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Saturday, December 09, 2006
Finca Vista Hermosa via Brown Coffee Co
"The lot that Aaron (Brown Coffee Co.) has I believe is from El Eden which means Eden. I think it was my aunt Delmi that gave this parcel it's name after the Garden of Eden in the Bible because it has two springs on it that yield 2 creeks that end up merging and it reminded her of the Tigris and Euphrates river in the middle east that is supposedly where the garden of Eden was. It is very very steep, but has great trees (non coffee) and of course the water and great partial exposure as it is it's own mini ridge...
This was 1 of 3 lots that Anacafe Awarded (the Martinez Family) earlier this year granting (them) the lock on this years supply to Ancafe for what they use to promote the region of Huehue with around the world at trade shows and such." - Edwin Martinez of Finca Vista Hermosa
When we first cupped this coffee, we were largely interested in why it was so even and how it was so clean. It seemed that for this price, this coffee was a heck of a steal. It was so evenly sorted and so few visible defects that we couldn't believe the price. When I got the low down from Edwin, the quality we were seeing made sense. The coffee is solid because it comes from an area with potentially good terroir and they must take care of it in processing.
We cupped this coffee and got a satisfying experience. It was clean and sweet, the roast smoothed out and the cup clarified as it began to cool.
The cupping notes yielded a light layer of roast cocoa, mineral notes, dark sugar, and clean fruit toned acidity underneath. The coffee could go lighter because of it's quality, but I would not enjoy darker. The roast was part of the flavor balance and did not overwhelm the origin flavors allowing them to show through.
Making a snap judgement on this coffee was hard, but it really seemed I preferred the clarity of filter over french press in this case. The 'El Eden' was very representative of what I have come to associate with the good flavor characters of the Huehuetenango region of Guatemala and I will probably sample it again in the future.
Labels: brown coffee co, coffee, coffee review, Finca Vista Hermosa, guatemala
¶ Jaime van Schyndel 11:21 PM
Comments:
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I quite enjoyed this one as well.
Your notes match my own quite well.
I agree that it could have gone just a bit lighter. There was definitely a lot of origin flavor, but I think with a slightly lighter roast, it would pop a bit more.
It was kind of flat as a SO espresso, but as a SO triple, it rounded out some.
Cool that my bag had my name on it, too. :)
Your notes match my own quite well.
I agree that it could have gone just a bit lighter. There was definitely a lot of origin flavor, but I think with a slightly lighter roast, it would pop a bit more.
It was kind of flat as a SO espresso, but as a SO triple, it rounded out some.
Cool that my bag had my name on it, too. :)
gentlemen:
thanks for the kind regards on the fvh. it is nice to get props from people i respect.
i'm not completely sold on your opinion(s) that the fvh could stand a slightly lighter roast. while i agree lighter is better for clarity and fruit expression, the matrix here of balancing roast evenness with clarity is not quite in harmony. meaning, the level of unevennes in the roast is not directly proportional or wholly acceptable to the amount of "fruit pop" displayed at that lighter roast.
now, i understand and preach the maxim, "never cup with your eyes." i'm just saying that it's a very fine line and perhaps a more skilled roaster than i would be needed to pull that balancing act off with total consistency.
bottom line: i'm enjoying having the fvh around very much and this discussion is very thought provoking for me. i typically roast several times/levels and cup them all out before settling on a production roast level. this conversation will have me re-roasting/cupping with both of your comments in mind...
thanks for the kind regards on the fvh. it is nice to get props from people i respect.
i'm not completely sold on your opinion(s) that the fvh could stand a slightly lighter roast. while i agree lighter is better for clarity and fruit expression, the matrix here of balancing roast evenness with clarity is not quite in harmony. meaning, the level of unevennes in the roast is not directly proportional or wholly acceptable to the amount of "fruit pop" displayed at that lighter roast.
now, i understand and preach the maxim, "never cup with your eyes." i'm just saying that it's a very fine line and perhaps a more skilled roaster than i would be needed to pull that balancing act off with total consistency.
bottom line: i'm enjoying having the fvh around very much and this discussion is very thought provoking for me. i typically roast several times/levels and cup them all out before settling on a production roast level. this conversation will have me re-roasting/cupping with both of your comments in mind...
