[puristacoffee]

#Repost from @myvisualpoetry
I just got back from visiting @UrbanXchangeTacoma 's local business night where I met Mae and David @TerminusCoffee pouring every drop of their soul into their micro roasted coffee. Stop by and show some love here or on their site. www.terminus-coffee. #coffee #coffeeroaster #pourover #chemex #espresso (at UrbanXchange)

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Today was grand! From @myvisualpoetry
I can't deny how much I love @terminuscoffee 's #copper pour over topper. Their #coffee was deliciously crisp with heavy notes of citrus. Sooo good after freezing fingers this morning. (at UrbanXchange)

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Slingin' brews @urbanxchangetacoma all day alongside #thetenants @blkancr @theelquists @svnlights! So many awesome folks have come in - Let's see some more! We should be here another 2 hours or so. (at UrbanXchange)

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#PNW dwellers: 11-4 on Small Business Saturday, November 29th, we'll be serving up tasty brews and slinging seeds at our friends @theelquists shop on Commerce St. We'll have sweet deals, they'll have sweet deals, and we'll be raffling off some goods for those who make purchases. You don't want to miss the chance to experience Terminus, hang out with great people, and support small businesses. See you there!

[puristacoffee]

We're preparing for a pop-up event here in #tacomawa. Stay tuned! (at terminus-coffee.com)

[puristacoffee]

PERC Costa Rica Carrizal & Flor de Cafe

For this dual review of two exquisite Costa Rican coffees from Perc, we decided that we would give a "big picture" overview of the characteristics from all five six brew methods and then a broken down look at the very best preparation of each coffee. 

But first to better acquaint yourself with the roaster you may want to see our reviews of their Chelelektu and Finca Kassandra. 

REGION  Carrizal, Costa Rica FARM  Leon Cortes VARIETAL  Bourbon, Caturra ALTITUDE  1650-1750 MASL PROCESS  Washed, Sun-dried RATING  8.2 REC. METHOD  Espresso - 8.8

In their words:

Coopetarrazú is a vanguard of coffee producing cooperatives dedicated to the environment, wildlife, fair labor, education, and community growth. The premium paid for this coffee directly helps build roads, schools, fresh water storage, and more for the Leon Cortes region in central Costa Rica. The cooperative also provides free soil analyses so farmers can optimize coffee production, making a sweet, syrupy cup that’ll sizzle on your tongue.

Perc's offerings have been nothing short of extra-ordinary, and this Carizzal is no exception. With a backbone that is softly nutty and tropically fruity, it has a delightful canvas for its other characteristics to play on. A common trait of all brews was a not-so-subtle butter presence in the aroma. This translated through in the mouthfeel of several cups as well, mainly Kalita and French press. Papaya was very distinctive in every brew. There were sprinklings of black tea, buttered rum, lemonade, milk chocolate, desert floral, cane sugar, salted caramel, honey, sunflower seeds, and mild pecan across the cups. Most had a fairly substantial body, intense aroma, citrusy acidity and buttered nut finish. The espresso was a standout among the methods. 

ESPRESSO  |  8.8 21.7g | Grind 2-H |  199 deg. | 28s | 38g yield

This extraction was visually and sensationally stunning. At first whiff it was deceptively unassuming. The aroma wasn't incredibly strong or nuanced, but the combination of buttered croissant, lemon custard, papaya and cane sugar was undeniably alluring. Once the substantial, flowing body creeps onto your tongue you're in for waves of flavor. It is generally sweet and tropical in brightness at the start. It crests and shouts "Holy papaya!" and then in each recurring wave introduces lemonade, black tea, wildflower honey, fresh cream, and a hint of sweet and mild pecan. As the tide retreats it leaves vivd memories of sweet tropical fruit and just a trace of that pecan. 

   Let's unveil that Flor de Cafe shall we?

REGION  Lourdes de Naranjo FARM Don Carlos, Flor de Cafe VARIETAL  Villa Sarchi ALTITUDE  1800 MASL PROCESS  Golden Honey RATING  8.6 REC. METHOD  AeroPress - 8.9

From Perc:

Don Carlos of La Perla del Café is a man after our own heart. Like us, he sees coffee the way a sommelier views wine, striving after the highest quality and uniqueness of flavor he can achieve. These beans are the Villa Sarchi varietal, a natural dwarf mutation of Bourbon unique to the Alajuela region of La Perla farm. Picking only the sangre del toro (bull’s blood), or ripest, cherries, Carlos has brought us a sweet coffee with elegant acidity.

