Coffee Information
The difficulty of a blend depends largely on what the goal is. For me, the goal is simple: to come up with a blend that is more interesting or better than each of the coffees on their own.
This blend was born from some of the lessons learned from the 3-CYCLE SLAM BLEND , combining two Colombian coffees of completely different varieties and processes.
On the one hand, Finca la Cinta's Wush Wush Washed is characterized by being a friendly, clean, balanced and delicately floral coffee. On the other hand, La Roca State's Caturra Maceración Carbónica is a coffee with intense red fruits and a juicy and pronounced acidity. You can find more information about each coffee by accessing the links in this paragraph.
After a couple of tests with different ratios, I settled on a 50% blend of each coffee. It's a green blend, meaning I roasted both coffees at the same time.
Together, they make for a sweet and fruity cup, but at the same time complex and intriguing.
Special 50 gram release.
Producers: La Roca State , Jorge Elias Rojas and La Cinta Farm , Jeferson Olaya.
Country: Colombia.
Region: Tolima.
Altitude: 1850 meters (La Roca) and 2200 meters (La Cinta).
Variety: Caturra (The Rock) and Wush Wush (The Ribbon).
Post-harvest process: Controlled fermentation in an anaerobic environment with carbon dioxide injection, cherry drying (La Roca) and Wet fermentation in mucilage in an anaerobic environment (La Cinta)
Harvest: 2022-2023 (La Roca) and 2021 (La Cinta).
Sensory Description
Grape gum, guava juice, raspberry hard candy, tangerine peel, clear milk caramel, glazed donuts and sugared corn flakes.
High juicy acidity, medium-high honeyed sweetness and delicate low bitterness.
Light body, silky texture and floral and persistent finish.
Import
The La Roca State coffee was imported to Chile by Alto Bonito , who exchanged the last kilo they had of this green coffee for a personalized extraction workshop and manual methods ; valued at CLP 38,000 per kilo. For its part, the coffee from Finca La Cinta was purchased directly from Manantial Coffee , who imported the coffee to Chile. The kilo of green coffee cost CLP $26,400 —8.2 times the C price at the time of purchase—. This does not include operating costs, design or packaging —developed in conjunction with Sangre Artificial— .
Roasting
This coffee was roasted in an Atilla GOLD Plus 2022 with a nominal capacity of 5kg. There are several general differences between drum roasters and air or fluid bed roasters; but at the same time, there are differences in the specific control of each roaster.
On the Kaffelogic Nano 7, which I typically use for all King Solomon roasts, a roast profile is designed that the roaster tries to follow based on a PID (proportional, integral, derivative). So understanding how the coffee would react to certain profiles, and how well the roaster reacts, is a relatively easy task.
In a drum roaster like the Atilla, on the other hand, roasting is controlled by controlling the gas pressure that reaches the burners, the RPM of the fan that blows air through the drum, and the RPM at which the drum itself rotates. This means that to roast properly, one must first heat up the roaster and, ultimately, the environment to which the coffee will be subjected once it enters.
During roasting, on the other hand, every change that is made to the flame and airflow is done in an attempt to anticipate what will happen to the coffee 10-30 seconds in the future.
Now, I decided to use the Atilla for this coffee in order to experiment with a couple of ideas around roasting. First, I find that for a drum roaster, with enough airflow and a small enough load, the contact between the coffee and the drum walls is decreased enough to emulate the profile of an air roaster—high flavor clarity, cleanliness in the cup, more vibrant acidity, albeit with less body.
Second, roast control is easier with smaller loads in a drum roaster, since rapid swings in coffee temperature do not have the ability to significantly alter the ambient temperature inside the roaster. In any case, I made sure the load was large enough to completely submerge the thermocouple, so I could get an accurate temperature reading—in this case, 20% of the roaster's rated capacity.
With all of the above in mind, I proceeded to roast the coffee with slightly lower gas levels, and in the higher range of the airflow levels that I usually use; which resulted in a roast that was quite simple and intuitive to control.
As mentioned before, it is a blend of green coffee—50% La Roca and 50% La Cinta—that I roasted at the same time. I prefer this methodology to take advantage of the same roasting movement to blend the coffees. It is reasonable to think that the blend turns out much better this way, also taking into account that both share or differ very slightly in density, humidity, size and shape.
