Mmmmmmm…yum. Yes, you can quote me.

I’m liking the Central American coffees I’m picking up — tangy and sweet and big on “mouth-feel”. Textural almost.

I bought this bag in Downtown LA, at Spring for Coffee.

Brew method: V60 • Brew ratio: 12:1

444g:37g • Grind: 1st fine on the Capresso Infiniti • Temp: 95°C • Time: 2:56 (includes 1:00 preinfuse)

tamarind, fruit loops, lime, citrus, roasted vegetable, dry as a desert (that’s good).

The more the merrier I say. Although, I was hoping for another high-profile local roaster announcement — they’ll apparently be going with Intelligentsia.

Just make sure it’s transitable, you guys. Whatta ya say?

The best

Brew method: AeroPress (inverted method) • Brew ratio: 13:1

247g:18g • Grind: btw. “Medium” and “Fine” on the Capresso Infiniti • Temp: 95°C • Time: 3:36

Even though there is still that signature AeroPress muddiness — similar to in the press pot, it can kill a lot of the high end.¹ — there is still more depth in this than the majority of my AeroPress brews. Dark chocolate. Black pepper.

Brew method: V60 • Brew ratio: 13:1

444:32 • Grind: 1st fine on the Capresso Infiniti • Temp: 95°C • Time: 2:56 (includes 1:00 preinfuse)

A sweet-spot has been reached in the V60. Finally. The bag is almost empty.

Tangy. Spicy (cinnamon and clove). Dark cocoa. All of it muted and cohesive with not a single aspect ruling over another: “smooth” in its own way.

Heart coffee roaster’s Guatemala El Limonar via Cognoscenti Coffee.

The best…

Brew method: Hario V60 • Brew ratio: 13:1 = 444:34

Grind: first fine on the Capresso Infiniti • Temp 95° C • Time: 2:46

Malty — like light sweet wort — and lime (it’s tangy!), thick and rough texture to the body.

Over at Shot Zombies today, a note of surprise brought on by my innocent statement, that behind the Primo Passo label is actually Stumptown coffee. I didn’t realize it was a secret. I hope I’m not getting anyone in trouble. Aparently we’re scoopin’ over here people!

But seriously, I didn’t think this was a big secret.

The piece at Shot Zombies references 9th St. Espresso’s dropping of Stumptown coffee in favor of Intelligentisa, over Stumptown’s unwillingness, back in ’09(?) to privately label and offer proprietary blending…

‘I wouldn’t let him put a sticker over the Stumptown bag,’ he says. ‘That’s our coffee, man.’

— Duane Sorenson

…to frame its surprise at the situation. It does appear there has been a change of heart up in Portland.

I wonder if this new willingness has anything to do with Stumptown’s influx of funding from last June.

Two things I didn’t know: the reasons 9th St. Espresso dropped Stumptown, and that Intelligentsia apparently offers proprietary blending.

Ya learn something new every day.

Update: To be clear; I’m on the fence about private labeling. I think there is a way to do it right but transparency is key. A café’s label attached to a bag that clearly indicates who is responsible for the production of that particular coffee is ideal if a private label is what you simply must have.

I don’t quite understand, or more accurately, I suppose, agree with the motivation behind the complete obfuscation of the responsible party behind a bag of coffee. I think ManSeekingCoffee gets it right…

@danapalooza @shotzombies Thanks for sharing. I wish ST hadn’t changed their mind. Why should cafes be able to buy a lack of transparency!?

A central tenet in the quality proposition that is imbedded in the 21st C. coffee roasting ethos is exactly that: transparency. But also why would you want to purchase what amounts to taking full responsibility for what is in that bag of coffee on your shelf when you have limited control over the quality of that product? It’s you or your company’s name out there on the line. That is something to be taken very seriously. If you’re going to have a few links in the chain where something could possibly break, why not make it absolutely clear where you’re influence over the final product begins and where it ends. Also, the Stumptown name still carries some caché after all. Why not hitch a ride on it.

