Nepal Mount Everest Supreme

Picture taking from a airplane of Mount Everest

I have bought the Nepal Mount Everest Supreme green bean from my local coffee shop, were it were among the most expensive coffees they had. A single kilo of this green bean is priced at 250 DKK ($43,5), but when you look at the specs its not so bad. For example, its grown in 2.200 - 2.400 m. above sea level, which is absolutely breathtaking.

The plantation was founded in the 1990s at the foothills of the Himalayas along the banks of the Trisuli River, which is about 75 km. north of Kathmandu. The origin of the coffee trees used in this plantation is from Papua New Guinea which is planted in the shade, providing a shade grown coffee. The coffee are when harvest wet-processed with water from the Himalayan River and then sun-dried.

Nepal Mount Everest Supreme Brewed in Hario

The body from this particular bean is amazing because of its delightful and long aftertaste. Its pleasant with some notes of spicy pepper, ginger and hints of butter and roasting nuts. The aftertaste is more a sweet taste of popcorn and is lasting similar to a aftertaste from wine tasting. The cup has a great acidity and a great body, but its not my favorite coffee. In other words, I have now tried this special and expensive bean and it has been a experience, but I wouldn't buy it again, unless I forget the flavors or got some new equipment.

Close up at the Nepal Mount Everest Supreme

Hope you enjoyed this review, have a nice friday!

// Hendrup

Storage leason, 14 days

Picture results after 14 days with three different storage solutions

It has been 14 days since I sealed the three chosen storage solutions, seeking the optimal solution of keeping the freshness of the roasted beans. The three chosen storage solutions was a CO2 valve bag, a basic paper bag and a normal plastic bag, if you want to read more about the set up of this experiment see link.

The surface of the roasted coffee beans were generally the same, maybe a slightly less greasy surface from the beans stored in the CO2 valve bag. I have roasted the coffee beans extremely dark, so it would be easier to test the storage solutions, cause oily beans in general are harder to keep fresh. I would in this case say that the surface is similar to each other and its a minimum that differentiate the coffee beans.

The crema layer was quite equal to each other, likewise the color and visual brewing on the naked portafilter. If you compare the three espresso shots in each picture above, the crema layer has the same thickness unless the shots made from the paper bag which has a thinner layer of crema. By appearance the paper bag solution would have lost the most essential oils of the coffee beans, but the produced crema aren't all.

Regarding to the taste developments of the beans its quite an interesting matter. Actually the beans stored in the plastic bag tasted quite bitter, sour but had some notes of nuts and caramel and was rich cup. The beans stored in the paper bag was more creamy and silky and had flavors of caramel and chocolate. The beans from the last storage solution was a creamy and silky cup like the paper bag, but had fruity and chocolate flavors.

Next comparison will take place the 23/02/2012.

// Hendrup

Grower´s Cup, Finest Specialty, Guatemala

Grower´s Cup Finest Specialty Guatemala Antigua Los Volcanes

I have already tested a coffee from Grower´s Cups Finest Specialty product line, but that coffee were indeed at the line of expire and therefore this will be the first real judgement of the Grower´s Cup and their on-the-road coffee brewing bags.

The Grower´s Cup are in constant development with their product solutions and therefore is there currently 26 gr. of freshly roasted coffee included in the brewing bag instead of previous 24 gr. as blogged about in the Rwanda coffee, see link. This upgrade of the coffee grounds puts the brewing bag closer to the SCAE golden cup rule and later on I will describe if that really works in this case.

Im a huge fan of this disposable french press, as the company think is the best description, and I think its a great solution instead of the classic, bad tasting instant coffee. I have blogged about the technique behind this brewing bag, see link.

The particular coffee used in this case is the Antigua "Los Volcanes" from Guatemala, which is a volcanic high grown coffee bean. This 100% arabica coffee bean is grown in 1.500 m. above sea level and the specific area, where this bean is from offers grown coffee from an altitude of 1.500-1.700 m. above sea level. The Antigua valley is one of the most notorious and eldest growing coffee regions, with volcanos almost surrounding the area, creating a valley with a shallow water table. The coffee region of Antigua is an enclosed valley formed by three volcanos, the Agua, Acatenango and Fuego, where most of the coffee trees are planted on the valley floor, like this coffee bean, in 1.500 m. above sea level. Some farmers cultivate the slopes of the volcanoes up to 1.700 m. above sea level, which is the highest grown coffee in this coffee region.

