Sight Glass, El Salvador Finca Santa Leticia, Valdivieso Family- "Standard" Aeropress

This one was procured by Brent via our standard Milstead & Co. , Errr.. Sorry, it was at Broadcast. He chose an El Salvador Finca Santa Leticia, Valdivieso Family, from San Francisco's Sight Glass, our second venture into their coffees. We had tasted some in early June, compared to Seattle's own Kuma, and it was deemed slightly superior, although not a standout. Let's see how their roasting, with a Centroamerican Coffee fares today.

We have been leaning heavily on one aeropress method, the inverted one, and I decided to switch it up today. Thus I followed a "standard" aeropress method, as found on the world aeropress championship website by first place winning Shuichi Sasaki (recipes) in 2014. This method is in the upright or standard position, first "blooming" the coffee with a small amount of water, stirring, and then adding more water and pressing very slowly. We really need to get a scale and a temperature gauge here, I had the water just off boil, rather than at the suggested 78 degree temperature.

There wasn't much bloom this time, which was surprising as the coffee was only roasted 7 days ago.

Notes:
Brent: Toasted nutty-ness -  very pleasant.  The aeropress treated this quite suitably.
Jay: Immediately has a bright tone to it, floral, hybiscus-y. The flavor then rounds out to a hazelnut, or light chocolate tone with a touch of smoke for a finish. Has a nice, light body, and citrus crisp notes. Again, solid (could drink all day) choice.


Jay's rating: 8
Brent's rating: 8.5

Ruby Colorful Coffees, Brazil, Carmo de Minas - Inverted Aeropress

Continuing our quest in the World Cup quarterfinals for a Brazil coffee, we schlepped down to Milstead & Co., where we found not one, but TWO Brazilian beans, one from Coava in Portland, and another from Ruby Colorful Coffees, from Wisconsin, which we had tried back in February, with a Colombian coffee. When posing the question of what the difference would be, we were informed that the Ruby would be a little lighter, and the Coava a little more peanut buttery. The peanut butter we would pass on, so went with the Ruby, Brazil, Carmo de Minas.

On immediate inspection, these were much lighter in color, producing an orange-ochre hue, and got a really healthy amount of bloom:

Notes -
Brent:  This coffee performed well in both the aeropress and in the drip coffee maker.  My impression was a smooth well-rounded flavor, slight sweet notes.  A great morning coffee.

Jay: Roastful flavor, despite lighter roasted than typical Brazilian beans we have had in the past. Opens up to a carmelly-chocolate tone, with floral undertones. I find it by far, to be the best Brazilian coffee I have had yet, as its less roasted tones allow for a much more complex flavor. Worked well on a French press at home, also.



Jay's rating: 8
Brent's rating: 8.5

Slate Coffee Roasters, Sidama, Ethiopia Kilenso - Inverted Aeropress

One mid-day break on the way to the quarter finals of the world cup, Brent had let me know that Slate Coffee Roasters had some Brazilian beans. Anxious to get these to properly root for a Brazilian victory (post-script, the game against Colombia was a bitter, Pyrrhic victory). At Slate, the fellow working noted that they were not only out of the Brazil, but also all the South or Central American stuff (our recent jam). Reluctantly, we asked what was recommended, and he immediately suggested their Sidama, Ethiopia Kilenso.

Upon brewing this in our now usual inverted aeropress fashion, there was a mighty bloom found:

Notes -
Brent: As always, Slate delivers in the African coffee category.  They seem to have an exceptional way of roasting these coffees - full flavor, nice complexity.   This kind of coffee does not perform well in a traditional coffee maker, and will surprise a casual drinker as the flavor profile is quite strong.  My wife personally does not prefer the natural process, she finds the flavors too strong.   I think the aeropress brings out the best of this one, the strawberry is quite apparent.

Jay:
This coffee, despite the light roast, retains the full power that African coffees are able to have, without the monolithic punch of smoke. It was all about nuance, and is some of the best coffee from Ethiopia I've ever had. Amazingly powerful smell of strawberries, tangy, light with an ending of unsweetened cocoa nibs.



Jay's Rating: 10
Brent's Rating: 9

Forty Ninth Parallel - Colombia El Descanso - Inverted Aeropress

We have tried a few Forty Ninth Parallel coffees over time, but I believe this is the first one we have posted online. They roast near Vancouver, BC, and we have found them to have consistently good coffee. Now, we are rating the Colombia El Descanso that they offer, and I will be first to note that my preference for Colombian coffee here has no negative vibes against my World Cup favorite, Brasil this year (GO BRASIL!). However, here we go.

Upon grinding and starting up the inverted aeropress, there was a formidable amount of bloom, indicating the freshness. (We got it five days after roasting). The beans were roasted on the medium - light side, with tasting notes on the bag as follows: "Madagascar vanilla and stewed plum aromatics. Velvety texture, wild strawberries and plum up front, with a clean dynamic finish."

I would concur with some of the notes, but I thought this was an interesting blend of smoke to subtleties, a more earthy ending than one would expect by the color of the roast. But this being said, that's not a bad thing! My notes here: Immediately, smell of vanilla, tasting fades past the floral into a fruity tone, finished by a little bit of smokey s'mores tones. Very complex stuff, goes right along with what  we would suspect from this roaster.

Jay's Rating: 9
Brent's Rating: 9.5