Between the flexibility that ordering through Crema.co has afforded me and the new GGET coffees, this year has been an pretty fun and exciting year for trying new and really great coffees. I used to order multiple bags from a roaster at a time, typically to meet shipping minimums, which had me pegged to trying out a given roaster based on their available coffees at that point in time, which may not always be fair. It also had me tied up splitting bags, labeling, and freezing them each time, which is time and freezer space consuming. The free shipping model at Crema.co allows me to regularly time fresh coffee to my door from a good variety of top roasters all over the country. Blends, single origins, light or dark, they have it all. Click through here for $10 off your first order with Crema.co
Because transparency is more important today than ever; whether it be through coffee sourcing or the credibility of this site, I want to be clear that Crema.co is a supporter of meticulist.net. They provide a very much appreciated, modest credit to my account. However, I can happily report that I end up exceeding the credit amount very quickly each month, because I find myself using the service more and more due to the convenience and ability to time fresh coffee shipments. Now, back to our regularly scheduled post...
Go Get Em Tiger Alexander Toledo Microlot
GGET came out straight swinging with their first coffee release. I will admit, this coffee was good, but I wasn't not particularly blown away around day 5 post roast, but around day 8 - 10, this coffee got good, really good. Brewed cups were very tasty, extremely balanced, and very approachable for the masses, yet interesting with enough depth for the connoisseur. On the 02 size V60, my favorite cups were 23.75g in to 380g of coffee (1:16 ratio), with a 70g well stirred bloom for 35 seconds, and subsequent aggressive pours spiraling out from the center in approximately 100g increments for a total brew time of 3:00, using 198*F water.
As espresso, dosing to 17.8 grams in an 18g VST basket seemed to fill the basket more appropriately/typically, and pulling ever so slightly longer than a 1:2 ratio resulted in fantastic shots. They were beautiful to watch, and tasted very sweet and nuanced, particularly as it cooled. It had a real gourmet (subtly spiced) caramel apple type thing going on that's tough to describe other than being a damn good espresso. Overall, this coffee was good enough to really wow me enough to also sign up for the La Marzocco Home Subscription to get GGET's first two espresso specific offerings.
Provision Coffee Rwanda Cyimbili
A local Arizona roaster, Provision just opened their second location a few blocks from my house, so when I wanted to get a bag coffee in a pinch since I knew I would burn through it quickly while learning the Versalab M3 grinder, this is where I ended up. The washed Rwandan coffee was a big almond bomb, with just a ton of nutty finish as espresso, particularly when pulled tighter/longer. Faster and higher yield shots did result in a bit more caramel like sweetness and subtle acidity, but this one sat as a very "medium roast" kind of middle of the road coffee overall. My favorite shots were:
18 grams in an 18 gram VST basket
37 - 40 grams out
27 seconds + 3 seconds preinfusion (can also taper or ramp down the shot for 3-5 seconds at the end of the pull since it does like to be pulled long)
203*F water
Using a slightly higher water temp seemed to fight off a bit of a green pepper, slightly vegetal taste, and I did have quite a few tighter, longer time, ristretto shots as I was learning this grinder that tasted like pure almond butter. Get this coffee for $16.50 here.
Ethiopia Nano Challa from Ritual Coffee Roasters
This one appears to be sold through, so I'll keep it short. Like other washed Ethiopians I've had this year, this one was very light and delicate, but nuanced and balanced overall. Brewed cups were really easy to drink and just enjoyable without being overly complex. My preferred recipe in the V60 was:
24 grams in 02 size Hario V60
70 gram stirred bloom for 35 seconds
380 grams of 203*F water
2:45 total brew time
Ethiopia Bensa Shantawene Natural from Onyx Coffee Lab
Easily one of, if not THE, best natural Ethiopian I’ve had this year
This coffee was exceptionally good, and a fantastic representation of a naturally processed coffee. It was very flavorful and fruit forward, but not at the expense of transparency and floral nuance that really showed when filter brewed. I love that Onyx has a separate page filled with in depth details on the sourcing and background of this coffee, as well as what to look for when brewing or pulling as espresso. And +10 bonus points for them even describing what it will taste like if it’s under or over extracted. I can imagine that would/will help so many home enthusiasts learn about coffee and their technique, specifically knowing what to look for and what it means. I would highly encourage you to read that page, because their brewing and shot parameters and descriptors are spot on.
This coffee is $23 for a 12 ounce bag on Crema.co, which isn’t cheap, but does include shipping, and when you figure the quality and transparency of this coffee, as well as the fact that Onyx doesn’t run shipping promotions very often, it’s not a bad way to be able to try great coffees from a great roaster.
Go Get Em Tiger Santa Maria Yucuhiti, Mexico
Probably not one I would typically order based on flavor descriptors alone, this Mexican coffee was a nice refresher to what else is out there and a different showcase of the expanse of good specialty coffee. This coffee is a great big comfort cup full of rich chocolate, nougat, and caramels, with just a hint of red fruit sweetness as it cools. It made for the perfect slow Sunday morning brewed cup imagining I was in a sweater on a porch watching a steady rain, while I looked outside to 108*F temps in Phoenix. This coffee was very versatile and a great balanced cup that could be appreciated by just about anyone, via any brewing method. I used cooler temps brewing and espresso, targeting around 198, and slightly faster brew times to target sweetness over roasty flavors.
I kept this one at pretty traditional 1:16 ratios on the V60 and the Bonavita Immersion Dripper, and found traditional 1:2 shots in 26-28 seconds to also be right in the sweet spot. This is really a coffee you just can’t go wrong with, and I tried not to over complicate it. Look for this one at GGET’s cafes in the Los Angeles area.
What’s Next
Very nice packaging and a card with info on each coffee as well as the suggested shot recipe.
At the suggestion of a few of you, and because I’m fully on the GGET bandwagon, I joined the La Marzocco Espresso Subscription this month to get GGET’s espresso offerings that I’m currently working through. If you haven’t heard of it, La Marzocco, the espresso machine manufacturer, has a cafe in Seattle where they partner with various roasters in residence, which typically coincides with their home espresso subscription. For $39 a month, you get two bags of a coffee from one of these (typically renowned ) roasters, including a little card with information about the coffee as well as recommended shot parameters.
I’m also working through a few other coffees from GGET, both Ethiopian coffees, one of which is the same coffee as the Ethiopian Yabitu Koba single origin espresso that shipped with the LM Home subscription, but roasted with filer coffee in mind, so that should be interesting as well.
As always, thanks for reading, and be sure to follow on Instagram, where there is more day to day and dialing in a various coffees. If you have any questions or anything you’d like to see more of or on, please comment or reach out!
