You may know that I’m a pretty big fan of coffee. I began this journey many years ago after having the opportunity to visit a coffee plantation in Costa Rica. Over the years since that time, I have explored and learned a lot about this amazing drink.
I have also discovered several amazing coffee resources, tools, roasters and more. I hope to share many of these resources with you, and even more as I discover new things myself. With that in mind, I’m starting a something new that will be a regular part of things around here. I’m calling it, What I’m Drinking.
Through these articles, I will share with you my current coffee, and what I think of it. I’m not planning on overwhelming you, but you can expect to see something along these lines once or twice a month.
Right now, I am enjoying a bag of beans from Ritual Coffee in San Francisco. In the inaugural episode of Random Ramblings, I talked about a coffee subscription service that I have joined, called Trade Coffee. This coffee from Ritual is the second installment from that subscription: Los Gigantes, from Huila, Colombia.
And I am very impressed with it. I have tried it various ways, but keep coming back to the Chemex for this particular bean.
Aroma
Right out of the bag, the aroma is incredible, with immediate associations with dark chocolate. As it brews, that smell deepens and becomes a little more complex.
Flavor Notes
This is a very bright cup of coffee, with a level of citric acid that reminds me of lemon. It’s sweet and tart at almost the same time, and has a hint of that dryness that comes from cranberries. The dark chocolate aromas carry over to the flavors, especially as it cools off a bit.
Balance and Mouthfeel
This seemed to be a very balanced coffee, although it was a bit more acidic in the Hario V60 than it was in the Chemex. With a smooth, bright feel, this coffee lingered on the palate, and left me craving more.
Brew Methods
I used the Chemex, Hario V60, and an Aeropress to sample this coffee. Each cup was brewed at a 1:16 ratio, with a starting weight of 25 grams of coffee each time. The Chemex turned out the best results.
Overall Notes
Most of the time, I think Colombian coffees are overrated. Maybe it’s the fact that so many different mass producers source from there, I don’t really know. Whatever the case, I’m just not all that excited about Colombian beans. However, this bag from Ritual was almost enough to make me rethink that opinion. It was excellent, roasted to a perfect City Roast level, and maintained the incredible flavors that Colombian beans can be known for.
I give it a full five star rating. And now, I think I’ll brew another cup.