After having this coffee we're excited for two things.

1.) More black label coffees from Perc.

2.) Geisha's from Don Carlos in the coming years.

As if it gets much better than this... While we were actually tasting this coffee in August, it seemed more appropriately September/Autumnal. Big body, cider and spices, amber honey, apple cake, roasted chiles, caramel, brownies, squash and traces of damp woods emanated from our cups. Sweet vibrant acidity was the most common characteristic across the methods, and the finish is what seemed to change the most from brew to brew. Though it was always rapturously lingering it ranged from apple fritter, to spiced dark chocolate and wood, to browned butter and apple cider, to chocolate dipped almonds. We were surprised and delighted by its top performance in the AeroPress.

AEROPRESS  |  8.9 20g | Virtuoso 10 |  198 deg. | 342g water | 2:00 

Looking back at our notes on this brew it's immediately obvious why we loved this brew. It displayed several unique characteristics not found in the other brews. Not everyone loves having a wild card brew method that strays from their expectations based on previous brews, but we do! Aromatically this cup was a homemade tart with a spiced butter crust stuffed with baked apple and plum, topped with caramel drizzle and served with pieces of dried kiwi and a chocolate truffle. It had serious body, viscous like your favorite green juice. The acidity itself was very multi-dimensional being green and mouthwatering, zingy, but also with a soft melon sweetness. This all fuses for a flavor profile of apple, lemon zest, melon, salted baked squash, butter, and sugared pastry crust. The finish has lingering brightness, browned butter and plenty of sweetness. This was probably the least fall-like cup of this coffee as it retained a lot of crispness that disappeared into comfort desserts and wood in the other cups. All around it was very sweet and clean. 

We really appreciated the high contrast of these two Costa Rican offerings from Perc. We're sad that the Carrizal flew out the doors, but we would very highly recommend nabbing the Flor de Cafe as a nice treat while it is still available. 

Don't forget to visit Perc around the cyberspaces to see what's new and to give them some love. perccoffee.com, twitter:@PERCCOFFEE, IG: @PERCCOFFEE, Tumblr: perccoffee. 

-Mae

[puristacoffee]

#aeropress for two, please. (at puristacoffee.tumblr.com)

[puristacoffee]

Mariposa Series

We felt like doing something a bit different this time around. Unfortunately, we couldn't get great brews from these threw coffees on all of our methods, so we're going to focus on the brews that did turn out well. 

SUMATRA MANDHELING FTO REGION  Sumatra Mandheling FARM  N/A VARIETAL  N/A ALTITUDE  N/A PROCESS  N/A RATING  7.5 GET IT HERE

ESPRESSO  |  8 20.2g | Vario 2-P | 200º | 27 s | 41.2g yield

To start off, there is simply not enough information given on this coffee. There is so much mystery surrounding Mandheling, however, that you will somewhat quickly find that Mandheling is actually just a trade name, while Mandheiling are a people, and no coffee is actually produced in any Mandheiling/Mandheling region... 

In the URL of this coffee's info page, there exists the word 'gayo'. Therefore, we can [somewhat accurately] deduce that this coffee comes from the hillsides of the Gayo Mountain, in the region of Aceh in northern Sumatra. This coffee is most likely grown somewhere around 1,100 to 1,300 masl, and is probably shade-grown. We could also [somewhat accurately] say that this coffee is processed using a washed method. Mariposa denotes this coffee as FTO, or Fair-Trade/Organic. 

From the initial whiff, we can spot caramel and dark chocolate, maybe some hot fudge. The substantially silky body develops a platform for the sweet, sugary brightness and clean acidity. The first sip presents as super sugary with undertones of dark chocolate. 

After allowing the demitasse to chill out for a moment or so, we can detect from the aroma baked plum and maple syrup. Awesome! Baked plum comes out again in the flavor, along with fresh cherry crisp and smoked almonds. 

The smoked almonds provide that earthy tone we're all familiar with in our Sumatran coffees, without the harsh funky ones.

Finishing this up are smoked almonds, cacao and sugar in the aftertaste, for a long finish. 

