As the year comes to a close, it's a good time to look back and reflect on all that has happened. Every year is filled with ups and downs, twists and turns, and a whole lot of change. This year was no different… from the ongoing world situation to everyone’s personal fights, there surely was no shortage of challenges and events that shaped the year. But despite it all, we made it through, thanks for all the moments that bring us pleasure and for the people in this community enjoying coffee is one of them. So let's take a moment to look back at some of the highlights of the past year, and try to take aside the troubles and worries.
What about my year?
Yesterday I and my wife visited a very “tasty” place where specialty coffee is the main hero. I and my wife find utter joy into this type of coffee and we barely ever brew and drink commercial branded beans. We absolutely love the whole world of flavors that every different type of coffee brings to us. Whether it will originate from Kenya, Ethiopia, Colombia, Brazil or Jamaica, every one of them shines with unique flavors and characteristics.
And although we rarely find time just for ourselves, because of the kids and all the responsibilities around them, it’s good that from time to time we manage to enjoy ourselves peacefully, at least for a couple of hours.
The “Specialty place 23” really shines with very flavorful V60 filter coffee and thick bodied espresso. The guy who owns the place definitely knows the secrets of being a real barista and serves the best coffee in city. His wife, on the other side is a culinary expert and makes insanely delicious desserts just to add a bit more sweetness to your coffee experience.
Apart from the rare occasions that we have to enjoy ourselves as free parents, we enjoy our favorite drink in our warm home.
In 2022 I bought my first electrical grinder and dived into the coffee brewing even deeper. I experienced the fresh ground coffee and spend a lot of time experimenting with grinding settings in order to achieve and enjoy the perfect cup. And I have to say, I managed to improve my preparation skills by a lot! There are still some issues that I’m facing, but this is the charm of preparing coffee on your own.
Joining various coffee cupping games.
Several times in the past year, I had the chance to join different coffee cupping and sampling challenges. It’s great that my coffee provider organizes coffee sampling games regularly throughout the year. There were games involving different coffees from particular country and games with sampling different roast profiles of same coffee beans. And although I didn’t win any of them, they gave me a great opportunity to touch the world of professional coffee sampling.
Today I managed to find some time and try two samples of Colombian Supremo Hula coffee variety.
They are from the same coffee variety and the same batch, but one of them is Medium-Light roasted, while the other is a darker - Medium roast. You can clearly see the difference between the roasting intensity when comparing the beans side to side.
Because I know my personal preference I knew which one was gonna be my favorite even before trying the coffees. There was just one more decision… how to brew the coffee? Maybe V60 would be more proper if I want to get the best out of their flavors.
Shortly after grinding the beans, I had two cups of pleasantly looking cups. And here is what I think of them.
Test profile 1
This lighter roast preserves the fruitful character of coffee greatly. There is a touch of green apple sourness, which accompanies the sweetness quite well. A very delightful and easy going coffee! Not even a touch of bitterness or harshness.
Test profile 2
This is definitely a deeper tasting one, and there is added a layer of toffee and caramel finish to the flavor. Sadly, the fresh and fruitful is sacrificed, although there is still a bit of this left in the cup. Maybe if I brewed it with a bit cooler water it would taste better.
My personal preference goes to the fist taste profile, although I know some people will prefer the Medium roasted one. It’s quite surprising to know how roast level has impacts the flavor of your cup by this much. Even the smallest adjustment will result in a very different taste profile and this is one bit of the coffee magic.
What about 2023?
I’m confident that New Year will bring a lot of opportunities for me to enjoy various coffee types and experiment even more while improving my skills. I want also to improve my coffee gear and dive even deeper into knowledge around our favorite drink. I am here in this community, because I find pleasure in commenting and sharing opinion with other people from all around the world and this makes HIVE a great place to hang around.
And what about you? How was your past year? What do you want and what do you expect from the coming one?
Take care and have fun with your family and friends. Be sure to make your wishes come true, because it’s mainly up to yourself.
Bye!