Aaron,
I really appreciate your open-mindness. Even if we do not quite agree on some of the tastes (which are very personal), it is good to at least see what others saw and make your own judgement.
As a not terribly experience occational home roaster, I found your comment re:uneveness of light roasts quite interesting. I too have issues w/ that and just thought it was due to my roaster. I will investigate more once I get mine repaired (AGAIN!).
I have, however, seen quite even light roasts. The roast is prob a city as you can see dark veins all over the beans and the color is really light. I really encourage you to explore more on getting "acceptable" light roasts. It's not easy, but so are most good things in life. I/we really think it's enough of a cause to spend some energy investigating.
FYI, my ideal roast for these good beans (for non-espresso) is one w/ no roast flavor at all. I want to taste the fruit and the bean. I want it to be clear like wine. Very difficult, yes; impossible, definately not! =)
I really appreciate your open-mindness. Even if we do not quite agree on some of the tastes (which are very personal), it is good to at least see what others saw and make your own judgement.
As a not terribly experience occational home roaster, I found your comment re:uneveness of light roasts quite interesting. I too have issues w/ that and just thought it was due to my roaster. I will investigate more once I get mine repaired (AGAIN!).
I have, however, seen quite even light roasts. The roast is prob a city as you can see dark veins all over the beans and the color is really light. I really encourage you to explore more on getting "acceptable" light roasts. It's not easy, but so are most good things in life. I/we really think it's enough of a cause to spend some energy investigating.
FYI, my ideal roast for these good beans (for non-espresso) is one w/ no roast flavor at all. I want to taste the fruit and the bean. I want it to be clear like wine. Very difficult, yes; impossible, definately not! =)
thanks for the encouragement to keep exploring.
while i'm sure no one here is advocating lighter roasts for their own sake i do think the fashionable reemergence of the lighter roasts does have a few potential downsides. in no particular order:
a) inconsistency. as i mentioned earlier, i'm no roast master, but that line is indeed tantalizingly fine between underroasted and "just right." sharpening one's skillset to find that line more easily is the clearest answer; yet it's no silver bullet, as below factors indicate.
b) allowability. or maybe that should be headed, "dependant upon the quality of the beans." as you know, some beans simply don't sing at that "marbled" stage where veins are still present. i think it's as much due to the quality of the beans as anything else. an example would be the kenya tembo jaime ordered. it is redolent with honey and citrics and an open bag of that will catch your nose almost anytime, anywhere, as you pass by. yet i worked through several batches of it trying to tease a slightly lighter roast out of it and don't think it yielded its best at the profile most of us here are discussing. it still had that "cheerios" character of a sample roast.
c) age of beans. not in the purveyance of this discussion, but the loss of acidity over time surely affects the roast profile and means, perhaps, an increasingly darker roast (not a huge difference, though) as the beans age. obviously, the freezing question comes into the discussion here, of which i am in no position to speak authoritatively or otherwise.
please, let's keep the discussion rolling. i am thoroughly enjoying the back and forth. jaime, it's great fodder for our guat trip.
while i'm sure no one here is advocating lighter roasts for their own sake i do think the fashionable reemergence of the lighter roasts does have a few potential downsides. in no particular order:
a) inconsistency. as i mentioned earlier, i'm no roast master, but that line is indeed tantalizingly fine between underroasted and "just right." sharpening one's skillset to find that line more easily is the clearest answer; yet it's no silver bullet, as below factors indicate.
b) allowability. or maybe that should be headed, "dependant upon the quality of the beans." as you know, some beans simply don't sing at that "marbled" stage where veins are still present. i think it's as much due to the quality of the beans as anything else. an example would be the kenya tembo jaime ordered. it is redolent with honey and citrics and an open bag of that will catch your nose almost anytime, anywhere, as you pass by. yet i worked through several batches of it trying to tease a slightly lighter roast out of it and don't think it yielded its best at the profile most of us here are discussing. it still had that "cheerios" character of a sample roast.
c) age of beans. not in the purveyance of this discussion, but the loss of acidity over time surely affects the roast profile and means, perhaps, an increasingly darker roast (not a huge difference, though) as the beans age. obviously, the freezing question comes into the discussion here, of which i am in no position to speak authoritatively or otherwise.
please, let's keep the discussion rolling. i am thoroughly enjoying the back and forth. jaime, it's great fodder for our guat trip.