Picture of the brewed cup of this particular bean

The coffee should according to its label have flavor notes of dark chocolate with an aftertaste of vanilla and jasmine. Actually I didn't get those flavors; starting to wonder if I have some off taste buds. Never mind, I took a first sip at the brewed cup and I was just wondering what it tasted like. I mean, it hasn't got a specific flavor note, but is more delight and just pleasant to drink. I sat and took another sip just enjoying myself, but I couldn't clarify the notes. There was a gently low, clear and crisp acidity and a full body with a sweet aftertaste. As the cup went colder flavors like light caramel, milk chocolate and sweetness properly from caramelized sugars turned up.

I must say that its a clear improvement of the previous tested coffee bean Rwanda and I have never experienced a press pot being so crisp and clear. Its a wonderful joy to have a great solution to grap, when you are needed on the road and still have your coffee addiction. Suddenly 25 DKK ($4,25) doesn't feel like a lot of money, cause its actually as pleasant as a coffee from a good coffee bar. Likewise rumor has it, that these brewing bags can be found around 15 DKK each ($2,5) or ten bags for 100 DKK ($17), which in my opinion is very cheap!

A little downside and there always has to be one, is that I also received a bag holder, which is not quite easy to use and hides the label. But I can surely live with that as long as the coffee is as good as it were today.

// Hendrup

Hario Syphon TCA-2 movie

Intro picture of the Hario Syphon TCA-2 movie

I just finished the first real production from Coffee Channel about the Hario Syphon coffee brewer, spiced with some facts about the special brewing system using water vapor and some useful tips. I will thanks those people who have taken the initiative to raise questions about the brewing process of the syphon, cause it has launched this movie.

I have also been getting some question about how happy I am with the brewing Syphon, cause I show a lot of enthusiasm with this brewing technique, but haven´t comment on price vs. value. So here it its, the Hario Syphon is quite expensive in my opinion, but its actually makes it fun to brew a cup of coffee. For an example compared to the Bodum Press Pots, that I also have, its more chemical and authentic and therefore I have used this Syphon every single day since I´ve got it. The conclusion stats that if you have the money and are in doubt, go buy the Syphon brewer, because you won't regret it.

Below the video is attached, hope you enjoy it!

 

// Hendrup

Hario iMovie project

Hario Syphon project in iMovie 09

I have been getting some PM request regarding the previous blog post about the Hario Syphon TCA-2 brewer. The essentials of these request were questions about the vacuum and extraction process, in other words, they wanted to have a closer look of this process, than the photo clip movie, that I have produced, see link. Therefore I have shot some videoclips today of the process and started a movie project in iMovie.

Hopefully the video will be ready for a release tomorrow at 15:00 PM.

Have a great monday!

// Hendrup

Grower´s Cup basics

Components of the disposable french press

I will just have a quick explanation of the brewing system that Grower´s Cup currently are patent pending on. The original size of this portable and simple coffee brewing bag is about an A5 paper and a thickness of 1 cm., its weight is about 45 gr., which makes it suitable for on-the-road brewing. The solution contains a zipper, so you can close the bag after you have poured water into it, more of that later on. The actual brewing bag contains 24-26 gr. of freshly roasted and grounded coffee, made of specialty picked beans.

Brewing proces on the disposable french press

Once you have purchased the disposable french press and you are ready to brew three cups of quality coffee, the first thing is to open the top from side to side. There is a small layer of glue keeping the bag airtight, so the coffee isn't maturing. Create a stand of the brewing bag and pour in 0,5 liter of hot water, close the zipper and let it brew for 5-6 min.. After the brew time, shape a wide pour spout and tilt as illustrated in step. 3.

The actual brewing process

  The disposable french press is made of PE-coated paper and a filter material which is similar to the material used in rice bags for cooking. The brewing bag has a strong sealing to maintained maximum freshness of the coffee and is thereby aroma sealed. The fresh roasted specialty coffee beans are grounded directly into the brewing bags filter compartment, which is sealed immediately after.

