Dear coffee subscriber,
Let us celebrate 2024 by sharing three of our favourite coffees together.
On behalf of the entire team at Tim Wendelboe, we would like to thank you for being one of our most loyal customers. It means a great deal to us to have your support.
We hope you have a wonderful holiday and wish you a happy new year.
Los Pirineos Pacamara (1st & 4th bag)
Flavour notes
Winey, red berries & tropical fruits
Producer
Diego Baraona
Harvest
February 2024
Origin
Tecapa-Chinameca, Usulutan, El Salvador
Process
Washed
Cultivar
Pacamara
This is the second year in a row that the washed Pacamara coffee from Los Pirineos has been one of the stand-out coffees of the year for us. With complex, winey flavours of ripe red fruit, tropical fruit notes, a clean finish, and structured acidity, it is a great example of how complex a washed Pacamara can be. There is a good reason why Los Pirineos has won so many awards for their Pacamara coffees.
Often times you hear that Pacamara coffees can be a bit herbal or oniony in flavour, and I don’t disagree, but this coffee has none of those off-flavours. There are so many versions of Pacamara being planted, as the cultivar is not uniform, probably because it was released before it was stabilised as a new hybrid cultivar. Maybe that is why there are so many different flavour profiles of this cultivar as well. Still, the Pacamara coffees from Los Pirineos always taste good and rarely have any of those herbaceous flavours. I believe this is because Los Pirineos was in fact one of the farms involved in the development of the cultivar and were able to select a good line for the farm. Today Diego produces high quality certified Pacamara seeds that he also sells to other farmers.
Fortunately, this lot was large enough for us to offer it as one of our selected “Christmas Edition” coffees this year. I don’t have any specific criteria for selecting Christmas Edition coffees other than that they must be among the best we have in stock – a perfect coffee for the holidays and an ideal gift for anyone who loves coffee.
Karogoto (2nd & 5th bag)
Flavour notes
Blackberry, hibiscus & blackcurrants
Producer
Several smallholder farmers
Harvest
December 2023
Origin
Nyeri, Kenya
Process
Washed
Cultivar
SL28, SL34, Batian & Ruiru 11
The coffees from Karogoto are always super clean and have an intense fruity and floral flavour. This is most likely because many of the members/farmers are still growing the SL28 cultivar and have received a lot of agricultural training over the years. The climatic conditions also contribute to the coffees intensity. The cool nights and moderately hot days slow down the ripening process and give a very sweet, intense and unique coffee. This years coffee tastes really ripe and fruity like blackberry and blackcurrants. Normally the coffees from Karogoto tend to have a lighter body and high acidity with tart rose hip flavours but this year I think the profile is slightly different and leaning towards more of that «classic Kenyan» style with loads of purple fruit flavours.
I chose this coffee to be our second «Christmas Edition» coffee as I simply love drinking juicy and fruity coffees with a tart acidity after a heavy christmas dinner.
Caballero Geisha (3rd & 6th bag)
Flavour notes
Sweet mandarin, jasmine & honey
Producer
Marysabel Caballero & Moises Herrera
Harvest
January – February 2024
Origin
Chinacla, La Paz, Honduras
Process
Washed
Cultivar
Geisha
And finally, a little treat for our 3+ bag subscribers: the Geisha from the Caballero family. The Geisha cultivar is famous for its floral and citric cup profile, and this award-winning coffee from Marysabel and Moises is no exception. Unlike Panamanian Geishas, which typically have a light-bodied cup, this Honduran-grown Geisha has a heavier mouthfeel, slightly lower acidity, and a subtle herbal finish. Like last year, Moises separated all pickings from his Geisha trees, and I was fortunate to be able to select my favourite lots.
When I brew this coffee using a V60 or other filter coffee methods, I sometimes notice a slower drawdown time (the time for water to filter through the coffee grounds). If you experience this, I recommend not grinding coarser to compensate; instead, allow a bit more time to ensure the coffee is fully extracted. Since this coffee is lightly roasted, you will achieve a more balanced brew even with longer brew times. In fact, I personally grind this coffee slightly finer than, for example, the Catuaí from the Caballeros to ensure I get the most sweetness, fruity and floral flavours out of this coffee.