A note: it was expressed to me, on my initial visit to Primo Passo — a brand spankin’ new café it should be noted — that they are still working on the labeling. Maybe this is something that they are considering — that the covering over of the source of their beans is of limited value, and that clearly exhibiting that they are in fact in a partnership with what is still a well-respected 21st. C. coffee pioneer is not a bad thing after all.

This is the kind of situation that makes marketing so damn interesting to me.

Now playing in my mug, the Couer d’Afrique from Primo Passo née Stumptown.

Primo Passo is a beautiful new coffee bar in Santa Monica, serving Stumptown coffee under its own brand¹.

The place is gorgeous, almost ethereal. It’s white everywhere — the walls, the ceiling, even the floors (I don’t know how they keep that). The coffee bar — all dark wood and details against the rest of the space’s austere whiteness — appears to almost float in the literal middle of both the horizontal as well as the vertical dimensions of the space.

But all of that is for another piece. “Brewer’s log” is all about the coffee.

The Couer d’Afrique is a blend made up of coffees from both Burundi and Rwanda. “The Heart of Africa” is the translation. A fairly apt description, at least from a geographical standpoint.

Coffees from Rwanda and Burundi seem to be everywhere right now. I recently had one from Intelligentsia that was quite nice. They can be a challenge. They’re a concentrated bunch. In the cup, the fruit is of the dried variety — raisins, etc. — but the desirable dimensions of those dried fruit notes can easily translate to their undesirable bitter, almost burnt dimensions and it doesn’t take much — a degree here, a gram there — to bring out the badness. I find that, with coffees from these areas, many times I spend a lot of effort coaxing the delicate and the vibrant out from behind the more oppressive, overly-concentrated forms of those fruit notes. This coffee is no exception.

The best

…so far…

Brew method: Hario V60 • Brew ratio: 13:1 = 444:34

Grind: first fine on the Capresso Infiniti • Temp 95° C • Time: 3:14

This was a surprise. My first V60 was nothing to write home about — a wall of overpowering concentration getting in the way of anything else. It was a smaller 355g batch. It looks like, that if I have the coffee, I need to recalibrate my numbers for that batch size in the V60, because out of nowhere, using my default measurements for the larger 444g batch I got…

A full lactic sugar body that reminded me of milk chocolate, savoriness, soy sauce, and a pleasant dryness in the finish.

Muuuuch better. The best so far.

A blast from my recent past — a reminder our life in the San Francisco Bay Area — and of how much I’ve written here, about Sightglass. Courtesy of Downtown LA’s Coffee Bar LA.

The grounds

Anise. And something sweet, savory, and roasted.

Green. Vegetal. Cinnamon. It’s sweet and sour. Not like a movie-theatre-bin-sour-candy, more like a tamarind sweet.

Adieu, Scout’s Honor. We had a good run.

Going under the microscope next, at DofA Labs’™ secret international headquarters, is Intelligentsia’s Ikirezi, Burundi: Rugerero.

Wrap-up…

The two best were in the V60 and I got my best results using the upper-range of brew temps — 96°C / 205° F.

The best…

V60 (#4) 621g

Brew method: V60 • Grind: between fine & medium • Brew ratio: 13:1 = 627:48 • Temp: 96°C • Time: 3:18 (includes 1:00 preinfuse)

With this coffee, temperature and body seem to hand-in-hand — the higher the temp, the silkier the body (TWSS). That’s my hypothesis so far. Beautiful concentrated sugars in this one. None of the bitter off-flavors of any of the former V60 brews.

Now if can reproduce this in a smaller batch…

…and I did…

V60 (#5) 444g

Brew method: V60 • Grind: first fine • Brew ratio: 13:1 = 444:34 • Temp: 96°C • Time: 3:12 (includes 1:00 preinfuse)

It’s the heat! This coffee luuuvs the heat. It’s best qualities — silky, silky body and concentrated, raisin-like sugar — are brought to the front, while its worst — namely, bitter, BBQ’d apricots — are eliminated.