The youtube video above illustrates the brewing process thoroughly. Its looks very easy and the great thing about this product is thats so simple that everyone could handle it. Its very transportable, so you can easily sneak one into your luggage and enjoy a great cup of coffee wherever you might go.

Can´t wait to tryout the brewing bags!

// Hendrup

A move in the right direction

Shipment from Grower´s Cup

I have been to my friends house, where I was presented with some coffees from Grower´s Cup, see link. I was luckily sent home with four different coffees from Grower´s Cup finest specialty product line, but these weren't purchasable. Therefore I have received a complete package with their entire purchasable product lines, both the finest specialty and the organic specialty. 

Grower´s Cup product lines

Each product line covers five different coffees picked and roasted at the Grower´s Cup facilities, this will ensure high quality of the brewed cup. The finest specialty line is being produced by extremely limited high quality coffee quantities from Africa and Latin/Central America, which makes this line the most expensive. The organic specialty line is being produced by fair-trade and organic coffees of some the very best coffees available on the market. 

I have recently reviewed a previous specialty coffee from Grower´s Cup, which aren't purchasable, but within the expire date, see link. The test was about the freshness of the coffee, because this will be a huge factor for the coffee enthusiast market. The Specialty coffee from Rwanda, was at the limit of the expiration date and therefore very interesting, cause if the Grower´s Cup could preserve the essential oils, freshness, taste or smell it would be amazing, proving the patent pending brewing solution to be a stunningly success. 

Because the Grower´s Cup have been so generous of delivering one piece of all their products, which is currently purchasable, I will in the next couple of weeks test these one by one. The testing will be done like the previous test of the Rwanda coffee.

Once again a big thanks to the employees at Grower´s Cup for this shipment!

// Hendrup 

Change of parameters

Coffee plantation

I have lately been wondering how I would expand the reviews on Coffee Channel, so the viewers would receive a fair and thorough review of different coffee related products. This is because I definitely love coffee and blogging about it, but don't have the budget to keep buying products for reviews. Therefore I have sent some emails to manufactures to create a dialog about them renting their products for me to review.

I assure that there won't be doing some hidden marketing on this site and therefore there won't be created any payment for a good review. You can therefore still take my advice on this site and having completely faith of it being the truth.

The reason for this at all to be realized is because the Coffee Channel eventually wouldn't review expensive or specific coffee related products, because of the low budget. For an example I have just invested in the Hario Syphon TCA-2 brewer and for this reason there won't be purchased some coffee brewing products in a while. Because I also add a new blog post daily, I would prefer if I could give you some great advise on these coffee machines, so therefore I have contacted some manufactures today.

I hope that you will support me on this decision and keep following. Have a great friday everyone and be safe!

// Hendrup

Press Pot terminology

My Bodum Press Pot Family

I have always been a fan of Press Pots, cause of the brewing technique that allows the essential oils from the coffee bean to unfold instead of decreasing it like normal filter brewing does. This happens because the coffee grounds remain in direct contact with the brewing water and the grounds are filtered from the water via a mesh instead of a paper filter, therefore the coffee brewed with the Press Pot captures more of the coffees flavors and essentials oils, which would become trapped in a drip brew machines paper filters. The Press Pot have been redesigned several times, but the most famous design and best selling is the one produced by the danish company Bodum, called Chambord.

If you compare the filter to Press Pot brewing, a Press Pot requires a coarser grind than the drip brew coffee, because finer grounds will seep through the press filter and into the coffee. Likewise will the finer ground coffee tend to brew a lot quicker than a coarse grind in a Press Pot, which will leave a over extracted cup of coffee with a lot of sediment.

How does it work?
Its actually quite simple, all you need is to place your coffee into the brewing pot and add water. The water and ground coffee will then merge and just give it a stir and leave it to brew for a few minutes. You control the brewing time by pressing the plunger to trap the coffee grounds at the bottom of the beaker and thereby stopping the coffee extraction.

