My Coffee advent calendar

So my Mrs kindly prepared coffee advent calendar and handed it to me this morning. Thought I’ll share it with you daily !

So day 1 is Goldbox coffee - Mexico Mazateca Mujeres - initial fruity sourness onto clear raspberry notes followed by creamy mouthfeel as espresso. As a milky piccolo more balanced with less prominent fruitiness - creamy mouthfeel and gentle bitter aftertaste.

Ernie1 that’s such a great advantage of Niche… So easy to dial in. I keep a list of all the coffees I had previously which makes it easier to dial in by referring back to origin and process.

This coffee was in a 50g bag

Day 2!
Smith street Castanhas do Brazil - smooth and well balanced as expected from Brazilian coffee. Note of hazelnut is the main thing I can pick up with sweet aftertaste.

Day 3:
Goldbox Colombia Santa Ana - my taste buds suggest blueberry on every sip and lightly boozy flavour in the background with lingering aftertaste. Brings back memories of Django’s Santa Ana!

Onto day 4 and we’re changing continent.

Sidewalk coffee Kenyan Kithungururu - can’t really put my finger on the taste with this one. It’s got a creamy mouthfeel matching roasters description but doesn’t strike as dark cherry to me. Good tasting cup with gentle citrus like flavour in the background which goes away after a while and leaves a sweet aftertaste.

Day 5 is a Workhorse 50/50 Brazil/Rwanda espresso blend from Horsham - does exactly what it says ! Low acidity, nuts, chocolate and sweetness that could be associated with caramel. Found more prominent citrus note in the background with milk rather than espresso.

Day 6:
Kiss the hippo aquaires Costa Rica - well balanced coffee with light, pleasant bitterness. Brewed at 92 degrees 1-2.2 ratio, run 30 seconds with 10 seconds pre-infusion. Will grind a tad finer next time.

Day 7 - Smith street the don El Salvador Peru - their season blend. Sweet with light bitterness lingering with maybe a bit of spiciness in the background. Preferred this one as a piccolo. Pulled 1 - 2.25 ratio @ 41sec with 10 sec pre-infusion at 93 degrees. Will grind a little coarser next time.

Least favourite at the moment.

On day 8 we’ve got Tank coffee Ethiopia Djimmah - smooth body with bittersweet aftertaste. No fireworks here but a decent cup. 92 degrees, 1:2 ratio @ 23 sec so see how it comes out when ground finer.
Second attempt was at 32 seconds but still not fireworks.

Day 9
Goldbox Kenya KII AB - wow this does exactly what it says on the tin! From the first sip you get blackcurrant tartness with a little bit of jammy sweetness and it continues as you keep drinking. As a piccolo milk takes away most of the tartness but you still clearly get the blackcurrant - a bit like blackcurrant milkshake (not that I ever had one). Really like this! Brewed at 92.5 degrees 1:2.3 ratio @ 32 seconds with 10 second pre-infusion.

Number 10 !

Kiss the hippo Jazmin Honduras - drank as espresso initial tartness followed by spiciness which could be associated with herbal notes. Almond really comes to life with milk. Few minutes after finishing the cup I’m still left with almond taste and something that could be named a cherry aftertaste. Another very good coffee! 93 degrees 1:2.3 ratio @ 36 seconds with 10 seconds pre-infusion.

Onto day 11:
Horsham Kenya Kianderi AB - tart, possibly citrus flavours dominate as espresso. Not unpleasant but clearly acidic fruit forward. With milk this is tamed as expected and you get a bit more bittersweet taste. 93 degrees 1:2.35 ratio @ 35 seconds with 10 seconds pre-infusion.

Day 12 offering is Tank coffee Kenya AA - another Kenyan coffee yet less tart and fruit forward. Getting a light floral vibe. With milk it’s a smooth, quite sweet coffee. 92.5 degrees 1:2.2 ratio @ 27 seconds with 10 seconds pre-infusion so will grind finer next time.

Inspector I set it depending on the roast level of the beans and then increase/decrease if I’m not happy with the shot ie. Too acidic.

Day 13
Goldbox Bensa asefa Ethiopia - claiming a cup score of 88.25 ! Really juicy and with just perfect amount of tartness/sour notes. Very enjoyable as espresso. The best way I can describe it is as very ripe fruit with a perfect balance of tart and sweet flavour. With milk you still get juiciness cutting through.
First attempt was ground too fine but still very enjoyable / 93 degrees 1:2.3 ratio @ 49 seconds with 10 seconds pre-infusion. Second shot run at same ratio for 37 seconds.

Day 14
Horsham Sumatra alko co-operative - described as fruity and juicy by the roaster and it just shows how juiciness can be different. Comparing to yesterdays bean this remind me of anerobic fermented coffees. It’s definitely juicy and tropical fruity but with a completely different depth of flavour. Really enjoying this one. Had only one Sumatran coffee before and it was quite a dark roast so nothing like this. Ground to coarse so tightened grind for second shot. First run for 20 seconds @ 1:2.3 ratio 93.5 temp.

prezes As we’ve been drinking this through the day yesterday we could put the finger on what is the taste we get there which is very odd but pleasant. Last two coffees I’ve ground on the DF83 and we both said it’s pineapple. First coffee I had this note coming forward !