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Beans: Finca Tamana, Caturra, Semi Washed, Huila, Colombia.
Shop: Lot Sixty One, web shop, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Lot Sixty One – Finca Tamana: Background information.
The semi washed Finca Tamana coffee from Lot Sixty One in Amsterdam is a coffee with a lot to tell about. The farm is located in the mountains near El Pital in Huila, Colombia where the climate is constantly changing. Sunshine and rain play tag in this area almost every day. This in turn creates an ideal micro climate to grow coffee in. The farm is located at an altitude of 1600m above sea level. The Huila area in general produces a lot of quality coffees with bright citric acidity, a lot of berry notes and juicy mouthfeel.
Finca Tamana is also the farm that is sort of the foster child of the famous Barista and roaster Tim Wendelboe. Wendelboe has introduced sustainability to the farm but also a lot of knowledge about cultivating and harvesting coffee. Over the years his influence has influenced the way of thinking and working on this small 40 acres famr. Not only is it good to see people like Wendelboe investing in projects like this, it has also greatly improved the quality of the coffee and the working environment of the people on the farm.
Lot Sixty One – Finca Tamana: Opening the package.
The Lot Sixty One package is styled in a way that it immediately stands out in the crowd. The white and blue colors of the package and text might no be so special, the font of the letters, however, is. The X in the words Sixty diagonally slashes over the front of the package. On the label are the tasting notes, the origin of the coffee, the varietal of the beans and an indication of the acidity and body of the coffee. The package has a degassing valve and ziplock to keep the coffee as fresh as possible. When I open the bag there is a soft sweet and fruity scent coming out. The beans a crispy and also give off a note of red fruits before a soft sourness and bitterness come forth.
I grind the coffee for brewing and the same notes come forth, only a bit more intense.
Lot Sixty One – Finca Tamana: The Tasting.
I brewed this coffee on the Siphon, Aeropress and Hario V60. I will review the coffee on the Hario V60 because the flavour of the hops was most apparent there. I will tell you some more on that flavour in the next part of the review. For the brew I used 18 grams of coffee and a ratio of 1:14. At first I used a ratio of 1:15 but I think that the flavours don’t come out as beautiful as with a 1:14 ratio.
While brewing there was a soft hint of raspberry and red fruit that appeared. There was also a hint of hops on the nose and that aroma got my attention. Lets see if it comes back in the flavours as well. I pour the coffee in a glass and again the same aroma’s appear. What’s interesting, is that the fruity aroma isn’t overly apparent but lingers in the background a little. I take a sip and, while slurping oxygen inside, feel how the coffee stimulates my saliva glands at the sides of my tongue. The raspberry and red fruit are detectable but on the foreground appears the flavour of the hops.
Since I haven’t tasted the flavour of hops a lot before this review, I started to do some research. The hops I am tasting are similar to the Tettnanger hops that can be found in white beer/weissbeer (witbier, radler) and brings a mouthfeel of citrus fruit and unripe green pear with it. When I swallow the coffee and breathe back through my nose via my closed mouth, there is also a hint of green tea on the coffee. The acidity is rather high on this coffee, but it is in no way disturbing. The mouthfeel is just great and brings a little bit of spring time in the colder months.
Even when it cools down a lot this coffee does not become bitter, it stays a very enjoyable coffee!
Lot Sixty One – Finca Tamana: The Verdict.
Sometimes I get a coffee that makes me go out of my way to improve my tasting skills, and this is one of them. The fruity flavours are good and not in-your-face so they won’t dwarf the incredible hops flavour. Because of this flavour I started to read up on the hops plant a little more. I love how the hops is carried by citrus fruit flavours and unripe green pear. The finishing touch comes with the green tea aftertaste that is short but nice. Because of the acidity you will not be able to drink this coffee throughout the day, but you will cherish the coffee all the more when you drink it. Lot Sixty One has created a coffee that will bring a little spring time back into your cup. Enjoy!
Click here if you want to visit the Finca Tamana page on the website of Lot Sixty One.