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Bean: Red Catuai, Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua.
Shop: Brew2Cup, Arnhem, The Netherlands
Save Joey Coffee: Background information:
The review you are about to read concerns a charity campaign (Save Joey Coffee) of Brew2Cup specialty coffee in Arnhem, The Netherlands. Brew2Cup’s Joey (a cute beagle) was diagnosed with cancer in it’s paw. Treatment for Joey’s form of cancer is possible, but the treatment is very costly. Brew2Cup decided to start a campaign to raise money for this treatment in order to cure Joey from the cancer. Coffeeattendant.com decided to pitch in and write a review to bring this campaign under your attention.
The bean I am going to review is a Red Catuai from the farm of Silvio Sanchez. Normally you will find this coffee under the name Santa Teresa del Mogoton, but for now it’s name is Save Joey Coffee. 4 years ago Silvio Sanchez, an agronomist, decided to buy a piece of land in the northern part of Nicaragua. Together with his mother he started to cultivate coffee (Red Catuai) amidst luscious pine-tree’s. Not only do the pine-tree’s affect the taste of the coffee, they also provide the coffee-plants the shade it needs. His knowledge of Agronomy, and the love for coffee, made it so that the coffee farm is already producing high quality coffee. Normally it takes a farm easily 5 to 7 years to produce quality coffee. The coffee, a Red Catuai, grows at an altitude of 1500 meters and get’s the natural process.
Save Joey Coffee: Opening the package:
I received the package by mail and the picture of Joey catches my eye instantly. What a cutie, I so hope he will recover! I open up the package and get ambushed by a myriad of scents. At first there is the scent of pine-tree’s which is followed by hickory smoke, BBQ-sauce and a soft sweetness. For a minute I just keep sniffing the package to take in the beautiful scents. Excited as I am about this coffee, I start to grind the coffee and once again get surprised. The ground coffee now changes a little and the smokey character of the beans trades places with the scent of cherry-chocolate. This smells promising so let’s start tasting!
Save Joey Coffee: The Tasting:
At first I pull a 18 grams shot of coffee, but decide to up the dosage of coffee. The tasting you are about to read is done with 20 grams of coffee. As I brew the coffee, the smell that emanates from my cup is that of pine-tree, wet pine-Forrest floor, cherry and chocolate. All these scents make for a cosy scent which takes you to the fall-season immediately. As I take a sip, the pine-flavours are still there in the front of my mouth. As I swirl the coffee inside my mouth, the cherry and chocolate make their appearance. Swallowing the coffee makes the flavours bloom. The cherry really complements the chocolate but what really amazes me is the chocolate bitter that’s clearly noticeable. Where some roasters want you to look for the chocolate in their coffee, you don’t even need to try with the Safe Joey Coffee. It’s just there. The mouthfeel of the espresso is creamy with a full body. The aftertaste of this coffee lasts and doesn’t diminish easily…and that’s a pro!
As a Cappuccino this coffee certainly holds it’s own. The micro-foam is complemented by the chocolate flavours, but the cherry is pushed back a little. As far as latte-art go’s: this will give you enough colour to create a piece of art in a cup! My , oh my, this is just delicious.
Save Joey Coffee: The Tasting 2:
I know this isn’t a filter-roast but I couldn’t help myself and made a 15/220 brew with the Hario V60. The brewing time was 1.57 minutes. The scent during blooming was a soft version of the espresso scents. The biggest difference was that the dark chocolate changed into a soft creamy-like chocolate. On the package it said ‘Praline chocolate’ and I totally agree with Brew2Cup on that one. The body is medium on the filter and the mouthfeel is silky. The aftertaste doesn’t linger as much as I would have liked, now that I can taste the praline!
Save Joey Coffee: The Verdict:
Brew2Cup chose the right coffee for this campaign. The coffee is a true fall-season-coffee and the flavours and scents are just perfect for a rainy day. Pine-tree’s, dark chocolate, hickory smoke and BBQ sauce. A dark chocolate bitter with a cherry flavour like you hardly ever get in a coffee. I recommend using higher dosages since the coffee loses it’s complexity below 17 grams. Just keep adding ground coffee to your portafilter…you wont regret it at all! Top notch coffee! Now let’s hope this coffee will save the life of Joey the Beagle.
For more information on this campaign, please check their website: www.brew2cup.nl
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