, and the Sumatran to FC+ (1:50+). Looking forward to tasting!

BUT, the reason for this bla-bla is the Rwandan - that roast is my sweet point for that coffee and probably why I get none of the vegetal tones with it, but still get the tropical floral tones and innate sweetness with scatterings of jammy sweet tropical fruit. As it cools, it goes brighter and opens a new set of flavors! Roast it a bit darker!
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

Funny you should post that Sleepy...


I was testing out my new setup and roasted the Rwandan to a bit past FC - the improvement was noticeable. BTW, there's a thread on using a flour sifter setup on a Poplite, and darn if it doesn't work beautifully.

Like you I noted a tendency for the roast to go quickly from 1C into 2C (using the sifter) so I finally did what should have been obvious - 1C started in about 4:30, and as got multiple cracks I simply lifted the sifter out of the popper, kept cranking while the retained heat kept the cracks going, perhaps 10 seconds off the heat, then back on a bit, then back off. Managed to get a pause of perhaps 2 min. until a few multiple 2C's occured, then ended the roast.

Gorgeous roast, just right. The beauty of the sifter method is the ability to completely control the heat, and quickly. The thread there is here:

http://www.sweetmariascoffee.com/forum/ ... =25&t=5331

Check it out. This setup (Poplite, sifter, two reducers) can be put together for around $30 or so, a dramatic improvement over the old popper method - more control, flexible loads, and great roast control with a bit of practice...
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