Two exciting new coffees are in transit to us as I write this, and we'll be roasting the first batches early next week.
We've been talking the first one up for a couple of weeks now, the Costa Rica Helsar de Zarcero. This was a surprising find for us. To be honest, we've had a bit of a bias against Costa Rican coffees in the past couple of years. Plenty of good, untainted samples have made it in, but nothing that had the abundance of character we were after, and I had begun to doubt we would find a special Costa anytime soon. This lot from Helsar de Zarcero was a different story.
Helsar de Zarcero is a micro mill located in Costa Rica's West Valley where Ricardo Perez Barrantes and Rodriguez Villalobos process cherries from a small group of growers. This particular lot is 100% Caturra, and, like everything at Helsar mill, was aquapulped (mechanically pulped rather than fermented and washed) and carefully dried on covered patios. The cup is outstanding, with an aromatic intensity rarely found in Central American coffees; full of flowers and citrus. On the palate, sweetness reigns, balanced by a nice juicy acidity. In a lot of ways, this one reminds me of a washed Yirgacheffe, albeit a subdued version.
Our second new coffee is a very recent discovery for us, the Ethiopia Amaro Gayo. In the past few years, Ethiopia has seen a number of producers emerge with what I would guess are the best dry processed coffees ever created. These lots undergo very strict ripe cherry selection, and extremely careful drying regimens on raised beds. The coffees which are sold under the names Beloya, Aricha, and Idido Misty Valley all fall under this category, and I would now throw Amaro Gayo (a name I learned only two weeks ago) into the same group.
Asnakech Thomas, Ethiopia's only female miller to date, employs the simple yet magical techniques of carefully drying only fully ripe cherries on raised beds, followed by careful milling and sorting. Very few dry processed coffees are handled this way, but when they are, the results can be astounding. This lot is impressively clean and sweet, with distinct berry notes, and hints of vanilla and mint. If you enjoyed our Sidamo Red Cherries or our Beloya #9 earlier in the year, you'll love this coffee.
Rumor has it that we'll be brewing free cups of both of these on the Clover from 1-4 on Saturday the 25th. I'm excited to hear the reactions when everyone gives these a try.
-Jon