PT's Coffee La Avila

Recently tried a small sample of PT's Coffee from Topeka, Kansas through the Craft Coffee service.

La Avila  is from Santiago de Maria, Usulután, El Salvador and is a Bourbon varietal that is farmed at 1400 meters by Lucia Abrego de Ortiz. This coffee utilizes the washed process to remove the seeds from the fruit.

Usulután is the 5th largest city in El Salvador and sits in a rich agricultural valley with a great deal of humidity.

Brewed with Hario v60 the sweet aroma filled the air nicely with baking chocolate powder and notes of steeping fresh black tea.

The first slurp reminded me of chocolate with fresh grape acidity. This brew definitely lingered with chocolate covered raisin taste and lightened as it lowered in temperature.  The acidity danced and as it cooled became more astringent with cocoa powder taste with slight peach finish.


Photo of San Salvador is courtesy of TripAdvisor.

Anniversary Blend - Closer look at Aged Coffee

Starbucks Fair Trade Italian Roast

Fair Trade Italian Roast- Tutti amano tutte le cose italiane, si tratta di raffinatezza!  The name alone enchants coffee enthusiasts to a love of all things Italian- Food, Sports Cars, Espresso and the enchantment of the Mediterranean. Like a scene out of a black and white movie this roast takes you back to a time of nostalgia. A classic moment with every sip as the beans tell a sturdy and relentless but smooth story. 

The term Italian roast really just associated with sophistication just refers to a darker style of roast. At one time, coffee roasted to the 2nd pop stage were rare to find. Typically on the east coast Italian roast is the darkest roast and on the west coast French roast represents the end of the roast spectrum.

As you look at the beans, they glisten with an oily surface representing the right amount of heat over the right amount of time showcasing a Smoky sweet cup.  The oils on the beans are significant to a dark roast profile.

 History Lesson- In the past European countries traditionally purchased inferior robusta beans and roasted them dark to mask the taste.

I appreciate the depth of a true dark roast coming from the culinary vision and finesse of the roaster.   A highly skilled roaster can control the caramelization without evoking a burnt taste.With passion and skill the they transform high quality hard beans into a dark chocolate palette with oil droplets on the canvas.

While this coffee is roasted darker than traditional espresso roast it still has the caramel sweetness. The aroma is slightly smoky and less intense than the darker roasted French roast. The aroma always reminds me of a crackling fireplace. Pair this coffee with Milk chocolate to bring out the Baking chocolate taste or some caramel chews to enhance the caramel sweetness.

Starbucks and Fair Trade:
-Starbucks is one of the world's largest purchaser of fair trade certified coffee
-Fair trade farmers are guaranteed a premium over the international market price paid for coffee

-The goal of fair trade certification is to empower small farms to invest in their farms and their communities, Protect the environment and develop business skills necessary to compete in the market

-To be certified as fair trade, coffee is to be produced only by Farmers that belong to Farmer-owned, democratically run coffee cooperatives.

-Cooperatives are formed when farmers of small-scale farms bring their resources together to obtain bargaining power and collaborate on production methods.

Nueva Llusta - Counter Culture Coffee

Coffee from Bolivia usually benefit from great altitudes and organic farming. Bolivian coffee also tend to have fruity notes and rich chocolate characteristics in the cup. Much of Bolivia’s coffee production is organized into regional cooperatives. This coffee from Las Yungas Region of Bolivia, on the Nueva Llusta farm fielding the historical Typica and Caturra varieties. 

We prepared this coffee two ways. The first (pictured) was with the Kalita Wave pour over with 32 grams of coffee (18 grind on Virtuoso) and 500 ML of water.  The second method was the AeroPress with 24 grams of coffee with 12 grind setting on Virtuoso.

With the pour over the bloom and slurry did have a sweet aroma similar to raisins.  In both brews to Baking chocolate taste stood out and had delicate finish when hot. Latin American coffees usually dominate as the coffee cools to showing off the roast profile.With the medium-coarse grind in the Kalita Wave the extremely bright acidity took over the cup as it cooled with subtle semi-sweet chocolate taste. The AeroPress really allowed for the smooth body and baking chocolate taste shine through with still a hint of the juicy acidity on the finish.

I did not experience dried cherry notes from this coffee however I did enjoy the almost raisinet taste and texture of this brew while it was hot.
I tend to get the most enjoyment from counter culture coffees with finer grinds in pour overs or espresso. We paired this coffee with chocolate which paired briliantly driving the sweetness of the Bolivian coffee. We also paired it with a "Caramel Chocolate Pretzel" Krispy Kreme doughnut. The saltiness of the pretzel and caramel sugars muted the acidity and enhanced the cup to an almost dulce de leche taste.

3 Region Blend

I remember this blend from 2011 with Beans from Guatemala that highlighted the Bourbon Species Chocolatey characteristics. Coffee from Tanzania provided Floral and lemony components. Lastly the palate pleasing Papua New Guinea adding Depth as well as herbal notes and acidity on the finish.  In years past 3 Region Blend was also classified as a bold coffee not primarily for taste but for the amount of depth and skill of the roaster.  I appreciate this roast when you understand it is a pre roast blend profile that takes in radiant heat, convective heat, and conductive heat for the right amount of time.

We prepared this years batch with a French Press, 10 tablespoons Coarse grind and 30 oz of water.

The Aroma definitely resembles the new artwork on the bag taking advantage of this blends fresh springtime qualities. Often the aroma can smell like a window basket with flowers in the distance or walking through a botanical garden. The body does not linger long however the acidity is vibrant with citrus qualities. As the coffee cools the new Guinea components begin to show with herbal finish very similar to Sulawesi coffee or Indian coffee.

We tried this coffee with Lemon loaf and cheesecake brownie.  The tasters had their "Ahh Ha" moment with the lemon loaf. One person said It reminded them of "Fruit Loops." This could be from the stone fruit like qualities of certain East African coffees.  The cheesecake brownie allowed 3 Region Blend to express its Medium sweet Viscosity and drive home the Bourbon Coffee in this blend.