The Coffeevine April 18 Box – Café Capitale

Part 3 for The Coffeevine April 18 box, in this post I’ll only write about the coffee from Café Capitale. In Monday’s post, you’ve been able to read about the coffee and also what I expect from the coffee. In this part, I’ll share my recipe for an awesome pour-over and Espro travel press as usual.

As I was cupping Café Capitale – Chelelektu, I felt that the description of the bag. According to the roastery, the coffee shall be vibrant, floral, citrus, jasmine & peach. The tone of peach was highlighted at most in the end, especially when the cooled down. The coffee is very floral, the tone I think of most is jasmine, the acidic tones reminds me a lot of bergamot.

I would also like to know how good this coffee would be with “fika”. I tried it with dark chocolate with sea salt. I understand that this can be a weird thing to try out, as almost all coffees are well matched with chocolate. But there are those who really don’t, and that may mean they are only preferred enjoyed on their own. For example: Do you like green tea with chocolate? I certainly do not. This wasn’t a smasher, it’s best on its own.

When I do a cupping I do the following:

1) Grind 11 g coffee in a medium-coarse grind, I’ll remember the coffee’s fragrances now when it is dry to compare with the let grounds later.
2) Pour 180 g of water at a temperature of 93 degrees Celsius.
3) Let it sit for 4 minutes.
4) Stir 3 times and try to find as many scents.
5) Remove all foam that’s formed on the top, as shown in the picture below.
6) Wait for 6 minutes so the coffee cools down and to let the coffee grounds fall down to the bottom, then I’ll take my first slurp with a deep spoon. The idea is that you will spray the coffee inside your mouth. That way you will be able to easily recognize the tones contained in the coffee.
7) Wait for 6 minutes and do the same procedure, the reason behind step 7 is that it’s the most optimal time for tasting coffee. If the coffee is still good after 12-15 minutes, then it is a high-quality coffee!

Cupping notes:
Floral tones of jasmine, with an acidic presence of bergamot and a finishing sweetness of peach.

Information and recipe for the coffee:

Origin: Ethiopia
Variety: Mixed Heirloom
Farm: Smallholder Farmers, Chelelektu
Region: Kochere, Woreda
Process: Washed
Altitude: 2 000 – 2 200 meters above sea level.

Pour Over:

17g coffee (grind setting 18A at Baratza Sette 270, medium)
225g of filtered water
40g bloom 40 seconds
90 degrees Celsius

1) 40g bloom for 40 seconds, stir with a bamboo stirrer to get all coffee moistened.
3) 225g water in a circular flow (this includes 40g water blooming). This including 40 second blooming, your timing should be on 2 minute and 20 seconds.

Espro Travel Press:

19g coffee (grind setting 26B at Baratza Sette 270)
284g of filtered water
94 degrees Celsius

1) After pouring both the coffee and the water, stir the coffee 10 times. I suggest you use a bamboo stirrer. Avoid sharp objects.
2) Screw the press and let steep for 4 minutes
3) Press slowly, if the press gets stuck, just lift the press and try again. It is normal.
4) Serve or seal the lid.

Review: In Monday’s post I wrote that my expectation was the following:
” I expect a more balanced coffee that offers strong tones. A variety of fruity flavors with a mild finish of chocolate. Will be a great candidate for winning this month.”

As I mentioned yesterday it feels like the choice of types of coffee for this month’s coffeevine belongs to the fresher part of the spectrum. It’s ideal for cold brew without milk.

The coffee is really good, it is in the same level as yesterdays coffee from Kafferostare Per Nordby, but if I had to pick one of them, then Kafferostare Per Nordbys Alejo Castro is the winner. You can have it together with “fika” and/or breakfast. You can also make the coffee more aromatic by brewing it with your pour-over. An Espro-press gives you a downright good cup for all situations when you want coffee (breakfast/”fika”).

If you have an Espro and a Pour-Over … What should you choose to brew with? As I wrote above, you get a more balanced cup with the Espro, you also get a great result every time as it’s impossible to make mistakes. Do you want your cup to show a bit of aromatics, brew with a Hario V60 etc. It becomes more spicy, aromatic and nicer on its own. Café Capitale is new to me and my personal experience is that I feel that they’ve made a great impression! I’ll definitely follow their development.

The chocolate I ate was dark chocolate with sea salt.

Rating: 7.0/10

The rating is only based on taste and quality and is not based on price.