// Hendrup

Grower´s Cup, Finest Specialty Rwanda

Rwanda specialty coffee by Grower´s Cup

The first review of a previous coffee from Grower´s Cup product line, is a specific test of how they are capable of maintaining the essential oils of the coffee when sealing the brewing bag. Therefore you aren't able to purchase this specific coffee from the company anymore, but in upcoming post I will test their current product lines. 

This particularly coffee bag from Grower´s Cup is containing a 100% organic arabica bean from Rwanda. The bean is a Bourbon Mayaguez from the geographical area Rabavu and Rutsiro district in Rwanda. Bourbon coffees are named for the island in the Indian Ocean where the French colonists grew it. The coffee is grown in 1500-1900 m. height above sea level, and the disposable French press contains 24 gr. of ground coffee. If the 24 gr. of coffee is compared to the SCAE Gold Cup, its a little low on the amount of ground coffee. SCAE suggest that in use of one liter of fresh water brewed at 92-96 degrees, should equal 50-65 gr. of freshly ground coffee. Im am therefore a bit exiting to have a test on this chosen coffee, cause its a little low on the amount of ground coffee and also how are they able to preserve the freshness of the ground coffee, when this bag was produced in November, 2010. Surely the low volume of the coffee can be justified cause of the brewing method of the press pot function, that its announced to have.

The coffee should have some fine shades because of the volcanic soil and rainfall, therefore it should contain flavors of sweet fruit and intense flower, which is completed with a rich and pleasant aftertaste of chocolate. This specific coffee has been rated by the SCAE, where it has achieved a rating of 90,5 points out of 100 possible point.

Interestingly the coffee ground started a CO2 reaction when I poured the temperated water on top, it expanded quite heavily. Normally this is a good indicator of fresh coffee because the more fresh the coffee is, the more captured CO2 is waiting to be released when pouring water onto it. Also a good thing to keep in mind when brewing for press pot or using a Siphon brewer, you will have to stir it a bit to release some of the gasses. In this case I didn't, I just followed the instructions at the back side of the brewing bag.

Rwanda coffee from Grower´s Cup

Grower´s Cup suggest that you brew the coffee for a minimum period of 4-5 min, if you would like a mild and pleasant taste. If you would prefer a more strong and assertive taste, is should be brewed 8-9 min. Therefore I went with a brewing time of 6 min., because I prefer a medium cup with a mixture of some fine mild and strong notes.

Close up result

My thoughts about this fair-trade coffee with a brilliant rating from the SCAE was a little beside the description at the back of the brewing bag. I found it very pleasant and very drinkable but I actually got more hints of lemon and orange blossom with floral notes rather then fruity notes. BUT more importantly I didn't at a single time get a touch of bitterness or what I had predicted a plastic taste from the brewing bag, but instead got a hints of caramel in the aftertaste. Actually I find it very sweet, also with notes of cinnamon and somehow a possible full bodied silky cup. Strangely I'm stunned by the result, cause I thought that it wouldn't have such a fresh taste. Surely I think you could have even more flavors extracted if the coffee was freshly ground, but I'm absolutely blow away about the fact that Grower´s Cup are able to maintain so many flavors intact almost 1,5 years after it has been ground.

The final statement about this on-the-road solution is that its maybe the best way to enjoy fresh brewed coffee on the road, if you aren't allow to take all your equipment along with you. I would definitely recommend this solution to anybody in the need of this, because its easy and have a great taste compared to other solutions, like instant coffees. Also I would not lose face by putting this disposable french press on the table in front of friends, cause they also would be amazed be the rich flavors of this coffee. On the negative sides, there is a price issue, because I think paying 25 DKK ($4,5) for three cups of coffee is a little high, but then again I would every single time buy this solution instead of having an instant cup of coffee. Also there were some excess coffee grounds at the bottom of the cup, which is normally for a french press, but I actually thought that it wouldn't have a suitable filter to collect these. This could maybe be caused by an inconsistent grinder or the grind setting is a little to fine, I will try to get an opinion on this from Grower´s Cup.

So if you aren't afraid of spending 25 DKK on three cups of quality coffee, this is the only way to go, when hitting the road.

The next article regarding Grower´s Cup will hopefully be published this weekend.

// Hendrup