Being a fairly light roast, I suggest at least 10 days of resting, with an ideal time window between 2 and 4 weeks from the roast date (October 17, 2023). So, I would specifically recommend brewing the coffee between October 31 and November 15.
Toaster: Atilla GOLD Plus 5 kg.
Load: 1 kg.
Initial Humidity: 12.5%
Total Time: 8 minutes, 30 seconds.
DTR: 17%
Final Temperature: 192.2 ºC
Accumulated Temperature*: 1,096 °C/min
Mass loss: 12.0%
*We calculate this value by dividing the area under the roasting curve by the load, ([ºC x min] / grams). We consider this value, in our roaster, to be a reasonable approximation of the development of the coffee, in a broad sense.
Water
All King Solomon coffees are cupped with water that follows the recipe below, which we recommend for the best possible results. If you prefer a simpler option, we recommend using Nomadic Waters , since that is the water we commonly use.
To get to the recipe below you need to first make a couple of mineral concentrates. We used the recipes from Barista Hustle . Our water recipe aims for the highest extraction possible, and a balance between acidity, sweetness and bitterness.
Recipe:
— 185 ppm** of Magnesium Sulfate ( MgSO₄ ); that is, 185 grams of the Hardness concentrate.
— 38 ppm** of Sodium Bicarbonate ( NaHCO₃ ), that is, 38 grams of Buffer concentrate.
— 777 grams of deionized, demineralized or distilled water.
**As an equivalent in CaCO3.
To make things simpler, we will soon be launching our own bottled water, ready to use. Stay tuned!
Preparation
In general, our coffees are designed for high extractions. We recommend fine grinds, higher temperatures, and longer ratios—for filtered, between 1:20 and 1:23; for espresso, between 1:3 and 1:5. In addition, we tend to prefer relatively low concentrations, where we find the greatest clarity in descriptors.
In the case of this coffee, there are a few more recipe options for some categories, taking into account that it is a larger format than usual (50 grams), and that the fact that it is a blend offers an additional layer of complexity that can be used in different recipes, and thus compare results.
The idea of including recommended recipes is not to prevent you from experimenting with coffee, but to share the recipes with which we have had good results.
Manual percolation coffee makers ( conical or flat bottom, such as V60, Origami, Kalita Wave, Kono, etc.)
For a more vibrant cup:
Dose: 15 grams.
Water: 250 grams.
Drink: 215-225 grams.
Time : 2 - 3 minutes.
Temperature: 93-95°C.
TDS: 1.4 - 1.5%.
First discharge — saturation or bloom — 50 grams, swirl the coffee maker for 5 seconds ensuring all the coffee is wet.
Second pour of 50 grams (100) at 30 seconds. Move the coffee maker gently in circles for 2 seconds.
Third pour of 50 grams (150) at 60 seconds. Move the coffee maker gently in circles for 2 seconds.
Fourth pour of 50 grams (200) at 90 seconds . Move the coffee maker gently in circles for 2 seconds.
Final pour of 50 grams (250) at 120 seconds. Move the coffee maker gently in circles for 2 seconds.
Prefer conical coffee makers and opt for the finest grind that allows the water to completely pass through the coffee before the next pour. It is also recommended to use higher temperatures for the first two pours (96-97°C), and lower temperatures for the last three (88-90°C).
For a more balanced cup:
Dose: 14 grams.
Water: 260 grams.
Drink: 160-170 grams.
Time : 5 - 6 minutes.
Temperature: Boiling, 96-97°C in Santiago.
TDS: 1.25 - 1.35%.
First discharge — saturation or bloom — 65 grams, swirl the coffee maker for 5 seconds making sure all the coffee is wet.
Second pour of 65 grams (130) at 60 seconds. Move the coffee maker gently in circles for 2 seconds.
Third pour of 65 grams (195) when the water level is approximately 1 cm above the coffee. Move the coffee maker gently in circles for 2 seconds.
Final pour of 65 grams (260) When the water level is approximately 1 cm above the coffee . Move the coffee maker gently in circles for 2 seconds.
