#whatsCTpulling is back off a strong string of coffees from Heart Roasters.  Heart has a reputation for bringing really great lighter (but thoughtfully) roasted coffees, and all of these delivered. 

Colombia El Hato was primarily brewed while camping on French Press and AeroPress, but did get to see a little bit of filter duty as well as a few shots of espresso.  This coffee appears to no longer be available, and due to the nature of doing most of the brewing while camping, I stuck to typical recipes of 1:15 or 1:16 ratios on the French Press, with a 3:00 immersion, and 30 second plunge, and 17g inverted AeroPress method for 90 seconds, with a 30 second plunge.  The coffee was very balanced and sweet.

Ethiopia Reko was next up with listed notes of wild honey, blackberry, jasmine, and tangerine.  This coffee also appears to be no longer available (gotta get your orders in when I list what’s coming up!), and was my favorite of the bunch.  Very densely sweet with silky body, with a lot of transparency to the listed flavor notes when brewed on the V60.  As espresso, it was very responsive, changing from thick syrupy honey to silky and subtle when altering yields and time.  I really love coffees like this, because they’re roasted in such a balanced manner that you can manipulate them to create a variety of flavors.  This coffee held up okay in small amounts of milk, and was great on the V60.  My favorite recipe was a fairly standard, 23.4g in to 375g of water with approximately 70g bloom for 35 seconds and total brew time of 2:30 – 2:45.

Ethiopia Jipat is still available with notes of panela, passionfruit, and vanilla.  This washed Ethiopian was much lighter and more subtle than the Reko.  It also acted pretty predictably to changing parameters as espresso, finding transparency and flavor separation when brewed around 18g in an 18g VST basket to 38g out in 31s including 3s preinfusion at 202*F, and becoming more dense and sweet at 18g in to 33g out in nearly 40 seconds including 3s preinfusion, and 4 seconds back at line pressure at the tail end of the shot.  The coffee was thinner in body and crema, and seemed to get lost in milk, but made for a good, nuanced third-wave style shot.  The coffee was much more at home when brewed on the V60, with tropical fruit like acidity and juiciness and a silky palette.  I brewed this with pretty much the same parameters as the Reko, with great results.  $18 for a 12 ounce bag here.

Kenya Karimikui AB is yet another great Kenyan coffee this year with good body and lots of juicy sweetness.  This coffee exhibited more transparency and subtle florals when brewed and pulled at higher yields, but was also more dense and sweet at shorter ratios.  My preferred shots were pulled a bit short, which had more body and syrupy mouthfeel, creating juicy sweet shots at 18g in an 18g VST basket to 33g out in 29s with 3s preinfusion at 201*F.  Brewed on the 02 size Hario V60, I did prefer a lightly weaker ratio of 22.4g in to 375g water a roughly 1:16.7 ratio, using 202*F water and a 2:45 – 3:00 brew time.  This coffee was a lot of fun to use since it could be controlled and directly responded to changing variables.  $19.00 for a 12 ounce bag here.

Next up, I have Lucky 13 espresso blend from Ritual just hitting my doorstep by way of Crema.co.  I’ve always loved Ritual’s espressos, and I’m really looking forward to this one described as having tasting notes of stone fruits, honeycomb, black forest birthday cake, and good fortune.  They’re recommending a 17.2g dose, 31g yield, and 30s extraction, so I’ll start there.

Ethiopia Guji Chire from One Village Coffee also just landed, described as featuring “elegant floral notes that meld with soft grapefruit, bright blackberry, and sugary raisin in the cup.  Balance, bright acidity and medium body finish with lingering hints of brown sugar and cocoa powder.”  This will be my first coffee from the Pennsylvania roaster and can be purchased for $19 for a 12 ounce bag, including shipping here.  First cups and shots of this coffee are very promising, with a lot of nuanced complexity and good sweetness and body.

Following those in my Crema.co playlist are Guatemala La Folie from Ritual, Colombia Aponte Village from Onyx, and Colombia El Guamo and Ethiopia Nano Challa also from Ritual.  Ritual’s latest offerings must really have the notes I like, because I added them all to my brew playlist without even seeing who the roaster was.  Click the banner below for $10 off your first order from Crema.co and taste along.