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It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to work with this geisha anaerobic honey offering from Huila. The arrival sample performed on the cupping table revealing complex notes of raspberry, watermelon, and pineapple with floral tones. As I prepared to do a production roast on our Diedrich IR-5, I began thinking about the approach I wanted for this roast. I wanted to capture and highlight the complex fruit and floral tones that I tasted in the sample roast. To achieve this, I was aiming for a shorter time in the development phase accompanied by a lower end temperature. I charged the Diedrich to 389 degrees Fahrenheit with 50% of heat applied and released the coffee into the drum. Turning point occurred at 1:30 into duration at 156 degrees. I needed to build up heat and momentum and increased the heat application to 75% at 2:52 into duration. As the roast moved through the drying phase and closer to color change, I adjusted the airflow moving through the drum to 50%. The maillard phase of the roast began at 6:11 into duration at 307 degrees. Color change came on slow and the coffee took on color a little awkwardly at first but smoothed and evened out nicely as I moved through the roast. As the coffee gained momentum and moved closer to first crack, I decreased heat application to 50% at 6:46 into duration. At 8:29 into duration I lowered the heat to 30% as I prepared to move out of the maillard phase and into development. The maillard phase lasted for 3:11 of the roast’s overall duration. The development phase of the roast began 9:22 into duration at 389 degrees. At 9:24 I adjusted the airflow moving through the drum to 100%. First crack was clear and distinct. I experienced aromas of floral and honey throughout development. At 10:04 into duration I made my last heat adjustment of the roast and decreased to 25%. The coffee had sufficient momentum and a smooth descending rate of rise for the remainder of the roasts duration. Total duration of the roast was 11:30 with an end temperature of 402 degrees. I finished with 2:08 of development time. I was pleased with the outcome of the roast and was excited to put it up on the cupping table.

After completing a production roast, it was time to see how it performed on the cupping table. We were impressed with the integration of flavors and the crisp, clean acidity that was present in the cup. Noticeable hints of raspberry and pineapple with a sweet floral finish and delicate mouthfeel. After the cupping we wanted to see how well the roast translated to pour overs with some variation in the dose weight. I brewed a V60 dosed to 21 grams. The brew was light, crisp and clean with balanced acidity. The brew showed comparable results to the cupping session with complex fruit notes integrated with a sweet floral finish and delicate mouthfeel. The balance of fruit and floral tones fused together made a nuanced, expressive cup. I then brewed another V60 dosed to 23 grams. The brew was similar to the first V60 offering crisp and clean acidity with complex fruit notes but with less floral tones. The brew was cohesive with a silky mouthfeel, but we preferred the first V60 with the highlighted floral sweetness. Overall, both V60’s was complex, delicate, and expressive with layered sweetness and integration. The region, elevation and quality of processing all play a unique role in making this coffee exceptional. Brew Notes Raspberry, Floral, Watermelon, Pineapple Expressive, complex notes of raspberry, pineapple and watermelon transitioning to a sweet floral finish.