Wonder how many members recall Steve Leighton of Hasbean's weekly vlogs where he would showcase the latest Hasbean subscription offering. He would talk about the coffee in question - providing lots of interesting information - where the bean was grown, his relationship with the grower and how the bean was processed. The vlogs also included Steve trying the coffee as espresso, flat white and pour over picking out the various tasting notes. Having witnessed at first hand Steve doing a cupping session with ten bean offerings, his skill and ability to pick out the most delicate tasting notes was amazing. So I wonder if we should have a forum section where we can showcase a bean, describe the brewing method and comment on the result?

My current go to is Horsham Don Eli Costa Rica - Geisha Natural. You would never know it's naturally processed - no hint of boozy notes. Tasting notes suggest peach, lavender and honeysuckle. Took me three attempts to tweak the brew to my preferences - had to go finer to bring up the extraction yield meaning the brew time through the Hario Switch went just passed five minutes. I always brew 500grms to give a couple of cups and dosed 32grms. The resulting brew is very soft and delicate as you'd expect from the above description. Peach predominates but not in your face with a hint of perfumed notes and a lovely sweet finish.

I'm enjoying Square Mile, Kenya, Kainamui washed Batian, Riuru 11, SL28. Brewed as pour over with a Hario Switch & Drip Assist (13.8g to 200-210g water), the Switch valve just closed for preheating the brewer. The notes are, 'blackcurrant, grape, juicy', which are fair but the overall taste is more like the unsweetened fruit/black grape. Rounded & winey, but with a slightly tart character like a bold/dark hibiscus tea. There is also the slightest hint of black boot polish, which is not as bad as it might sound. Before trying it, I'd have expected a sweeter coffee, but I'm still finding it very enjoyable.

Extract's Funka espresso blend. Running 18grms at 1:2.5 - in your face lemon but not mouth puckering - sweetness counteracts the acidity.

Blossom's Colombia, Martir la Plata, washed Caturra, Colombia, Castillo & Typica - as filter. The supplied notes are a tad vague, "Clean, soft & sweet", and I can't really expand on that as there's not really any recogniseable note to compare. Nevertheless, it's a solid & pleasant coffee (7.3/9.0). The sweetest brew so far came from a 50:750g drip brew from the Smeg auto drip machine, ground at 67.5 on Niche Zero (though I'd like to drop the extraction a tiny tad from the 22.5%EY I got then).

Currently traveling and trying this Dark Arts Washed Columbia in the Kalita. Definitely getting solid stone fruit notes, richer than expected. Somehow a good autumnal coffee. Also very much like Dark Arts new packaging. [URL=https://i.imgur.com/JOM6R7R.jpeg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/JOM6R7R.jpeg[/IMG][/URL]

Taith Coffee's Colombia, Wilton Benitez La Macarena, advanced processn pink Bourbon. Pretty much bang on the notes of pear, passionfruit & candyfloss (though I got more like bubblegum in the aroma when grinding & on the palate). A slight dry, malty, hop like character balancing the rounded acidity. 8/9 so far. 13\.8g ground at 34.25 on a Feldgrind v1 (approx 12% at 400Kruve), Hario Switch, med crepe white tabbed paper, Hario drip assist. Valve shut for preheating, then 40g every 40s (each pour taking about 15s), first 2 pours in the middle, last 3 in the ring to 200g total.

Cartwheel Ethiopian Danche natural. Enjoyable but tasting notes don't project much.

Rave Burundi Karambo anoxic natural - very light roast. Delicate hints of floral, strawberry and tart fruit aka fruit pastilles.

@"Systemic"#p72363 How do they come up with these "flavours". What does floral taste like 🤔 ☕🫣

> @"Adrianmsmith"#p72365 How do they come up with these “flavours”. What does floral taste like 🤔 Always take them with a pinch of salt! Floral, to me, suggests slightly perfumed and heady if that helps. It's not often I agree with all the tasting notes suggestions but they're pretty spot on with this Burundi. They are perceptible but subtle. Would I recommend it? Yes I would and will probably get some more if it doesn't run out.

In My Mug

JimmyP

Adrianmsmith Like flowers 🙂👍

MWJB

Taith, Colombia, Salado Blanco Cata Pacamara, washed Pacamara - A very pleasant, clean coffee, good value too at £15/250g.

I didn’t get much of peach, nor apple notes, but plenty of the plum (yellow).

All brewed as pour over/drip average subjective liking score 7.6/9.0 (83%).

Pompeyexile

MWJB

At last, someone who actually gives grinder settings when describing their brew. I wish everyone did that, because there will be many with the same grinder who would find it useful. Of course for me, it is only the Niche Zero (at the moment) but it is the grind size I find most difficult to get. I can look, I can feel the grinds, but I’ll be honest I have not really got a Scooby what I am doing, so any help would be…well, helpful. If only as a starting point.

MWJB

Pompeyexile I saw you used the V60 recently at 93, I am currently set at 95 on mine for 20g poured every 20s (each being 10s duration) & 200g total brew water.

Pompeyexile

MWJB

Thanks MWJB, this is exactly what I mean… I am learning, and this makes it so much easier to give people like me an idea of what to do from those more knowledgeable. I will give it a go.

MWJB

Blossom, Colombia, San Martin, Tarazzu anaerobic natural Catuai - Tastes like ‘coffee’, but a particularly sweet coffee, with hints of tropical, yellow fruit syrup to the sweetness, over a mid choc, caramel, typical coffee base. What you might call an ‘approachable’ coffee, as in it’s not totally wild & out there, but very pleasant and easy drinking.