Aaron,
You pretty much nailed it.
Quality of the bean.
Age of green.
Finding a profile that works consistently.
As far as freezing, I am sold on it. The control Ben has was even more definative than what the guys at Terroir were offering at the open houses. Simply, the aroma from the frozen green was obvious compared to green in air tight room temp storage. In only a year, so much aroma dissappeared that it made me really wonder how amazing the coffee must have been at origin.
I am impressed that you were aware of all this including the veiny bean thing. I think the fresh crop of FVH will be a good testing ground to play with profiles and do a freezing experiment in the coming year.
You pretty much nailed it.
Quality of the bean.
Age of green.
Finding a profile that works consistently.
As far as freezing, I am sold on it. The control Ben has was even more definative than what the guys at Terroir were offering at the open houses. Simply, the aroma from the frozen green was obvious compared to green in air tight room temp storage. In only a year, so much aroma dissappeared that it made me really wonder how amazing the coffee must have been at origin.
I am impressed that you were aware of all this including the veiny bean thing. I think the fresh crop of FVH will be a good testing ground to play with profiles and do a freezing experiment in the coming year.
Arron,
Like what Jaime said, you GOT IT. It's all about the beans.
To me, some of the darker roast level is not really to "bring out the best" of the bean, but rather cover some some of the deficiencies. I recall a discussion on coffeed on sample(cupping) vs. "production" roast. I really don't think it should be any different. I want to taste the bean in its full glory.
However, this type of roast is quite brutal and will reveal all sorts of stuff - good and bad. This is where green quality comes in. Instead of "fixing the problem" with a process, why not start w/ the best raw ingridient possible and let the bean sing? In fact, if you look at some of the best cusine in the world... it's all about keeping it simple and let the ingridient speak out.
Like you said, this level of roast will not work for all beans - only the premium greens will do. And I understood you may not have access to all premium stuffs, which is the limitation of all small business. But when you do have a gem in your hand, such as in the case of the HueHue, I highly encourage you to push it to the edge, and see if anything amazing happens.
That is how we approach espresso in fact. Some of the best shots are pulled on the edge of being too much (too short, too hot/cold, etc).
btw, my ideal roast for espresso is a bit different than drip. That gets a bit more complicated and I am still exploring =)
Like what Jaime said, you GOT IT. It's all about the beans.
To me, some of the darker roast level is not really to "bring out the best" of the bean, but rather cover some some of the deficiencies. I recall a discussion on coffeed on sample(cupping) vs. "production" roast. I really don't think it should be any different. I want to taste the bean in its full glory.
However, this type of roast is quite brutal and will reveal all sorts of stuff - good and bad. This is where green quality comes in. Instead of "fixing the problem" with a process, why not start w/ the best raw ingridient possible and let the bean sing? In fact, if you look at some of the best cusine in the world... it's all about keeping it simple and let the ingridient speak out.
Like you said, this level of roast will not work for all beans - only the premium greens will do. And I understood you may not have access to all premium stuffs, which is the limitation of all small business. But when you do have a gem in your hand, such as in the case of the HueHue, I highly encourage you to push it to the edge, and see if anything amazing happens.