The rest…

Chemex #1 — 621g

Brew method: Chemex • Batch size: 621g • Brew ratio ratio (grams): 13:1 = 621:48 • Grind: 2nd Medium (Capresso Infiniti) • Temp: 95°C • Time: 4:27 (includes 1:00 preinfuse)

Uhhhhmmmmnooooooo… weak. Soy sauce. Takes an already uncomplicated coffee and simplifies it further.

V60 (#3) 444g

Brew method: V60 • Grind: 1st fine • Brew ratio: 13:1 = 445:34 • Temp: 92°C • Time: 3:19 (includes 1:00 preinfuse)

So this one is about the temperature. Or, to be more precise, temperature stabilty. 92° off the stove, spot-on, with more water than I needed in the pouring kettle (and so weighed as it brewed vs. as it was poured into the kettle…hence the 445g, above) for temp. stability.

It still has a sharp edge found in that first batch, that is somewhat unpleasant to my taste-buds and while that sharpness is more pleasurable in this 444g, 13:1 V60 batch than the first — it’s more fresh-fruit than “grilled and dried” this time — it’s still not desirable. In the past, that unpleasant “grilled” quality (as opposed to its pleasant form, of which there is one) has been remedied by a good grinder cleaning, but it started out clean, so that’s not it.

What didn’t immediately hit me, like it did with the first V60, was the body. Does temperature and body have a direct relationship? — higher temp = more body? Should I go higher (assuming that this brew ended with a higher temp, given a larger amount of water)?

Or should I go to another brewer? — the Chemex has a tendency to smooth and sweeten.

So, it’s a toss-up between the silky body of the first and the more pleasurable acidity of the second.

V60 444g #1

The first…

Brew method: V60 • Grind: 1st fine • Brew ratio: 13:1 = 444:34 • Temp: 92°C • Time: 3:36 (includes 1:00 preinfuse)

Body — thick, velvety. It’s the first thing I noticed. The fruit is dried, concentrated. There is a sharpness, a bitter edge to that fruit, though (a grilled dried apricot?)

I’m not convinced that this is the 44g V60 batch — is that concentration of fruit something I like? I’m not sure — but it’s certainly good.

V60 444g #2 / 14:1

Brew method: V60 • Grind: 1st fine • Brew ratio: 14:1 = 444:32 • Temp: 94°C • Time: 3:20 (includes 1:00 preinfuse)

Smoky raisin, dilute fruit, and all that body lost from the lack of 2g of vs. the prior 13:1 batch.

I’m feeling (justifiably) better already.

From Downtown L.A.'s Arts District's shiny new toy, Handsome Coffee Roasters, "Scout's Honor"

Updates

A little reconfiguring of the Brewer’s log format—it’s a work in progress…

Instead of a comprehensive and chronological play-by-play of every. single. thing. I. do. with a particular coffee, on the front-end of the post, I’m placing all of that verbosity behind a link at the top and bottom of the post.

This leaves the front-facing content—what you see when you are perusing the blog from the front page—to reflect only the best-of-the-best of each particular brew method and batch size and, even if you’re looking at a page dedicated to a single Brewer’s log post, it’s easy to avoid a lot of possibly irrelevant information, as all of the best brews are right at the top.

I’m aiming for this group of posts to be, first and foremost, useful. It’s a record and I want it to be relatively easy to use for future me (and so, I’m thinking, future you).

Having to trudge through each and every brewing session to find the one that worked isn’t useful.

So, below, the best, as they happen. And here’s a link to the play-by-play.

Sort-of a best-rises-to-the-top type of thing. We’ll see how that goes. Onward…

The best brews

V60–355g batch

I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve made a V60.

The best V60 of “Scout’s…” I’ve had so far is the very first batch I made. Imagine that…

• Brew method: V60
• Grind: Btw. ex fine and fine
• Brew ratio: 13:1 = 355:27
• Temp: 93°C
• Time: 3:50 (1:00 preinfuse)

It was surprising because I don’t make 12oz./355g batches very often. And yet I hit it on the first try.

