The Notebook.
Every coffee in this issue cupped blind, three times, on a calibrated table in Shoreditch — the numbers, the notes, the admissions of where the bean disagreed with the panel.
Protocol
Specialty Coffee Association standard — 8.25g in 150ml, water at 93 °C, steep 4 min, break at 4:30, skim, assess at 50 °C intervals.
Panel
Five Q-Arabica graders rotating through blind flights of twelve. Scores averaged across three sessions, held ten days apart.
A disclosure
We do not rank origins against one another. Scores are descriptive of a specific lot, in a specific roast, on a specific day. Read them as such.
Ethiopia
Yirgacheffe, Gedeo Zone
- Altitude
- 1,950 – 2,200 m
- Varietal
- Heirloom (Ethiopia Landraces)
- Process
- Washed, 72-hour fermentation
- Harvest
- November – January
JasmineBergamotStone fruitHoneyBlack tea finish
Colombia
Pitalito, Huila
- Altitude
- 1,700 – 2,100 m
- Varietal
- Pink Bourbon, Geisha, Caturra
- Process
- Extended anaerobic, 96 hours
- Harvest
- April – June · October – December
RaspberryRoseCane sugarLycheeSilky body
Yemen
Haraz Mountains
- Altitude
- 1,800 – 2,400 m
- Varietal
- Udaini, Dawairi, Tuffahi
- Process
- Natural, sun-dried 30+ days
- Harvest
- October – December
Dried apricotCardamomCocoa nibFigSyrupy body
Rwanda
Nyamasheke, Western Province
- Altitude
- 1,650 – 1,900 m
- Varietal
- Red Bourbon, Jackson
- Process
- Fully washed, double-soaked
- Harvest
- March – June
Red currantBrown sugarMilk chocolateOrange zestClean finish
Indonesia
Lintong, North Sumatra
- Altitude
- 1,400 – 1,600 m
- Varietal
- Typica, Ateng, Sigarar Utang
- Process
- Giling basah (wet-hulled)
- Harvest
- Year-round, peak May – September
CedarDark chocolateTobaccoBaker's spiceSyrupy low acidity
Panama
Boquete, Chiriquí
- Altitude
- 1,600 – 2,000 m
- Varietal
- Geisha (Panama)
- Process
- Natural & Washed
- Harvest
- December – March
JasmineBergamotPeachHoneysuckleTea-like body
Brazil
Mogiana, São Paulo
- Altitude
- 1,050 – 1,300 m
- Varietal
- Yellow Bourbon, Mundo Novo, Catuai
- Process
- Pulped natural (honey)
- Harvest
- May – September
Milk chocolateHazelnutRed appleCaramelHeavy body
Method Note
On the word "raspberry."
Tasting notes are impressionistic. When a panelist writes "raspberry" they are not claiming the cup contains raspberry; they are reporting that the cup reminded five trained palates, independently, of the same thing. The language is a shorthand for a coincidence of memory. Treat it accordingly.