Sumatra Takengon DP PT IKA – Red Cherry (GP) (22 lb. Box)

Brew Analysis

When you’re in coffee for so long, you tend to associate certain coffees and processing methods with specific flavor profiles. However, an exceptional coffee comes along every now and then that challenges those preconceived notions. This Red Cherry Sumatra is one such exceptional coffee. It challenges what you might expect a typical Sumatra or wet-hulled coffee to taste like. On the cupping table, it was fruity, expressive, and extraordinarily sweet; I wanted my brew to reflect that. My approach to this coffee was brewing for clarity; specifically, I chose to use Cafec T90 filter papers (for their fast drawdown times) paired with a gentle, four-pour approach. This recipe began with a soft 40 g bloom at 3 ml/s, followed by two 8 ml/s, 40 g pours at the 45-second and 1:00 marks. At 1:15, I went for another 3 ml/s pour, starting on the outside and spiraling inwards to small, dime-sized circles until I reached a total brew weight of 225 g. Although extremely hot right after brewing, the first sip had this remarkable sweetness and an interesting Thai milk tea note that I loved. This recipe resulted in a superbly sweet brew, carrying notes of raspberry, black tea, and sugar cane, cooling into what tasted like straight grapefruit juice.