SupaStar*Barista

A shot of Girma Eshetu <Ethiopia> @Dispatchcoffee St-Laurent. 18g,32g,34s Roast: 9 Feb. Lemony acidity that piques,light body. Package: lemonade>...lemon yes, cantaloupe>ok,ambient, honeysuckle>deffy some honey aspect. 🍋🍈🍯

Dispatch’s inexorable focus on light roast showcases complexity, bringing out acidity. The accent on the cultivator in the coffee equation is evident in their approach. Great to have such a roaster in town.

New event in town!

Aeropress of Monkland Roasters’ Colombia Caldas. Caturra varietal. Package: blackberry,blueberry,red wine. 18.6g 250gwater@86°C 2min press20s. Wonderful, very sophisticated coffee!

Ruva Laurina, Pilot limited edition, in Aeropress yesterday. Jasmine on nose, yes, like tea. Butter caramel yes, tending to candy 🍭 & maybe Jasmine flower, perhaps on cooling. Med/light body. Well balanced.

Le Falco! Siphon of Dispatch•Boji <Kochere,Ethiopia>. Site: lime,black currant,maple candy;mouthfeel juicy•heirloom•washed&dried Acidity super slight,yes like lime🙂; body very velvety,very smooth,soft&round; lime is subtle&teasing. Bit bitterness, likely from over-extraction.

Yesterday’s visit to Café Éclair led to a shot of The Barn’s @THEBARNBERLIN El Guayabal <Chirripo, Costa Rica>. Package: plum,maple syrup,sweet•espresso roast•black honey•red catuai&caturra. 17g,~34g,25-30s. plum present/clear, slight acid, med/light body.

Saturday evening aeropress comparison. Casi Cielo vs Guatemala Antigua ...both Starbucks medium roast. G/A bit more roasty, roasted nuts. Casi Cielo more balanced, elegant, chocolatey, a lot less bitterness on finale.

Friday July 5 cupping...2 Brazilians from Pilot. Denizar(washed,Agtron77) vs Sitio Bela Vista(pulped natural,Agtron76). Both similar flavour notes,roasty (still 3rd wave) & some acidity.

Denizar beans bit darker,ground looked reddish,more on roasted nuts. Sitio Bela Vista ground yellowish,acidity more intense,bit more body>natural,more mellow,more on chocolate.

Cupping today with 2 blends from Belleville brought back by colleague from Paris. Chèvres Dansantes(De Mello) vs Château Belleville (40%Costa Rica,30% Honduras,30% Ethiopia) vs Le Mistral(60% Éthiopie,40%Burundi).

Château Belleville before ground more classic but not roasty/nutty like Chèvres Dansantes.Notes of berry come out when infused, even on nose.Le Mistral much more berry/winey & tangy.Colleague said Belleville roasts lighter than DeMello,more Scandinavian style.

A shot of Quebrada Rica from De Mello @ La Finca. William Valencia Paz, Nariño,Colombia. Washed Caturra. 50s. shot time!! Barista said no pre-infusion. Volume of regular short shot. Not bad.

Package: peach,mango,jasmine. Wouldn’t disagree, more on nose, but not pronounced fruit notes. Jasmine if there, more subtle/maybe floral. Acidity/maybe flavour more like firm peach & lemony. A bit sour. Med body.

Last Saturday’s cupping..The Barn’s Mbokam AB,Embu,Kenya,filter roast,washed vs Pilot’s Dabesa,Ethiopia,natural. Mbokam had berry note that tingled,bit raspberry?,very well balanced. Dabesa was raspberry; it’s natural,so makes sense it had more body & more fruitiness.

Pilot’s El Cadejo,Guatemala WASHED vs NATURAL in a cupping. As expected, the natural had more of a berry note. Winey raisin. Quite good. The washed also a bit fruity, but very well balanced. Nice to compare the two side by side=)

Crew/Pilot masterclass with Le Nez du Café Aroma kit & 5 origin cupping.

Checked out new kid on the block São Café today. Great shot of Matambo<Colombia from Huckleberry. Good body,complexity really comes through,agreed with packaging’s tasting notes...crisp apple & plum strong,cashew yes,dark honey pretty much.

Checked out a sample of McDonald’s Coffee Iced Frappé today. Very classic & familiar taste of a med/light filter+milk,light coffee flavour,not too sweet. Quite nice for a hot & humid day!

Tim Hortons regular filter vs Anticafé(Notre-Dame) house filter<Brazil,Peru&Tanzania, used for espresso too.Tim’s roast lighter,creamy body,subtle flavour.Anticafé darker,a bite,med body but bit less thick,classic tasting,maybe slightly tangy after-effect? Both very low acidity.