* The lack of information here may not be due Mariposa's negligence. The shroud of Sumatra prevents many importers from getting information as well, it seems. Personally, this in itself would have driven me away from offering this coffee. 

GUATEMALA QUISAYA REGION  N/A FARM  N/A VARIETAL  Bourbon ALTITUDE  1,750 m PROCESS  Wet RATING  5.5 GET IT HERE

CHEMEX  |  8.1 21g | Virtuoso 21 | 351g | 3:30

We found that Quisaya is a small town in the San Martín Jilotepeque of Guatemala.

This brew has a lot going on! Caramel brownies, cooked fruit, berry candy in the initial aroma. A delightfully lush and silky body coupled with a mildly sweet brightness. One can taste strawberry-flavored butter toffee and rich chocolate silk pie. 

Pulling this cup back in after some time, more can be pulled from the aroma: sweet cream, complex florals, with a touch of hazelnut towards the end. Added flavors of champagne-drenched rose and violet topped with hazelnut mousse create a savory palatable experience. 

A long finish carries the aftertastes of sweet cacao, crushed hazelnuts, and cream. 

BURUNDI BUHORWA REGION  N/A FARM  N/A VARIETAL  Bourbon ALTITUDE  1,821 m PROCESS  Wet RATING  6.6 GET IT HERE

V60  |  8 18g | Virtuoso 13 | 292g | 198º | 2:00

Buhorwa is the washing station located in Muramvya, Burundi. 

Right off the bat, your senses are flooded with floral spice, dried herb mix, and sun-dried tomato. Unmistakably. With your first sip, you'll feel the clean silky body, take in the agave acidity and citric brightness that lasts throughout the sip, and taste golden puffs cereal, herbal and floral spices, and butter.

With some time to come into character, aromas of sage, butter, caramel, and chocolate-covered hazelnuts cut through. Oh, my! So much! A deep caramel accompanies the aforementioned flavors, while sun-dried tomatoes take the stage. 

A wonderful soft desert floral spice is noticeable in the initial aftertaste. If you let a minute or so pass, you'll also experience incense. Yes, incense. You know that general smell of spent incense? That. All the way. And it is delightful!

We must say that Mariposa does not offer up much information on their web site, and their packaging is even more vague, with the only detailed information being the roast level. Personally, we feel roast levels are pretty ambiguous. With that said, the supposed dark roast of the Sumatra was not – I feel – your traditional, carbon-coated dark roast. It was pleasant, and suiting of this coffee, especially splendid for espresso. The center line of the bean was still a light brown color. 

Mariposa's Sumatra Mandheling

We initially were not going to include the overall score, but decided to for transparency-sake. Most of the brews not mentioned here were not entirely palatable. We ended up dumping most of them. 

As a roaster, Mariposa has room for growth, with underlying potential. Maybe they're great roasters with sub-par green coffees being purchased? They're definitely artists – if you don't believe me, just check out their coffee truck, catering setup, and Instagram. 

[puristacoffee]

This is happening NOW! @lacolombecoffee @todd_carmichael @perccoffee The Dragon brewer + #CostaRica Carrizal (at puristacoffee.tumblr.com)

[puristacoffee]

Venia Ethiopia Danch Meng

Hailing from nearby town Bothell, WA, we are happy to bring you Venia Coffee! Danch Meng is not a region or farm; it is a term in the local language meaning perfect approach. 

We are going to highlight the three best methods for this coffee. Here we go!

REGION  Yirgacheffe Zone | Gelana Abaya FARM  Dumerso Co-Op VARIETAL  Ethiopian Heirlooms ALTITUDE  1,800 MASL PROCESS  Sun-dried, hand-sorted RATING  8.5 REC. METHOD  French Press GET IT HERE

ESPRESSO  |  9 21g | Grind 3 Virtuoso | 44g | 32 sec. | 202°

Unfortunately, our Vario grinder was out of commission for these pulls. However, that didn’t seem to hamper this coffee from shining through.

Bursting onto the scene are strong aromas of yellow raspberry and sweetened iced milk tea, with traces of dark chocolate sauce with vanilla, and a hint of mildly smoked pecan. First sips of this Danch Meng show a super smooth body, and a very berry, vibrant, and – dare I say? – scintillating brightness. Flavors come out as strong brewed black tea.

As it cools, the aroma gets mildly sweeter, while flavors intensify: tart yellow raspberry in the front, a hint of dark chocolate, and a smidgen of vanilla creme and agave. 

