The last coffee from Kuma is one of their single origin espresso offerings, Guatemala Ixban Espresso Roast.  This washed single origin is interesting because it’s actually multiple farms and varietals (Bourbon and Caturra) from the same small municipality, creating a single origin blend of sorts.  Kuma says to, “look for red grape juiciness and peach sweetness married to lime and green apple acidity and finishing with some amazingly aromatic florals.”

Overall, I would say that description is very accurate when used as espresso.  The coffee had a round and juicy mouthfeel, with bright but balanced acidity coming forward as the coffee cooled.  The finish was complex and lingering.  Shots pulled using the 18 gram VST basket were bright, floral and accentuated the peach notes and limeade acidity.  The VST basket did however, make it easy to pull shots that were out of balance and over or under extracted, sometimes at the same time with an uneven pour. 

The 16/20 gram IMS Precision Double filter basket did help remedy some of that with shots that were sweeter and slightly less nuanced and bright.  I find that the IMS does a good job or rounding off any sharp edges, and with this coffee, shots were really tasty, and still retained the overall flavor profile of the coffee.  With the IMS basket I pulled shots at:

• 19 – 19.2 grams in to 29-32 grams out
• 30 seconds, using 200*F water.

This coffee worked well with milk as a cappuccino, though a lot of the nuanced flavors are lost in the form of balanced sweetness.  I do think it could be stretched to hold up in a latte as well, I was really surprised by how well it punched through milk. 

I ran a number of cups brewed through the 02 size Hario V60 ceramic as well with good results.  The coffee was sweet with a nice juicy acidity in the sides of your cheeks.  It was not quite as transparent as the espresso was, but was very tasty overall.  These brewed cups were made at a pretty standard 1:16 ratio using 200*F water and a 3:00 brew time for 20 gram doses. 

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like this coffee is available on Kuma’s website anymore, but some of their new offerings are looking very tasty.  Be sure to sign up for their email list, as coupons and weekend specials are periodically sent out.  Overall, Kuma is a roaster that I will definitely be ordering from again in the future.  I heard it said that if you want lightly roasted single origin coffee done right, to try Kuma, and I completely back that statement.  I hope everyone in the States has some tasty coffee lined up for the holiday weekend.