| COUNTRY: Brazil VARIETY: Mixed (unknown) ALTITUDE: 980 – 1230 MASL PROCESS: Pulped Natural, Natural ROAST: Dark |
EXTRACTION SETTINGS
- Equipment: Gaggia Classic Pro E24, DF54 Grinder
- Grind setting: 11.9
- Dose in / yield out: 17.5g in / 31.0g out
- Extraction time: xx seconds
- Other notes: 18g IMS precision basket, 1.0mm puck screen, fresh beans.
I was so impressed with how fresh these beans were as they were dispatched the same day they were roasted. By the time they reached my hands, they were only 2 days old. It’s a great pleasure to have the opportunity to rest your beans and enjoy them at their most fresh and flavourful.
As Stronghold is a darker roast, the time needed for degassing is shorter and the peak enjoyment can be seen 7 – 10 day after roasting. My Gaggia Classic Pro doesn’t have a PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) that can allow for pre-infustion so I opted for waiting 10 days post roast to dial in this coffee to avoid excessive CO2 and bubbling that could cause all sorts of instability (and frustrations) when dialling in.
pre-infusion : the process of running a small amount of water to soak the coffee, waiting, and then resuming with extraction.
Once dallied in and brewed, this is as classic as espresso can be. There isn’t anything incredibly stand out or memorable about Stronghold but that isn’t a bad thing for a contender for ‘The Bag You Know’ (the regular bag in your cupboard and something I explore in great lengths in this post).
It dominates your mouth which each sip and is so smooth to drink. It’s also really cocoa forward, so much so the taste of chocolate lingers on your tongue long after you’ve swallowed it. My reference for dark chocolate is always cocoa nibs, and it’s bitter punchy flavour makes it a little hard to pull out the sweetness of the brown sugar and creamy fudge also noted in this bag. This was harder when it was hot. However as it cools, the cocoa steps back and you can taste those other flavours a little bit more. I also found pulling it shorter (hence the shorter 1 : 1.8 ratio) helped bring sweetness out of the bean before getting drowned with cocoa.
I don’t know if this will become my regular bag because I felt like it needed something else. When I completed Origin Coffees flavour profile questionnaire it asked whether I enjoyed bold, balanced or bright coffee. As a latte babe, balanced is where I felt most drawn to because I appreciate a rounded flavour that isn’t just strong. I needed a touch more than the traditional espresso flavour to find my cup delicious. Stronghold is not bad at all and it will certainly be considered as a coffee to help break up routine (if needed) – but it does make me want to try Origin Coffees Resolute espresso blend even more.
🤎🤎🤎 ( 3 / 5 ) Complex, clear and fresh.
| FLAVOUR PROFILE |
| – Flavour: Brown sugar, dark chocolate, fudge – Acidity: Mellow, orchard fruit – Body: Rich, creamy – Finish: Long, cocoa |
A BIT ABOUT THE PRODUCERS
This seasonal coffee, Stronghold, celebrates outstanding coffee from Brazil and the strong relationships that Origin Coffee has with producers in this region. This blend is roasted darker than their others and in turn offers a bold traditional espresso profile. Two lots contribute to this coffee; the base from Fazenda Mariano, a naturally processed lot that the Barbosa families multi-generational approach to quality produces a cup with sweet nutty notes, dried fruit, brown sugar and gentler apple-like acidity. Second, is the Fazenda São João lot run by the Bachião family. This family has been growing coffee since the early 1900s. Their coffee brings the depth and richness in the form of dark chocolate, truffle and toffee to the cup.
More information can be found from the roaster, @OriginCoffee.
Until our next cup,
Coffee Log 
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