Mildly roasty, sweet finish. It definitely retains that brightness and fruit notes.

V60  |  8.1 30g | Grind 14 | 423g | 3:00 | 198°

An affront of sugared dates and berries come through hard in the aroma here. A silky, drying body creates a fantastic vehicle for the tart lemon acidity. Initial sips present flavors of black tea, walnut, and poached berries. 

Cooling a bit, we experience aromas of wedged lemon in the middle, with a bit of bran at the end. A hint of sweet vegetal flavor can be coaxed out with the introduction of air into the oral and nasal cavities via exhaling with the mouth closed.

Dry walnuts finish this brew up quite softly. 

FRENCH PRESS  |  9.2 20g | Grind 31 | 200g (40g bloom) | 4:00

Believe it or not, but the French Press has done it again, folks! I really am taken aback by this method time and time again. 

Lemonade shows up in the bloom alone, while upon the first whiff in the cup, iced tea bursts through, followed by berry. A smooth, juicy mouthfeel carries an excitingly complex sweetness that comes off as soft, like a Fuji apple. A sip uncovers blueberry juice at the front, roasted pecans and agave. 

After a bit of cooling, we can add to the list aromas of lemongrass and bottom notes of sugarcane. Flavors come alive, with a touch of dragon fruit, bottoms of lemonade, grass, milk oolong, and a wonderful lingering savory sweetness from the roast. Great balance here between roast profile and origin. 

Finishing us up, we’ve got sweet lemongrass and that beautiful milk oolong in a nice dry envelope. 

If you take it slow and enjoy small sips of this cup, you’ll be happy to discover that the roast profile turns even sweeter as time goes on; sultry caramel. 

[puristacoffee]

#shakenicedcoffee w/ Terminus #CostaRica? Yes, please! (at terminus-coffee.com)

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Stellar video of our #Aricha by @bryanschiele! (at terminus-coffee.com)

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PERC Finca Kassandra

REGION  Huatusco in Veracruz, Mexico FARM  Finca Kassandra VARIETAL  Pacamara ALTITUDE  1,500 MASL PROCESS  Fully Washed RATING  9.2 REC. METHOD  Kalita Wave GET IT HERE

Philip Brown is a musician. He also has a long running relationship with coffee that started in a coffee shop in Athens, GA where he landed after touring. In his own words:

" In the beginning, I focused on traditional espresso drinks. Later, I was fascinated by coffee origins and using alternative brew methods to highlight each varietal’s inherent qualities."

You can probably see where we're going with this. Philip took up an interest in the same thing we're trying to do here at Purista, that is finding the brew method that serves the coffee at hand best. 

Philip went on to roast after his experimentation and passion lead him there. His passion also lead him to Savannah, GA, which is where we find his roasting operation Perc Coffee. You can read all about them here.

Finca Kassandra is a very special coffee that is part of Perc's Top Shelf Line, a project they started so that they could throw themselves into sourcing and roasting the most exciting microlots they could get their hands on, disregarding price point.

They really found something special in their Finca Kassandra, which you can read more specifically about here when you merrily skip your way over to purchase a bag (you're really going to want to).

I know that we said in our Perc Chelelektu review that we would share their brew method for the winning brew on this Finca Kassandra, but the Kalita isn't the most widely available or used device (part of its allure I think), so they don't have a brew guide for it. Whomp, whomp. 

Let's open the bag before we talk notes. Upon slicing off the top and peeking inside, you'll find the glorious behemoth of a coffee seed that is Pacamara. This coffee seriously looked more precious to me than rubies, and I will never forget what it looked like. When you think about beautiful coffee, you usually imagine the other sensory details, but this one was truly a beautiful sight as well. Aside from the beauty of the Pacamara seed, the roast itself if gorgeous. Perfect consistency, an interestingly grey-brown light hue, and super smooth surface. We knew just looking at this one that it would be at least a 9, then again I'm sure Perc did too. 

CHEMEX  |  9.3 21g | Grind Vario 9-A | 351g | 3:30

The first and foremost aromatic observation in this brew is sweet golden apple. This is followed by a touch of cream, a dash of cane sugar, a warm, spiced rhubarb crisp, and captivating yellow raspberry. As you can deduce, it smelled a little like liquid gold. 