Prefer flat-bottomed coffee makers and opt for the finest grind that allows for even distribution of water over the coffee (without visible lumps). It is also recommended to keep the water boiling between pours.
For both recipes, it is recommended to first reach something close to these parameters with another coffee. Try to make all pours from the highest possible height that does not break the flow or generate bumps on the surface of the water, in a circular motion over the coffee and maintaining a controlled flow.
Immersion coffee makers (such as AeroPress, French Press, Hario Switch, Clever, etc.)
Dose: 15 grams.
Water: 255 grams.
Drink: 235-245 grams.
Time: 10 - 12 minutes.
Temperature: Boiling; 97ºC in Santiago
TDS: 1.3 - 1.4%
[AeroPress, standard method]
Pour the 255 grams of water over the coffee, trying to pour as quickly and from as high as possible so as not to create any bumps on the surface of the water. Stir carefully, making sure to wet all the coffee evenly.
Insert the plunger without applying pressure to create a vacuum.
After 8 minutes, with the plunger still inserted, gently move the pot in a circular motion for 5-10 seconds. It is important that the coffee sinks to the bottom of the pot and forms as level a bed as possible.
After 10 minutes, begin pressing the plunger very gently for 30 to 60 seconds, pressing all the way down.
For other immersion coffee makers, use the same proportions and start filtering after 10 minutes. For a French press, leave the filter at the level of the drink's surface, do not press all the way to the bottom and pour gently.
It is recommended to first reach something close to these parameters with another coffee, and use the finest grind with which it is still easy to press the plunger smoothly.
Espresso
For a more vibrant cup:
Dose: 20 grams.
Water: The water you use in your espresso machine, or the recipe indicated, if you have a machine that allows it easily.
Drink: 45-50 grams.
Time: 25-30 seconds.
Pressure from pump: 6 bar
Temperature: 95-96ºC
TDS: 9 - 10%
For a more balanced cup:
Dose: 15 grams.
Water: The water you use in your espresso machine, or the recipe indicated, if you have a machine that allows it easily.
Drink: 45-50 grams.
Time: 15-2 0 seconds.
Pressure from pump: 6 bar
Temperature: 93-94ºC
TDS: 7 - 8%
It is recommended to reach something close to these parameters beforehand with another coffee. Let the drink cool a little before tasting. For something like a allongé , use the second recipe as a base, but aim for a 75-90 gram drink in about 30-40 seconds. For something like a sprover , use the second recipe as a base, but aim for 190-200 grams in about 45-60 seconds.
Zero bypass coffee makers (Tricolate, LVL-10 and Pulsar)
Dose: 20 grams.
Water: 380 grams, recipe included.
Drink: 340 - 350 grams.
Time: 4-5 minutes.
Temperature: Boiling; 97ºC in Santiago
TDS: 1.3 - 1.5%
[Press]
First pour —saturation or bloom— of 60 grams with the valve closed, move the coffee maker for 10 seconds ensuring that all the coffee is wet or stir carefully with WDT tool.
Pour 60 grams (120) at 30 seconds.
Open the valve to half flow (45°) after 60 seconds.
Pour the remaining 260 grams (380) in 5-7 pulses, each time until the water is 0.5-1 cm above the coffee level. Move the coffee maker gently in circles for 3 seconds after each pulse.
For the Next Level LVL-10, use 30 grams of coffee to 570 grams of water, with a slightly coarser grind; for the Tricolate, use between 15-25 grams of dose and maintain the ratio. For both machines, maintain bloom times.
For other zero-bypass coffee makers, keep the proportions but use the dosage recommended by the manufacturer. Try to do everything on a surface that allows you to keep the coffee maker level at all times. It is recommended to reach something close to these parameters beforehand with another coffee. In addition, it is recommended to keep the water boiling between pours.
Finally, to increase juiciness, it is recommended to increase the ratio to 1:15 - 1:16. To optimize the balance, it is recommended to decrease the ratio to 1:20 - 1:21.
Music
All of our coffees also come with a Spotify playlist, featuring songs we like to listen to while brewing and drinking. Generally, the songs we include in each playlist relate to some sensory aspect of coffee; but explaining exactly how they relate goes beyond words.
Listen to ENSAMBLE #1 on Spotify.