Coffees

This is an rare opportunity to roast coffee from the Congo. Lake Kivu is also bordered by Rwanda and Burundi, and this region produces some of my favorite African coffees. Relief from the civil unrest has allowed coffee farmers to return to their farms in the Congo, where they are cultivating Bourbon type plants, and… Continue reading Congo Organic Kivu Kalehe: 02/20/2024

I hadn't roasted a Nicaraguan bean in ages, and this one seemed like a good place to restart. It will roast dark for the winter months, and according to Sweet Maria's "You really can't go wrong with roast level. The cup shows modest sweetness and acidity, and flavor profiles of chocolate croissant, cinnamon-laced cocoa powder,… Continue reading Nicaragua Acopio Suyatal:12/24/2023

I don't think we can go wrong with a classic coffee from Antigua. I almost stop researching as soon as I find a bean like this one. Sweet Maria's says: "A delightful brew with crowd-pleasing sweetness of honey, and brown sugar, top note hints of chamomile, lemon, and apple-like acidity. Full City show a more… Continue reading Guatemala Antigua Pulcal Inteligente: 12/24/2023

I felt it was time for a special coffee. This one caught my eye: "Floral and herbaceous hints trigger a retro-nasal effect while drinking. Simple syrup sweetness accented by jasmine, lemongrass tea, stone fruits, lemon jell-o, baking spice, and a refreshing vibrance. Stunning pour over! City to Full City." This is what Wikipedia says about… Continue reading Guatemala Acatenango Gesha Lot 2: 11/27/2023

Some of my favorite coffees come from Burundi. Personally, I feel they fall between Guatemalan (chocolate, cocoa, full bodied) and Ethiopian (bright, complex and floral). If doesn't matter if I am making a pour-over or espresso. This coffee comes from Kazoza N'Ikawa, roughly translating to "the future is coffee". Bourbon is the dominant cultivar in… Continue reading Burundi Kayanza Kazoza N’Ikawa:10/01

The tasting comments from Sweet Maria's: "Raw sugar notes open up to some dried green apple, and a note of Darjeeling tea that marks the aroma. The acidity has a refreshing malic side to it, like fresh pear. Full City roasts produce layers of rich chocolate bittersweetness, intermixed with a hint of dark fruits, like… Continue reading Guatemala Michicoy Finca Rosma:10/01

Crowd-pleasing cup, top notes pleasantly restrained amidst a bittersweet backdrop. Malty sweetness, molasses, cinnamon stick, dried green apple, and dark cocoa roast flavors. City to Full City+. Good for espresso.

A stunning cup when roasted to City/City+, light and bright, long-steeped black tea notes that linger, sugar cane, cinnamon bark, aromatic allspice and rose hips, lemongrass-like acidity that pops. City to Full City. Bourbon is the dominant cultivar in the region (as is the case in most of Burundi), a variety known for syrupy sweetness… Continue reading Burundi Kayanza Kazoza N’Ikawa:10/1/2023

Light roasts show spiced teas, compact sweetness, dried green apple, and malic acidic impression like fresh pear. Darker development brings out layered bitter-sweets, and dark fruit hint. City to Full City+. Rosma makes a great Guatemalan espresso. Thick, rich chocolate flavors have depth in bittersweetness, and the syrupy liquid is marked by a slight tangy… Continue reading Guatemala Michicoy Finca Rosma: 11/9/2023

The San Pedro growing region is in the mountainous Huehuetenango, where farm altitude ranges from 1800 - 2000 meters ASL. This coffee comes from a family run an export business in Huehuetenango. Cupping Notes from Sweet Maria's The dry fragrance is very sweet, City+ roasts having the crystalline sweetness of white frosting, with faint allusions… Continue reading Guatemala Xinabajul San Perdro Necta: 2/19/2023