KaffeBox January 19 Box – Da Matteo – José María López

Part 1 for KaffeBox January 19 Box, in this post I’ll only write about the Honduras coffee from José María López from the coffee roastery Da Matteo. In the previous 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.

At my cupping of Da Matteo – José María López Honduras,

I was looking to find the notes described at the bag “Fresh with a ripe pear sweetness and green apple acidity.”.

I could really feel a taste of dry bits of apple. You know those ones organic apple bits whom can be found in luxurious tea. Speaking of tea, this coffee has a powerful taste of rooibos which often develops in coffees from Guatemala and Honduras.

As I wrote in the earlier post.

This is actually the second time I’ll review Da Matteo (the first review can be rea here). The first time was January the 5th in 2018. At that time the bag was black instead of this off white color. That coffee was really good and I gave that coffee a rating of 7.5/10. Let us hope for a winner in one of these two.

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 enjoyed on their own. For example: Do you like green tea with dark chocolate I don’t.  This wasn’t like green tea, but it had tea all over it. Not a favorite 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.
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:

Semi-dried apple bits with notes of rooibos.

Information and recipe for the coffee:

Origin: Honduras
Variety:  Catimor, Catuai
Producer: Jose Maria Lopez
Region: Santa Barbara
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1 680  masl.

Pour Over: 4:6 method, by Tetsu Kasuya

20 g coffee (grind setting 26B at Baratza Sette 270, medium)
300 g filtered water
70 g blooming 45 seconds
90 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 90g of water.
4) 2 minutes and 15 seconds in,  begin your fourth pour of 90g of water.
5) Stop the dripper at 3 minutes.

*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 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 Sundaýs post, I wrote that my expectation was the following:

“It was a while back since I tried coffee from Honduras. It has never been a hit for me, and I hope that this time the coffee from Honduras will be awesome. Da Matteo has been great for me before, but that was a very long time ago and they’ve been lacking lately.”

This didn’t do it for me. It has great aromas but it’s not something I favor in a coffee. The roast isn’t even either, but I guess that it will be good as before.

If you have an Espro and a Pour-Over… What should you choose to brew with? Do you want a more balanced cup, go with the Espro, you also get a great result every time as it’s impossible to make mistakes. It doesn’t matter for me actually, but if this sounds like something you like, try them both and decide your self. Happy brewing!

The chocolate I ate was dark chocolate with sea salt.

Rating: 5.5/10

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

If you want to buy your very own KaffeBox and go through my recipes and reflections, be sure to order it so you can be ready for next month’s KaffeBox. Click here to order from their website. Use “kaffenytt” as voucher code, you’ll get 20% off your first purchase and I won’t get anything, this is only something I requested so I can give something to you readers!

Do you want to read all of the reviews on KaffeBox monthly boxes? Click here!