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Beans: Nensebo, Heirloom, Natural, Sidamo, Ethiopia.
Shop: Schot Koffie, Webshop, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Schot Koffie – Nensebo: Background information.
Schot Koffie was founded by John Schot in 2010, making it one of the oldest roasters in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Today Schot Koffie offers a myriad of coffees from all over the world and today I will tell you about my findings of their Ethiopian Nensebo coffee.
This coffee comes from the Sidamo region in Ethiopia, famous for its high quality coffee and amazing tasting notes. This Nensebo comes from the Jaal washing station which is situated in the Oromia area. The coffee is grown by several farms that are located between 1850 and 2000 meters above sea level. At the washing station the coffee got the sun dried ‘natural’ treatment. This ensures that the coffee gets great fruity flavours.
Schot Koffie – Nensebo: Opening the package.
The package of Schot Koffie comes in a beige carton package with a degassing valve and ziplock. On the back you will find the white logo of the roaster. On the front there is a sticker that holds a little card with a lot of information about the coffee. You can read about the tasting notes, washing station, process, varietal, altitude and origin of the coffee. I like to have a lot of information about the coffee and this card is perfect.
When I open the package I get an intense fruity scent with notes of strawberry and raspberry. There is also a hint of blueberry that appears on the background. When I bite down on a bean it feels crispy and it releases a heavy cherry flavour without getting sour or bitter. Another bean gives off a buttery taste with a little bitterness and a soft raspberry flavour. I’m already excited! As I grind the coffee the fruity scent comes off quite strong. It is a dark cocoa and cherry scent. This combination makes me think of molten dark chocolate with a cherry sauce: thick and sweet.
Schot Koffie – Nensebo: The Tasting.
When I started brewing this coffee I noticed that the sweet spot of this coffee was pretty fragile. Let me explain. The coffee in of itself has a tendency to have a sourness to it. This is because the fruity notes are so abundant in the Nensebo. In order to counter the sourness I had to either add more coffee (18.5 to 19 grams) or brew a little longer. The best result that I got was using 19 grams of coffee and a normal 24 to 26 seconds of brewing.
As the coffee slowly flows into my cup I see the marbled beige crema appear. The scent coming off of the brew is sweet and fruity: cherry, strawberry and a faint raspberry at the end. I take a sip and a small explosion of the fruity notes fills my mouth. At first there is a heavy cherry note that comes forth. As I slurp oxygen inside my mouth this cherry changes over in a flavour of strawberry and sour raspberry. The flavours taste ‘heavier’ than the aroma’s that I got while smelling the brew. I swirl the coffee round in my mouth and get a dark cocoa dryness on my gums and teeth. There is also a rhubarb aspect in the background that is really nice.
The best part comes when I swallow the coffee. The dry cocoa and fruity notes mingle and form the exact flavour of the alcoholic chocolate bonbons Mon Cheri. This is a Belgian chocolate with alcoholic cherry sauce inside. What a treat, especially since the aftertaste lingers and lingers and lingers.
I also brewed a Cappuccino with the Nensebo. At first you can clearly notice the cocoa aspect of the coffee mingle with the frothed milk. When you swallow the sip of coffee, the fruity notes bloom inside your mouth. There is a sweet and lingering flavour of cherry and raspberry. The cocoa makes it complete and rounded.
Schot Koffie – Nensebo: The Verdict.
I have had the Nensebo on filter from Gardelli Coffee and so I was excited to try the espresso roast from Schot Koffie as well. From the get go this coffee made a statement in the cup. Full flavours and aroma’s dominate your senses while smelling and tasting. Cherry, Raspberry, Strawberry and cocoa make for an excellent blend. The days grow cold towards Xmas and this is the perfect coffee to warm you up with. Take note of the aftertaste and picture that Mon Cheri chocolate as you swallow the coffee. Craving for a latte based drink? On the Cappuccino this coffee is great! I can almost promise a great result on a Flat White, Latte Macchiato or any other latte based drink as well. Great job Schot Koffie!
Click on the link to go to the Schot Koffie webshop!