Counter Culture Coffee - La Golondrina (Cauca, Columbia)

I've had this coffee before around this time last year.. But this crop... it is PURE excellence.

I dialed it in on the Sette to the following:

18g in
35g out
34 seconds

It is vibrant and exceptionally fruity straight, adding milk really brings out some milk chocolate. I just made a 10oz (I know... milky!) latte that tastes like a Cadbury milk chocolate bar. I'm not kidding. This could potentially ve the most well rounded single origin espresso I've had, it's rare that I enjoy non-blends so well straight and in milk, especially that much milk.

This is going to be a staple until it's out of season, I like it far more than any of the blends that CC is doing right now.

Side note.... the Kuichi is also VERY good on drip.. I haven't yet tried it as espresso.

By word of mouth I discovered this local small-batch craft roaster called Orazure (http://www.orazure.com). Still more or less undiscovered, this is a gem. I met the owner and he is all about quality. The Black El Dorado blend is a great espresso blend. I would suggest that one first. I found I got the tastiest results at an 18g dose (vs 15g), ~36g espresso out, using 18g VST basket. PID setting of 206F (as read on my Silvano Evo). This one seemed to like the heat more than other coffees.

I also tried Orazure's Ethiopia Yirgacheffe and Indonesia/Sumatra SO's. The Ethiopia is full of blueberry, it's really quite nice. The Sumatra is very earthy. I also brewed the SO's as pourover and enjoyed them that way, too.

Paradise's Thailand Typica Natural is amazing if you're a fan of Ethiopian and Yemeni naturals. It's a huge fruit bomb, with unusual guava and mango notes. Delicious as espresso and the fruit notes are in fascinating alignment with something from a sub-tropical region.

EDIT: I've tried this as pour over (Chemex) and espresso (on an Olympia Club, Faemina, and Olympia Cremina) and I much prefer it as espresso. That was surprising to me, but the clarity and detail I'm getting on shots is vastly superior to what I got brewed.

Finally got some Redbird Wote Konga, mother of god this stuff is incredible. So unique tasting. I'm going to enjoy the hell out of pulling shots or making drinks with this. Might even have to order their Sweet Blue which I love and mix as someone on hear said they did that.

crispie wrote:
Has anyone else tried this SO?

I was so fortunate to receive most of a bag from a friend who isn't crazy about bright espresso. My buddy said he needed to make room in his freezer for oxtail soup!

I felt very fortunate to try that tasty fruity coffee. Your descriptions and wow factor do it justice, IMHO.

cmin wrote:Finally got some Redbird Wote Konga, mother of god this stuff is incredible. So unique tasting. I'm going to enjoy the hell out of pulling shots or making drinks with this. Might even have to order their Sweet Blue which I love and mix as someone on hear said they did that.

Can you describe the flavors you're getting?

I'm honestly not good like that, I just know what taste good to me and what doesn't, whenever I see tasting notes I'm pretty much like huh 99% of the time even when I was at a cuppings... it doesn't have that normal bright/fruitiness to most Ethiopians I've had if that makes sense.

cmin wrote:it doesn't have that normal bright/fruitiness to most Ethiopians I've had if that makes sense.

Redbird's Wote Konga is roasted a little darker than other Kongas I have had from different roasters, so that is one reason. That being said, I do find most Kongas to have more substance (fuller body) than others in the Yirgacheffe District along with a deeper fruit, if that makes sense.

i'm from the UK and recently amazing coffee is the gold honey processed geisha,
finca El Potrero in costa rica, so much more body than other geisha and it makes a smashing
espresso