The body wielded something between weightless buoyancy and silk and embraced an equally whimsical brightness.

The descriptives I have of the flavor seem delicate, but it had such appropriate intensity with its golden apple, cane sugar, and yellow raspberry sweetness that transitioned to an almost savory spread of browned butter and herbs. Just before the finish there was a dusty desert floral that waned into a soft brown sugar crumble topping.

AEROPRESS  |  9.1 20g | Grind Vario 5-R | 235g | 2:30

The AeroPress brew highlighted some cinnamon, sunflower seeds, and wheat bread aromas for a more spiced and savory perfume that married well with the apple and cream aromas. Yellow raspberry played out most prevalently in this brew's aromatics. 

The mouthfeel of this brew erred on the silky side which played well with a lush acidity likened to homemade applesauce with a pinch of salt.

If you're a fan of picnics involving fresh baguettes and fruit you'll love the flavor plays in this cup. With a substantial apple base and a hint of rhubarb, that translated as a hybrid apple butter spread, a fresh chunk of breadiness, and a topping/desert of yellow raspberry it takes you through a nice progression. The bread and brightness holds all the way through, with a minor dry end. 

FRENCH PRESS  |  8.6 20g | Grind 10-W | 300g | 5:00

The most savory aroma locked in this coffee was coaxed out in this brew. Intermixed with the inherent yellow raspberry, apple, and cream, were more green herbal characteristics and some cherry tomato. 

Simple syrup is the best way we can describe the body of this brew. The way it mingled with the sparkling, sweet red apple acidity was a prime example of the potential to unlock amazing raw coffee with just the right roast. When you reach synergy every characteristic of the coffee blends seamlessly and sings. 

A non-complex presentation of flavors of sweet cream, applesauce, cinnamon and herbs did little to diminish the experience of this brew. 

KALITA WAVE  |  9.7 20g | Grind Vario 9-D | 284g | 3:40 

Just when we start thinking that the Kalita isn't a star player in our brew lineup it gives us a cup like this and we're forever under its spell.Such an array of fragrances swelled out of the decanter after the final drip of this brew. We latched onto them in the following order: rhubarb, red apple, cinnamon, cane sugar, lemon zest, herbs, crème fraîche, and yellow raspberry, all swirling amidst cream soda. Delectable silky-smooth and floating is the best we can capture the body of this brew in words. Pair this with a dazzling sweet brightness. Kassandra is an princess empress. Frontally hooked by the ever present and alluring yellow raspberry we delved in to experience more fresh green herbs, golden delicious apple, and rhubarb crisp. The finish is tantalizing and capricious as the coffee changes from bright, sweet and fresh, to heavily baked crisp/crumble topping, with a sneaking spritz of lemon. It's teasing and it doesn't last nearly as long as you think it should.

ESPRESSO  |  9.2

20.8g | Grind Vario 2-D | 38.4g | 27s | 204 deg. F

Espresso always feels like dessert to me. This one being of the urban farm kitchen variety. The effusions of this extraction are fresh herbs, rhubarb, butter, baked apple, cinnamon, and yellow raspberry. When I say espresso feels like dessert, maybe it's because for me the aroma's are usually so interlaced and non-phasic, that picking them apart feels like dissecting a confection and sniffing the sum of its parts individually. This one would be a medley apple, rhubarb, raspberry crumble in which the butter in the topping is infused with herbs de provence and the freshest cinnamon. 

The mouthfeel is like the thickening juices of the cooked fruits in the crumble. Almost corn syrupy. The acidity matches, it's straight up juice vibrant and clean. 

The fruits are the main players on the palate front. Apple, then raspberry, followed by herbs and browned streusel with the added pungency of rhubarb. The tartness lingers in the finish with the baked butter streusel, making for a long and interesting completion. 

With this I've completely pained myself with the memory of this coffee. It's one that we won't soon forget. 

– Mae

[puristacoffee]

#DanchMeng from @veniacoffeeroasters ruminating in the #frenchpress. Too old school? Nah! (at puristacoffee.tumblr.com)

[puristacoffee]

Our roaster operation, Terminus Coffee, just received one of the most stellar validations of all time. So jacked!

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Just part of our roster of roasters we have reviewed. Who's next? We have room for more!

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We really wanted to share this playlist to give you a sense of intrigue about this new, local small business here in Tacoma, WA.