With the month of June upon us, we've had to start shifting gears - air conditioning on and much bigger batches of cold brew being prepped - but it's not just a matter of function and adaptability, we're also concerned with the sense of summer and our sense of taste. With that in mind, including our general interest in switching things up - introducing new and exciting coffees for palates to go budding mad over at regular intervals - we've selected three new single origins, brewed to produce distinct clarity and lightness of body (already perfect for the summer) over at the aeropress bar. Here are the latest:
Origin: Guatemala
Tasting Notes: Clementine; Hazelnut; Lemon Meringue Pie; Macadamia Nut.
This creamy coffee of gentle citrus acidity stems from the Huehuetenango region of Guatemala. Said region is a key word in the coffee-growing vocabulary, being renowned for sweet and elegant coffees such as this. Those with an orthographic eye that registers sound through spelling, may pronounce the first two syllables like a pompous chuckle, but it's actually "WAY-WAY-te-NAN-go" - Far out. Maciej, Director of Coffee, hits the nail on the head with this coffee in saying: "It’s creamy, it’s complex, and we love it".
You should also consider stopping by 100 Wall Street; there's a Santiago who works there, and he has promised to sell this coffee to the moon and back.
Origin: Ethiopia
Tasting Notes: Watermelon; Jasmine; Peach; Lemon.
Every time we have a coffee in from Ethiopia, we feel it necessary to state the facts a bit: Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee, and the most biodiverse coffee-growing region on the face of the planet. The Beriti comes from the region Yirgacheffe, the contemporaneous favorite for all coffee buffs living in the present day. Washed Yirgacheffes (for what we mean by "washed", a look at our Coffee Processing Class would fully instruct) are known to be floral and delicate with tea-like bodies and gentle acidity. This describes the Beriti coffee perfectly. Field Marshal Maciej has this to say: "There’s a little tropical fruit in this one as well, making it as fine a coffee as any to relax with in the summer."
These two coffees belong to the Gregorys Select program, meaning we source the beans ourselves and select the roast profile with the assistance of good judgment and our friends over at Irving Farm, who have lent us the talent and facilities of their roastery - in this way, we get to introduce you to some stellar coffees, roasted in a way that brings out flavors once dreamed of, at a price most beneficent for keeping bank.
Origin: Kenya
Tasting Notes: Raspberry; Lime; Blackberry.
Third and final on this updated list is from our guest roaster, George Howell. That well-rounded name brings roundness in the shape of a smile whenever uttered; George Howell, needless to say, is a bit of a boss on the coffee circuit. He invented the frappuccino, but, a man of artful contradictions, he believes firmly in the gift of the land - terroir - and would love if all the world were to join his philosophy of loving coffees that make the shortest distance from crop to your cup (in terms of the number of hands and tamperings it goes through), with all inherent flavors remaining intact. He also calls coffee a "30 minute pleasure trip", emphasizing that there is much to be observed and enjoyed as your coffee's brewed hot and cools over time. The Mamuto inhabits these ideas perfectly, giving plenty of flavor to take that 30-minute mull over. You can observe his exact thoughts on this coffee in the following link. As for Maciej, he has this here to say: "Great Kenyan coffees often have strong citrus acidity and notes of bright red berries. This one has all of that and unmatched sweetness and clarity."
Maciej has much more to say on these coffees, and as Director of Coffee he puts it more succinctly than most; a lot about the way these coffees move hands and preserve their uniquely delicious quality can be observed by clicking this here link.