That is how we approach espresso in fact. Some of the best shots are pulled on the edge of being too much (too short, too hot/cold, etc).
btw, my ideal roast for espresso is a bit different than drip. That gets a bit more complicated and I am still exploring =)
i can survive and flourish in most of the circle of knowledge you just laid down, ben. however, i'm not yet sold--yet--on the "sample roast as production roast" ethos you seem to lay out in your last post. yes, you will see the coffee in its glory...and guts. but i've mentioned before (maybe on coffeed?) that the sample roast/cupping, for me at least, is more of a "defensive" roast/cupping. i'm not roasting necessarily for drinking pleasure. (well, yes i am, in the sense that this step will eventually lead me to that.) i'm mostly roasting/cupping for defects or dominant characteristics. the production roast i then decide to put those beans to may be similar to that sample roast but it would be a very rare day when it mirrors it exactly due to the tendency of most coffees to still keep that cheerios/oats character to it at such a light roast. even higher quality beans show it.
the sweet spot we all seem to be after seems to show up shortly thereafter: a bit more coloration/discoloration begins to show as the beans turn from amber to a true brown. i admit i still get stuck psychologically in taking the beans just a *touch* further until there is more uniformity--uniformity in each bean's coloration, not necessarily in overall roast uniformity. for me there is also an aesthetic to it...the beans look afflicted with leprosy if you pull them too soon and, though they sing flavor wise, they look funny and, like it or not, customers buy with their eyes. compromise? probably. selling out? who knows.
i'm rambling. it's late and i've had a few too many margaritas at one of san antonio's better all night mexican restaurants. my wife is calling me to bed and, smart man that i am, i obey my wife.
i blogged some time ago about drinking only my sample roasts anymore. i still am there. do you think the public is there/could be there shortly/easily???
discuss.
the sweet spot we all seem to be after seems to show up shortly thereafter: a bit more coloration/discoloration begins to show as the beans turn from amber to a true brown. i admit i still get stuck psychologically in taking the beans just a *touch* further until there is more uniformity--uniformity in each bean's coloration, not necessarily in overall roast uniformity. for me there is also an aesthetic to it...the beans look afflicted with leprosy if you pull them too soon and, though they sing flavor wise, they look funny and, like it or not, customers buy with their eyes. compromise? probably. selling out? who knows.
i'm rambling. it's late and i've had a few too many margaritas at one of san antonio's better all night mexican restaurants. my wife is calling me to bed and, smart man that i am, i obey my wife.
i blogged some time ago about drinking only my sample roasts anymore. i still am there. do you think the public is there/could be there shortly/easily???
discuss.
I am going to write a full post on this. I started to write a comment but then I realized it was too epic for a simple comment.
Arron,
Wow, so much to think. Much to think, but short comments:
1. Cheerio/Oak flavor. I am not 100% sure on this, but I have read in places that it is associated w/ green age. With my experimental roast, the darker roast of the aged bean (zip lock bagged, room temperature) actually has a very intense flavor of that (and quite disgusting to be honest). However, with a slightly lighter roast of the frozen green (simple ziplock bag, regular refrigiator freezer), there is only very small hint of it.
Based on this limited test, I speculated that if you process and transport the greens correctly, you will not have that flavor and it's not a inherent trait of the bean
(A good experiement to do when you visit Guatemala next year). Fix that problem at its root instead of cover up the sympton.
As for if the public is "ready" for sample roast? I don't know, but Jaime has always believed in showing ppl what that want (but did not know they want it yet). Taste is everything, afterall (Heirloom tomato are ugly as hell, but they sure are good...).
Btw, would love to try your "sample roasts" (of the FVH) to see what you are drinking. If it's what I think it is, it will be quite fantastic...
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Wow, so much to think. Much to think, but short comments:
1. Cheerio/Oak flavor. I am not 100% sure on this, but I have read in places that it is associated w/ green age. With my experimental roast, the darker roast of the aged bean (zip lock bagged, room temperature) actually has a very intense flavor of that (and quite disgusting to be honest). However, with a slightly lighter roast of the frozen green (simple ziplock bag, regular refrigiator freezer), there is only very small hint of it.
Based on this limited test, I speculated that if you process and transport the greens correctly, you will not have that flavor and it's not a inherent trait of the bean
(A good experiement to do when you visit Guatemala next year). Fix that problem at its root instead of cover up the sympton.
As for if the public is "ready" for sample roast? I don't know, but Jaime has always believed in showing ppl what that want (but did not know they want it yet). Taste is everything, afterall (Heirloom tomato are ugly as hell, but they sure are good...).
Btw, would love to try your "sample roasts" (of the FVH) to see what you are drinking. If it's what I think it is, it will be quite fantastic...
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