I will be very interested to get your take on this years crop of Elida Natural.

Several years ago we got this directly from the farm on Green Coffee Buying Club I believe and it was among the most unique and delicious coffees I have ever tasted. As espresso I recall multi-fruited salt water taffy and underlying chocolate notes. It was a wow coffee. A year or two after from Roastmasters or Klatch it was stellar. Then for me at least the next couple of crops were fermented messes that I literally didn't want to drink. I've passed the last couple of years.

I hope yours is great.

It was the star at the get together I did a few weeks back. When I cupped it, I scored it at around 92.5, i.e. almost superlative. Except for the sweetness and punch of the aroma; it's so clean, you can't tell it's a natural. The dry processing takes away all the things I don't like about Catuis -- the squeaky thinness -- while keeping their good focus.

FWIW, I roasted to nearly the end of the first crack, time from 375F to the finish at 400F = 3 1/2 minutes (first crack started at 383F).

Did you get yours from Klatch Jim? I'm not roasting much as we have a new baby in the house, but I might make an exception if this is the Elida Natural of years past.

another_jim wrote:It was the star at the get together I did a few weeks back. When I cupped it, I scored it at around 92.5, i.e. almost superlative. Except for the sweetness and punch of the aroma; it's so clean, you can't tell it's a natural. The dry processing takes away all the things I don't like about Catuis -- the squeaky thinness -- while keeping their good focus.

FWIW, I roasted to nearly the end of the first crack, time from 375F to the finish at 400F = 3 1/2 minutes (first crack started at 383F).

Thanks for sharing notes on this years crop.

another_jim wrote:It was the star at the get together I did a few weeks back. When I cupped it, I scored it at around 92.5, i.e. almost superlative. Except for the sweetness and punch of the aroma; it's so clean, you can't tell it's a natural. The dry processing takes away all the things I don't like about Catuis -- the squeaky thinness -- while keeping their good focus.

FWIW, I roasted to nearly the end of the first crack, time from 375F to the finish at 400F = 3 1/2 minutes (first crack started at 383F).

Agreed on all counts, Jim.

FWIW, I've been buying 10# of this coffee every year for the past 5 years and milking it for my personal use all year. I just roasted the last 400g of last years batch last week and it was just as lovely as when I first received it. I have heard that in the last couple of years this coffee has not been what it was in the past, but that has not been my experience. Funny how rumors get around the internet. This is a very consistent coffee from one of the finest coffee producers anywhere.

I heard that this year the Lamastus family, producers of Elida, repeated a first place win in the Best of Panama competition in both Geisha Natural and Geisha Washed coffee, something that has never happened before. It's likely this is the closest I will ever get to tasting one of their wonderful coffees.

I did a fast/hot roast this evening. I wasn't sure if this was a crashy coffee, so I held on a bit in the end. Thankfully, it is not. Next time I'll cut more heat before 1C. I also slowed it a bit through Maillard to maybe add some body and complexity. I prefer this coffee with a few spice notes and not just a strawberry bomb. It smells heavenly in the bucket. I'll cup it tomorrow.

Almico wrote:I have heard that in the last couple of years this coffee has not been what it was in the past, but that has not been my experience. Funny how rumors get around the internet. This is a very consistent coffee from one of the finest coffee producers anywhere.

Greens Alert - and others

Just as a correction. Not "rumors". I know what fermented yuck tastes like.

Drinking a cup-o-drip this morning, less than 12 hours off the roast. With a sub-9:00 total roast and 1:18 post 1C, I expected more of a strawberry bomb. This is not that. It has a fairly balanced acidity/sweetness, likely because of the extended Maillard and hotish finish. Plenty of strawberry to be sure, but also a medium body and a hint of cardamom. There is a touch of carbonic acid astringency due to the lack of rest, but it disappears completely after 5 minutes of cooling.

I also pulled some 3:1 singles: 7.5g in 21g out. It was a bit much straight, but 1/2 an eyedropper of maple syrup transported it to another world. The aftertaste feels like I just ate 1/2 pint of ripe Jersey June-bearing strawberries.

GC7 wrote:Greens Alert - and others

Just as a correction. Not "rumors". I know what fermented yuck tastes like.

Your batch might have gotten damp. All I know is I've bought it every year for the past 5 years from Roastmasters and it was very consistent. That's why I bought 264# without even asking for a sample.

I have 10 lbs. coming from Klatch along with a bag of their roasted version.