Review: 5 Brewing – Aricha Natural.

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Beans: 5 Brewing, Aricha, Heirloom, Washed, Gedeo Area, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia.
Shop: 5 Brewing, coffee shop, Seoul, South Korea.

5 Brewing – Aricha Natural: Background information.

Once more I will take you to the countries of Ethiopia and Seoul. This Ethiopian Aricha Natural is roasted by Do Hyung Soo; South Korean Barista of the Year 2019. The Aricha Mill lies in the region of Gedeo, Yirgacheffe, one of the most famous ‘coffee provinces’ in the world. Yirgacheffe is known for its high quality coffee that bring lots of floral and fruity notes to the table. The variety of the Aricha Natural is Heirloom and is grown on an altitude between 1900m and 2100m above sea level. The natural process means that the cherries are dried in the sun either on patio’s or on raised beds. The cherries are turned by rake’s or by hand to ensure an equal drying throughout the process. After the drying period the cherries go to the washing station where the beans are removed from the cherries. Obviously this takes a lot of effort, but the result is amazing.

5 Brewing – Aricha Natural: Opening the package.

5 Brewing offers its coffee in plastic containers that can be re-used over and over. Instead of wasting plastic packages, 5 Brewing stimulates people to re-use them and so protect the environment. The container has a plastic seal inside that keeps the coffee fresh, the dark colour of the plastic container keeps out the sunlight and thus prevents the coffee from ageing too fast. The package is stylish and has a black label. On the label is some information about the origin, variety and process of the coffee.

When opening the package the aroma’s reveal all there is to know about this coffee: fruits! Blackberry, strawberry and even a hint of chocolate and caramel on the nose. Wow! I eagerly eat a bean and once again the blackberry pops up. The flavour remains fruity and soft sour until the very end where a bitterness comes forth. This review is going to be a lot of fun!
I grind the coffee with my Eureka Brew-Pro and the scent coming forth is intense and fruity. Let’s brew.

5 Brewing – Aricha Natural: The tasting.

Obviously I reviewed this coffee on the Aeropress, Siphon and Hario V60. All of the brewers offered amazing brews; the Siphon gave off a clean fruity cup, the Aeropress peaked at the sweetness and the Hario made it a balanced cup.

When I started to bloom the coffee, the first thing I noticed was the lavender aroma coming off of the hot steam. This remained well into the brewing but gradually changed into a bomb of fruits. After pouring in the the coffee, when the brew was still warm, there were a lot of different aroma’s. Strawberry, Blackberry, caramel, soft vanilla, and dried flowers. It’s truly an explosion of aroma’s.

I take a sip and immediately taste the blackberry that flows into my mouth. The strawberry comes along after I slurp coffee in my mouth and swirl it round. As the flavours open up even more, I detect a caramel undertone in the coffee. This same caramel undertone appears on the nose as well when the coffee cools down. The sweetness gets more intense since the juicy aspect of the coffee keeps pulling saliva. Soon its like tasting jam in your cup of coffee.

I love how this coffee feels velvety in my mouth, the acidity is citric medium and complements the mouthfeel throughout the tasting. There is a cocoa bitterness to the coffee in the end and its also delicate in a way. If the brew is slightly off, you will notice the under or over extraction immediately. Is this a bad thing? Nope! Just stay focussed with this coffee and you’re all set.

5 Brewing – Aricha Natural: The Verdict.

This Aricha natural is exactly what you want in your cup when you order one in a coffee shop. Do Hyung Soo has taken the green beans and managed to roast it into perfection. The fruitiness feels like a fruit bomb, the floral notes on the nose are excellent and the caramel undertone is there, but does not interfere with the flavours at all. Sometimes reviewing coffee is the easiest job in the world and with this coffee that was the case.
Thank you for letting me review this coffee! And to those in Seoul who read this: go buy this coffee!