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Beans: Tipoj, Caturra, Bourbon, Washed, Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
Shop: Keen Coffee, webshop, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Keen Coffee – Tipoj: Background information.
The Tipoj espresso blend is a fully washed coffee with Caturra and Bourbon beans from the Tipoj farm. This farm is owned by Gaspard Diaz Domingo, a coffee producer from the town Concepcion in Huehuetenango. The name Tipoj means ‘White Sands’ in the indigenous language of the Popti people. The name is inspired because of the white soil of the farm itself. The farm lies at an altitude of 1600 meters above sea level and the coffee has undergone a fully washed process.
Keen Coffee – Tipoj: Opening the package.
When I posted a part of the package of Keen, it took only a couple of minutes before my followers knew to which roaster the package belonged. Keen has an artful package with stripes and a blue crystal-like figure on the front. There is also a label attached to the front where you can find information about the country, altitude, variety and process. There is also a card that comes with the coffee when you order it. That card displays all the information that you would want, including some info on the farm itself. On the back you will find an explanation of the name ‘Keen’ and what Keen Coffee stands for.
Keen
Adjective\’Ken\
An ability to think clearly and to understand what is not obvious or simple about something.
PS: A fun thing I wanted to point out: in my package I found a button with Commander Keen inside!!! That game on the 386 PC was EPIC!!
Opening the package part 2:
When opening the package of Tipoj espresso blend, I clearly notice the aroma’s that come forth. I smell the aroma of cookies, mixed nuts such as almond and hazelnut and as an added bonus a sweet raisin scent.
When chewing on a bean, the flavours are that of grains, some earthy herbs and again, sweet raisins. I can wait to start brewing espresso’s with this coffee.
Keen Coffee – Tipoj: The tasting.
Fir the Tipoj coffee I immediately started with 17 grams of coffee but soon noticed that I upped the dose to 19 grams. The coffee gets richer and fuller when using more coffee and it also made the sweetness so much better!
When the coffee brews, I watch the marbled shades of brown syrupy coffee flow into my cup. After brewing, the aroma is that of sweet almond nuts, raisins and a fresh floral like note in the background. I swirl the coffee and take sip. As the coffee flows into my mouth, I get a lemon aspect straight away; a soft sourness and fresh feeling. The almond pops up almost at the same time as well. When I swirl the coffee in my mouth, the lemon aspect and soft almond note join up with a gooseberry and raisin flavour. At this moment you can also notice how dark chocolate starts building in the back of your mouth. Just let the coffee linger a little.
When I swirl the coffee, that dark chocolate note mingles in the other flavours. Lemon, raisin, gooseberry and dark chocolate are all now merged pleasantly together. The coffee now creates the image of a raisin and dark chocolate bar, which flavours lasts for quite some time. When I swallow the coffee, the raisin flavour is the first to disappear, leaving the dark chocolate and lemon aspect behind as well as the gooseberry mouthfeel. The full body of this espresso and the clear distinct notes, in combination with the citric acidity, make it an excellent wake up espresso.
As a latte based drink, this espresso also works just fine. The cappuccino that I made (forgive me my Latte Art skills…) had the almond and chocolate flavours as well as a hint of the raisins as well. The citric aspect, the lemon and the gooseberry do make the cappuccino a very light tasting drink. With this I mean that the cappuccino does not have the heavy characteristics as when you make a cappuccino with a typical Brazil or other more nutty flavoured coffee.
Keen coffee – Tipoj: The verdict.
The Tipoj espresso blend is really good, especially with the changing weather in late summer and early fall, like now. The two sides of this coffee, almond and dark chocolate versus the gooseberry and lime, don’t interfere but rather complement each other. I love how the raisin flavour keeps popping up, especially in the end where it mingles with the dark chocolate. I would have loved it even more if the flavour would stay in the aftertaste a tad longer, but hey…you cant have it all! So here we are; a full bodied espresso blend with a lighter fruity side to it, yummie!
As a latte based drink, this coffee works just fine as well. The almond and dark chocolate create a nice foundation whereas the gooseberry and lime give the brew a lighter touch. In short, this is a great espresso for all day. every day drinking!
PS: Click here to go to the page of the Tipoj directly! This is a non-paid link that I place out of courtesy to you, the reader, so you have the opportunity to buy a bag yourself . This review is also a non-paid review, like all of my other reviews.