The Coffeevine October 18 Box – April Coffee Roasters

Part 3 for The Coffeevine October 18 box, in this post I’ll only write about the coffee from April Coffee Roasters. In the ‘preview October 18 Box’ 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 April Coffee Roasters – Kapsokisio I could find a few notes that weren’t mentioned on the bag. First I felt a strong taste of blackcurrant that ended quite early with a balanced taste of rooibos tea. There’s also a hint of apple, something April Coffee Roasters and I had in common.

I’ve written a different 4:6 recipe that differs from the first two, I prefer to make this coffee a bit more acidic as I love that with a Kenyan coffee. So I begin with 70g of water. More detail will be written in the recipe of course.

I would also like to know how good this coffee would be with “fika”. I tried it with a 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. In this case,  as we do know dark chocolate has a more acidic side, and this is personally to edgy to combine for me.

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:
Blackcurrant, apple with rooibos tea finish.

Information and recipe for the coffee:

Origin: Kenya
Variety: Arabica SL 28 SL 34
Producer: Small Farmholders
Region: Kapsokwony town
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1 800 – 2 000 masl

Pour Over: 4:6 method, by Tetsu Kasuya

20 g coffee (grind setting 26B at Baratza Sette 270, medium)
300 g filtered water
60 g blooming 45 seconds
92 degrees Celsius

1) Pour 70g water for blooming for 45 seconds.
2) 45 seconds in, begin your second pour of 50g of water.
3) 1 minute and 30 seconds in,  begin your third pour of 60g of water.
4) 2 minutes and 15 seconds in,  begin your fourth pour of 60g of water.
5) 3 minutes in,  begin your fifth pour of 60g of water.
6) Stop the dripper at 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

*Always rinse the paper filter with filtered hot water, don’t forget to wash the coffee server with clean water afterward, because the taste of the paper might linger.

Espro Travel Press:

19g coffee (grind setting on 26B 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: The 21st of December last years post (yes I know, I’ve been lazy), I wrote that my expectation was the following:

“A really acidic and more close to grapey smell. It’s very interesting that April Coffee Roasters noted “Red Wine”, I look forward to trying this coffee out!! I hope I drink a very acidic and almost vinegar tone to it.”

Well, I wasn’t wrong this time. But perhaps it’s because of my adjustment of the recipe the acidic potential is at its highest. I had problems getting the red wine with several tries, but blackcurrant, apple & rooibos tea was something strongly noted.

So as Tetsu Kasuya explains with his 4:6 method: using more grams of water in the first pour will give your cup a greater acidic coffee and that was my intention from the beginning. I have to admit that both the flat, mild and sweeter (more water in the second pour) was great. However, I did not get what I unless it was this level of acidity.

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. This coffee is quite versaitile which makes it great with both brewers!

The chocolate I ate was a dark chocolate with sea salt.

Rating: 6.0/10

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

You can visit The Coffeevine here!  Use “kaffenytt” as voucher code, you’ll get 25% off your first purchase and I wount get anything, this is only something I requested so I can give something to you readers!