Hits: 17
Beans: Koke, Heirloom, Honey Washed, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia.
Shop: Recreational Coffee, Long Beach, Los Angeles, California.
Recreational Coffee – Koke: Background information.
For this coffee I will take you to Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia where we will find the Koke washing station. The family-owned Koke washing station was built in 2011 and has been a biulding factor in the coffee industry in their region. The staff of this washing station has been providing guidance to contributing producers to improve the coffee quality. This coffee proves that they’re doing a great job at that.
The coffee is grown at an altitude that starts at 1800 meters above sea level. Throughout the year, the temperatures are between 18 and 25 degrees Celsius and the annual rainfall is somewhere around 1500mm, ideal for growing coffee!
Koke: Opening the package.
The packaging of Recreational Coffee is a bag with a zip-lock and degassing valve. I always prefer packaging like this since it’s a good way to keep the coffee fresh. On the packaging itself you will find some information about the tasting notes, processing, varietal and region. The roasting date is on a separate sticker as well as a brewing method suggestion. On the back you will the slogan and story of Recreational Coffee as well. When I open the package the soft fruity scent of blueberry immediately comes forth. There is also a hint of white blossom in the background. The beans don’t look evenly roasted since I can detect hints of various roasting shades. This does not mean that the roasting is bad in any way. When eating a bean, my mind gets blown away by the intense blueberry fruityness; this is what I want in a Yirgacheffe bean! wow! I cannot wait to start brewing.
Koke: The tasting.
I have reviewed the Koke on the V60, Aeropress and Siphon. Out of these methods I preferred the V60 brew with this coffee. I used a fairly low temperature of 90 degrees Celcius for the brewing, 18/270 recipe with a 30gr/30sec bloom. 3 pours with an end time of around 2:20/2:30 minutes.
As I am brewing this coffee the aroma of blueberry appears immediately. In the background there is a soft bubblegum cherry aspect that carries the blueberry throughout the brewing.
After pouring in the coffee I take a sip and I notice how fruity and nicely balanced this coffee is. A clear flavour of blueberry and tea are accompanied by a citric medium/high acidity. The acidity reminds me of lemon and is nice a easy on the tongue. I swirl the coffee in my mouth and slurp oxygen inside to open up the sip of coffee. There is a flavour of cherry that pops up now, and it takes over the blueberry a little as I swallow the coffee. In the aftertaste, that lingers quite long, the blueberry and cherry mingle together with a chocolate aspect. It is not a milky chocolate nor is it the strong dark chocolate. It is somewhere in between.
You can taste it in the back of your mouth, while breathing back via your mouth through your nose as you hold your mouth closed. This is a technique I use to activate both my tasting buds as well as the smelling buds in my nose at the same time. As the coffee cools down, the cherry switches with the blueberry in the whole tasting process, giving you another experience in the same cup.
On the Aeropress I find that the brew is sweeter overall, but there balance between the blueberry and cherry wasn’t as good. On the Siphon I noticed that the chocolate aspect faded to the background too much.
Recreational Coffee – Koke: The verdict.
It has been a long time since I had a Yirgacheffe that tasted so good. The flavours are clear, distinct and linger for a long time in the aftertaste. I love how the cherry and blueberry tackle each other but still complement each other at the same time. What I mean is that there is a superb balance between those two flavours. The chocolate is noticeable in the aftertaste and brings a little kick to the coffee. Overall I think this is a superb coffee and if you are anywhere near Recreational Coffee…go and buy it!
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