Coffee Code
This place has been a go too place for my bean desires for a while…I believe it 1st opened at its Norwalk, CA location at the beginning of the Covid years…and I have been going there since the start. Always a good selection of single origin beans from Africa, South and Central America. Roast levels were to my liking with some light, medium-light, and medium. Also offering washed,natural, and honey processed beans. They do offer batch brew blends in both small and larger quantities. There batch brew is good but personally i prefer single origin for my home brewing…during the inflation years instead of the 12oz as many companies did…pretty much turned to be the most expensive beans in town…so i did not use them exclusively and went to other local roasters with comparable quality.
after Covid the prices stayed the same but they moved to 8oz
I recently was back in town, after a year travelling. I stopped in and took a look around! A popular place with not so good parking as before! The barista remembered me and we got to talking. They still are packaged in 8oz quantities…with the cost of $21 for the ethiopia guji shakiso gigesa natural process at a medium-light roast. A word of note..they are now roasting in house instead of at their distribution center…so i will be seeing if the roasting has changed the quality. Will update on the flavor profile as soon as I brew a cup!
1st go around was the Aero-Press GO. 19 grams 14 clicks on the TimeMore Crestnut hand grinder, dump the grinds in…doing the invert method with the APG, pour in 207° water to the top while stirring vigorously. Cover and let brew 2 minutes. Remove cover, quick stir, add strainer with wetted filter, push out air, turn right side up on my fav cup, do a 30 second push down. Yield was at 100 grams, topped it up with 150 grams of 185° water, another quick stir and bobs your uncle!
Started my taste test in one minute. The flavor notes given on the labeling were as follows: black cherry, blueberry,cocoa powder, rose, lime.
I like the Ethiopia beans because of the fruitiness…but with the APG method i used the cocoa came through the most, but not over powering with a hint of black cherry as it cooled down…a good cup of coffee and i believe ill get the fruitiness i enjoy with another method…ill go next using the Hario Switch as a V-60….
MORE ON THE ETHIOPIAN
This time around we brewed a V-60 using my Hario Switch. Kept with the 19 gram dose using the TimeMore Chestnut Grinder at 14 clicks. Pre wet to clean the paper filter and warm up the Switch. Dumped in the 19 and gave it a shake to flatten, gave it a chop stick center swirl to create a funnel. Added 50 grams of water at 208° with the Switched closed for a 50 second bloom. Opened the Switch up and gave a steady circular pour…keeping the level pretty even about ½ up the Switch, went to 2 minutes 10 seconds until i reached 250 grams total. A small swirl and the final drip down went to 3 minutes and 20 seconds, leaving a nice flat bed with no high and dry on the filter! My yield was 210 grams at a temperature of 140°.
The tasting notes were a bit sweeter, more to the black cherry and blue berry notes with just a hint of the cocoa power which left as the cup cooled down a bit. Still not as fruity as I prefer but still very nice. I will adjust and give another update on this method!
THE CHEMEX
One of my favorite methods but the most time consuming!
I use the 3 cup brewer. Which has some controversy of making a “different” cup than the larger versions due to its steeper angle brewing area. For me its the only one I know and find it brews a clean,full flavored cup. The ½ moon filters are unique and hard to find off line. I do fold mine a bit differently with the help of a pair of scissors that will give equal filter paper layers! I made a youtube video showing my method!
I again started with 19 grams on the Timemore Chestnut hand grinder at 14 clicks. A good dose of boiling water to clean the filter and warm the Chemex. Add the grounds and make a divot in the center. Check to make sure the “beak” aka the pouring spout is not plugged with the filter paper. A chop stick is my go to! Sometimes i need to leave it in will doing the pour as it lets the air in needed for a good draw down. Add my 50 grams of 207° of water for a 30 second bloom…a steady pour to 2 minutes to 250 grams total. Was supposed to be 275! The final draw down went to 3 minutes 10 seconds. With a yield of 205 grams of clean and light caramel colored coffee. Sweeter right from the start with the black cherry and blueberry tasting notes coming through the most, much more to my liking!
