Sideyard Coffee: December 17 - Kenya 🇰🇪 + Nicaragua 🇳🇮 + Costa Rica Cascara 🎁
Hello Sideyard Friends,
Sorry for the length on this one, but we've go two coffees, a small gift for subscribers, origin tracks, and a few last minute coffee gear recommendations!
KENYA KIRINYAGA PEABERRY
The last two coffees of the year are now out the door and they're both delicious. The first is a washed process peaberry from Kenya. Processing stations in Kenya tend to ferment their coffees longer than other regions using wet processing which helps emphasize brighter fruit notes without the rounded-off acidity associated with natural processing. It's a slower, more labored approach, but it's been working well and has helped Kenyan coffees stand out and command a higher average premium than nearly every other region in the coffee belt. As for the taste, I picked this one out for the "spiced" notes and I'm happy that it's coming through some in our roast. In addition there's dark berry, chocolate, and tea notes. It feels appropriately seasonal. If you haven't had a peaberry yet, take a look at those beans and then check out this article from Serious Eats on what makes them so special (apart from their adorable size and shape).
NICARAGUA JINOTEGA HONEY PROCESSED
The second coffee is a honey processed Nicaragua. In honey processing, rather than the whole cherry getting left on the seeds, just the skin is removed and the mucilage part of the coffee cherry is left to help in the fermentation process as the coffee seeds dry down to roughly 11% moisture. Here's a great explainer video from the parent company of one of the importers we buy from. The flavors coming through do an excellent job of straddling washed and natural processing in terms of cup profile. It's fruity but not overwrought, with almond, chocolate and maple in balance.
COSTA RICA CASCARA
Alongside this week's coffee, we delivered a small bag of coffee cherry tea as a thanks to all of our subscribers. I think this one is even better than the one we had
A fifth generation Salvadorian coffee grower named Aida Batlle is credited with popularizing this tea, which she dubbed 'cascara' after the Spanish name for the skin or peel a fruit. That's exactly what cascara is–the husk of the coffee cherry, which is normally a byproduct of processing. It has roughly 25% of the caffeine content of coffee, but I think it delivers a bit more of a jolt than that. Also, don't expect it to taste at all similar to anything but the lightest and fruitiest coffees out there! Think tamarind, passion fruit, and apple.
If you're new to cascara, I recommend brewing it straight. A four minute brew gets you a lighter more tea-like experience, while pushing the time and tea-to-water ratio only makes it juicier, not more bitter. I like the same 1:15 tea to water weight ratio I use for coffee! If you don't have a loose leaf tea kettle, a French press or fine mesh sieve will do just fine. Expect flavors that include tamarind, hibiscus, and apple.
If you want to brew it with a little more of a kick, you can try a Yemeni version. They call cascara "qishr" and brew it with freshly grated ginger, ground cinnamon, and sugar.
ORIGIN TRACKS
The first track is an upbeat disco/funk number from a late 60's/early 70's Nairobi club band called The Loi-Toki-Tok. And from Nicaragua we have the crooning Los Heller's Libre Soy, also from the 1970s.
Ware War by The Loi-Toki-Tok
Libre Soy by Los Heller's
COFFEE GEAR GIFT RECOMMENDATIONS
The number one upgrade for your brewing quality is always a good burr grinder. The place to start is with the Baratza Encore or for an upgrade (quicker/quieter operation and better grind consistency) check out the Eureka Mignon Filtro or the Fellow Ode. I recommended it last year, but I'm still in love with Fellow's electric kettle. It works like a charm and looks nice on the counter to boot. For brewing, I'm back to the more meditative (read: labored) pour over brewers. Namely, this Kalita ceramic brewer. I'm not sure anyone needs another travel mug, but I started using this Fellow Carter travel mug this year and it's a real pleasure to drink from, in large part due to the removable lid. Taste is ~80% smell after all!
Thanks for reading and thanks for all your support in 2021! Happy holidays!
Cheers,
Ryan (& Michael)