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Bean: Aqi Badu, Catimor P3/P4, Natural, Yunnan, China.
Shop: Alt Wien Kaffee, webshop, Vienna, Austria.
Alt Wien Kaffee – Aqi Badu: Background information.
Alt Wien Kaffee (roaster of this Aqi Badu coffee) is a typical Viennese coffee shop located just outside the centre of Vienna. Aside from the Viennese architecture, this coffee shop is very different from others in this city. Alt Wien Kaffee is the place where tradition meets specialty coffee and the people responsible for this fact are Christian Schroedl and Oliver Goetz. In the present days, Alt Wien Kaffee is the coffee shop in Vienna that offers the traditional liked dry chocolaty espresso’s and, for those that are looking for something special, a range of high quality specialty coffee. In September 2021 I went by and visited the Alt Wien Kaffee shop in Vienna and loved everything about it. It was a shop for regualr customers as well as for the coffee geeks among you.
The Abi Badu is actually a coffee from the Yunnan region in China. The Chinese coffee industry is a young industry with great and awful coffees. Each year it is a surprise for the buyers if that one great coffee from last year performs as good this year. Alt wien Kaffee got their hands on a great coffee, the Aqi Badu natural.
The coffee was grown in the south-western part of China at an altitude of about 1300 meters. The Aqi Badu is a coffee that consists out of the Catimor P3 and P4 variety and was processed at the Banka washing station.
Banka farm and washing station is based in Menglian Dai, Lahu and Va Autonomous County in Yunnan and is named after the two adjacent villages (Banka Yi and Banka Er) where the coffee cherry is harvested. The origin partners, Yunnan Coffee Traders, manage Banka wet mill and a portion of the Banka farm, some 100 hectares of land, installing one of the region’s first optical sorters, experimenting with processing methods such as yeast fermentation and growing new varieties such as Pacamara and Yellow Bourbon. But for those coffees we will have to wait a while longer.
Opening the package.
Alt Wien Kaffee coffee comes in a stylish white bag with a ziplock and a degassing valve. The front of the package depicts a distinguished gentleman from the roaring twenties with a high hat, moustache and a suit. On the back of the package there is a lot of information! First there is the origin and the nme of the coffee, then a short story about the coffee together with some tasting notes and info about the farm, altitude etc. There is also information about the process, roasting style and of course the roasting date. On the sides of the coffee you can read about the two sides of coffee according to Alt Wien Kaffee.
When you open the package you will immediately notice just how sweet this coffee is. with aroma’s such as peanut butter, creamy sensation, nutty and chocolate/caramel, it is a feast for your nose. The coffee looks equally roasted and there are no defects to be seen. When you grind the coffee, a strong scent of broth, spices and sugared whole grain cookies comes forth. Well, it’s time to taste the coffee and start brewing!
The tasting.
Ive reviewed this coffee on the V60, Clever Dripper and Aeropress. On the Aeropress the results where the best with a high sweetness and beautiful aftertaste. My review is based on that recipe and the results of said recipe.
When brewing this coffee you will notice how sweet this coffee is. Right from the start there are nice notes of caramel, chocolate and a sweet fruity note of red apple. When pouring the coffee into a glass, the aroma’s are amplified and supported by more notes. Red apple, watery tangerine and dried apricot are the notes that make up the fruity aspect of this coffee. When the coffee cools down a little more, inhale the aroma’s again to get the darker notes like chocolate, caramel, pepper kernel that stings the nose a bit and a hint of cinnamon as well.
Take a sip of the coffee and slurp some oxygen inside and swirl the coffee round in your mouth. It is the fruity notes of super sweet grainy red apple and watery tangerine that are at the foreground. Right after these notes, an intense nutty sweetness pops up together with walnut peel and creamy caramel. The nutty part is a mixture of notes like Peanut, Hazelnut and a hint of Macadamia. Can you see how these notes are all compatible? Well it is exactly this that gives this coffee a balanced, soft and subtle character. What I mean by that is that while drinking this coffee, you will not discover a dominant note over the other. There is also a fluid transition to the aftertaste. Its not like you’re going from blueberry to chocolate after swallowing the coffee.
Talking about the aftertaste; this coffee harbours a very nice surprise for you. The aftertaste creates a mixture of notes that create the well known apple pie flavour. The cinnamon, red apple and creamy caramel aftertaste mix so softly that this creates the notion of apple pie. It’s not that the apple pie is the only thing you will get, but it is definitely there. Great stuff going on here! The mouthfeel is satin and the acidity is citric and mild, making this a coffee you can drink all day long.
Alt Wien Kaffee – Aqi Badu: The verdict.
I have reviewed coffee from Alt Wien Kaffee (by Oliver Goetz) before and once again they did not disappoint me at all with the Aqi Badu. The level of roasting is high and this particular Yunnan coffee is actually very good. Subtle fruity notes such as red apple, watery tangerine and dried apricot go hand in hand with notes of chocolate, caramel and cinnamon. The nutty undertone finishes the experience and should leave you craving yet another cup.
Thanks for roasting this coffee and sending it to me Alt Wien Kaffee!