I did find that the acidity waned a little after a few days.

Average subjective liking score 6.8/9.0 (73%). All brewed as pour over.

Adrianmsmith

MWJB do you work in the marketing department at marks and Spencer? 🤪🥰 Sounds like one of their adverts!!

MWJB

Adrianmsmith I thought M&S adverts made good quality, but otherwise unremarkable, products sound ‘amazing’ (having fallen for it myself)?

I’ll try again…

Blossom, Colombia, San Martin, Tarazzu anaerobic natural Catuai - This isn’t ‘just coffee’, this is ‘just coffee’ but a bit sweeter with a bit of an identifiable character, without anything to offend. It’s not ‘average coffee’, it’s better than ‘average coffee’, but a little short of ‘specialty’ expectation, it’s saving grace being a lack of ‘oddness’.

I drank the whole bag, but I’m budgeting at the mo’ & 2 other bags I bought tasted no better than posh instant. This was better than them. Nevertheless, I have splashed out on more expensive coffee for my next purchase.

MWJB

Taith, Colombia, Oscar Hernandez, Los Nogales Elixir, washed thermal shock Wush Wush - Very tasty coffee, though I’d be hard pressed to specify what those flavours specifically were. Notes are: Honeysuckle, melon, caramel chews…I’d give ‘melon’ the benefit of the doubt, but it is a sweeter coffee with a juicy, ripe fruit acidity.

All brewed as pour over, £12.00/100g. Avg subjective liking score 7.6/9.0 (83%).

LMSC

MWJB Taith, Colombia, Oscar Hernandez, Los Nogales Elixir, washed thermal shock Wush Wush - Very tasty coffee,

Have been looking at this every time and I pass them for the price point. 😊

For the price, were you surprised it doesn’t get 8 and above?

MWJB

LMSC No, I wouldn’t look at price as being a good indicator as to whether it would be hitting a specific score.

Price has the highest variability, compared to preference & extraction.

I’ve paid £10 & £11/100g for coffees that I scored 7 and less.

5 of the 9 brews did score 8.

MWJB

Taith, Colombia, Nestor Lasso El Diviso, natural Sidra.

I’ve had a few bags of Nestor Lasso’s coffees, subjective scores ranging from 5/9 to 7.6/9. The best and worst both coming from the same roaster.

This one was mid-pack, subjectively scoring 7.2/9.0 (78% - which is the average score for my last 85 bags).

Visually, the roast looked more like medium, rather than medium light. It may have been taken a tad darker because the flavour & acidity are quite intense, occasionally cloying (bypassing with a dose’s worth of brew water tamed this).

The supplied notes were a little elusive, at times it reminded me of Vimto.

£10.80/100g (avg spend £7.40/100g).

Systemic

Darkwoods Colombian El Placer Sebastian Ramirez Pink Fruits. This coffee is nuts. Co-fermented with dried fruits and fruit glucose. Tasting notes of water melon and bright citrus bang on the money. Not cheap but a stand out cup of coffee.

LMSC

Systemic Not cheap

I keep look at it and the Colombian Maragesha and turns away every time. That’s so expensive, unless we buy a KG. My experience of buying 500g Ethiopian Producer series discourages me otherwise.

I was wondering if they have started indicating roast date on smaller bags.

Systemic

LMSC I was wondering if they have started indicating roast date on smaller bags

I have some of the Maragesha and El Salvador Finca Freddy. Together with the Sebastian Ramirez, beans were roasted day before posting - 18 February.

LMSC

Systemic Colombian El Placer pink bourbon yellow fruits from Sebastian Ramirez. Ramirez is a rock star producing some wonderful coffee. This one is full of tropical fruits and citrus.

Thx! Grabbed a bag. Btw, 1 KG is sold out.

Systemic Maragesha and El Salvador Finca Freddy

How did you find these please ? Thx

LMSC

These co-fermentated coffee is another level

https://taithcoffee.com/shop/p/jairo-arcila-sweet-shop-pack

Passionfruit smells right up my street from beans to cup. The finish was as in wine tartness for me. I scored this 8.5/9, the average of two cups. It was a taster bag - 36g each.

Dan

LMSC

I got a bag of their blackcurrant co ferment, which was pretty remarkable, they describe it as ribena and I inclined to agree, incredibly clear flavour. Apparently they do a tasting pack of all three coferments that might be worth checking out.

I also got a bag of their el jaragual 01, which had very distinct melon and nectarine flavours.

LMSC

Dan Apparently they do a tasting pack of all three coferments that might be worth checking out.

Yes, taster pack is what I grabbed. Loved the passionfruit. I will brew the Green Apple and Blackcurrant in the next couple of days.

In addition, their Orange co-ferment and J-01 Wahed thermal shock are being rested.

MWJB

Dan Your making my mouth water, have some of this on order! :-)

Also the Kenyan Orange co ferment.

LMSC

Another co-ferment taster pack scoring an average 8.5/9. I got what were noted on the cover. The aroma, the flavour and the taste were up there. 20g coffee was brewed as usual on the Hario Switch at 12% and 16.5g at 15% on the Aromaboy.

LMSC

MWJB Your making my mouth water, have some of this on order! :-)

I could not justify buying _£15 a bag for each of these. Content with a taster pack. I am nevertheless looking forward to this orange co-ferment.

IIRC, @dfk41 was enquiring about orange notes on coffee ( https://taithcoffee.com/shop/p/kuria-orange-co-ferment-ruiri-11-batian-sl28-anaerobic-natural-orange-co-ferment-kenya ).

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