Full body, Kenya-like concentrated dried-fruit/brown sugar sweetness down low, with berry—like a sweet cranberry—notes up high. That brown sugar stays with you long aftar a sip is over, while the high notes drop off quick. It’s juicy, yet dry.

V60–444g batch

Another good one, also in the V60, but this time my usual larger batch…

• Brew method: V60
• Grind: 1st fine
• Brew ratio: 13:1 = 444:34
• Temp: 92°C
• Time: 3:36 (includes 1:00 preinfuse)

Again: juicy. Intensity is up….Spice is in. Crisp apple acidity. Dry and crisp and juicy. And curd—a milky sweetness.

Chemex—621g batch

For me, a larger-than-normal batch. For three people.

• Brew method: Chemex
• Batch size: 621g
• Brew ratio ratio (grams): 13:1 = 621:48
• Grind: 2nd Medium (Capresso Infiniti)
• Temp: 93.4 °C
• Time: 4:54 (includes 1:00 preinfuse)

This is a good one. Juicy berry. Black-tea-like fruitiness. Concentrated sweetness and a dry finish.

The play-by-play

Round 1

([see "The best brews" up top])

Round 2

More V60. This time a larger batch (it’s m’lady’s day off).

• Brew method: V60
• Grind: middle fine
• Brew ratio: 13:1 = 444:34
• Temp: 95°
• Time: 3:18 (1:00 preinfuse)

Dusty. Fruity. Mild apple-like tart-sweet. And berries. A little diluted, though. I wavered between grinding on “fine” and middle “fine”. I think the ratios are fine. If I do this batch size again, I’m going finer.

Round 3

• Brew method: Chemex
• Grind: mid fine
• Brew ratio: 13:1 = 355:27
• Temp: 93°C
• Time: 3:36 (includes 1:00 preinfuse)

Sweetness is caramelized and light. Concentrated sweetness is mellow. Integrated. A little “filtery”.

This is another instance where a tighter grind might be just the thing.

As with the V60, I’m not accustomed to making batches smaller than 444g. This was an experiment. I was about to say I got lucky with “Round 1” but in truth it’s lessons learned—[“Brewer's log”] is already paying out dividends.

Round 4

([see "The best brews" up top])

Round 5

So close…

• Brew method: Chemex
• Grind: 3rd fine (Capresso Infiniti)
• Brew ratio: 13:1 = 444g : 34g / 15.66 oz : 1.2 oz
• Temp: 94.4 °C / 201.92 °F
• Time: 4:02 (includes 1:00 preinfuse)

Damn! Juicy! Concentration over flavor, though. I’m not sold on this one. Same everything next time but less coffee.

Round 6

It’s Round 5 with less coffee…

• Brew method: Chemex
• Grind: 3rd fine (Capresso Infiniti)
• Brew ratio: 15:1
  • grams 444:30
  • ounces 15.66:1
• Temp
  • 94.4 °C
  • 201.92 °F
• Time: 4:24 (includes 1:00 preinfuse)

Certainly more nuanced. But not what I had in mind.

For next time…

• back to a 13:1 ratio
• and use a coarser grind (I usually use a grind, on the Infiniti, set right at the middle, between fine and medium)

Round 7

([see the 621g Chemex in "The best brews" up top])

Round 8

• Brew method: Chemex
• Grind: Between med and fine
• (Capresso Infiniti)
• Brew ratio: 13:1 = 444g : 34g
• Temp: 94 °C
• Time: 3:20 (includes 1:00 preinfuse)

Slight filter snafu. I failed to drain the filter-rinse water before I put the coffee in the Chemex. Rookie move. I removed the filter and, well, they just don’t re-fit correctly after being wetted.

Regardless, a good brew, but one I’m not willing to commit to the top of this post until I try it again without the aforementioned issues.

Tasting notes are… sweet, toast, subdued berry.