Bali Kintamani

Bali

So far the only offering from Bali that I have had is the Bali Blue Moon which is an exceptional bean.  So when I received the Bali Kintamani I was anticipating something on the same level - And boy was I wrong.

The Kintamani is so far above the level of goodness over the Blue Moon that it should have its own level of goodness attributed to it. It is so good that the name Kintamani should replace the word "good".  If the word awesome was not already designated to describe the glory of God I would suggest that Kintamani should replace it.  In fact, this coffee is so good Kintamani that it was dubbed the "Hug" coffee because after people tasted it they wanted to chase me down the street and give me a hug.  One lady gave me a kiss on the cheek and told me that it was much better than even a hug.  But let me continue.

The exotic and colorful island of Bali produces a small volume of coffee in the interior highlands. This is a dry-processed, or "natural" coffee, which walks on the wild side, with a fermenty, alcohol sweetness that conveys considerable complexity as well as a faint overripe, composty shadow.  Kintamani coffee has a cherry-brandy aspect which possesses a background of cedar wood.  The aroma is said to possess a minty-chocolate note and its body is rich and sturdy with a syrupy mouth-feel. The finish is sweet and flavor-saturated which reveals a very slight composty edge that is indigenous to many Organic coffees.

With all of that said, it boils down to this being a unique and exceptional coffee that if you ever have the chance to procure - Get it! I am sad that I only grabbed 5 pounds of this bean when I should have stock piled it. 

The Art of Coffee Roasting...

Dancing

As coffee roasts there are two things that happen.

1.  The moisture cooks off

2.  The sugars in the beans caramelize

The art is to cook the beans raw enough to leave the natural God given flavor but cooked well enough that those caramelized sugars do a tango on your tongue.

Did you know that I can make green coffee beans dance?

NEW Coffee Arrived!

I just received 35 lbs. of green beans! It took over 3 weeks to get my order because the sale at the supplier was such a success that they ran out of some of the beans that I ordered. So, as a way of mollifying me they gave me 4 cork coasters which are pictured at the bottom corners of the photo.

I tried to expand my horizons with this order. I got a pound of Panama Boquette SHB which I am looking forward to trying, as well as a Mexican Altura Pluma. I also got more of some of the beans that I really liked the last time - such as a 5# bag of the Papua New Guinea - Kimel Peaberry. (One thing that is really meaningless but makes me happy is that the 5# bags are burlap sacks which adds a bit of ambiance to the whole process.)

With this new batch of beans I plan to be roasting on a regular basis again and will post new content with each new experience.

An Experience Experiment - Pt. 1

The next couple of posts come about because of a reader's request. Van (the reader) wanted to know what happened to the flavor of coffee based upon the brewing method. So, I put my 7th. grade science class thinking cap on and devised the following science experiment. (I hope you are reading Mr. Kawalski)

• HYPOTHESIS: The same exact coffee brewed by different brewing methods produces differing results. (Mr. Kawalski should be proud)

THE STANDARD METRIC:

1. COFFEE: Bolivean - CIAPEC (100% Organic)
2. ROASTED: Full-City+
3. WATER/COFFEE RATIO: 5 oz. (liquid) : 1 Tbsp. (ground)
4. WATER: Filtered by Brita

TOOLS:

• Green Beans
• Popcorn Air-Popper (coffee roaster)
• Coffee Grinder
  
• Weight Scale
• Pyrex Liquid Measure
  
• 1/2 Cup Measuring Cup
• 1 Tbsp. Teaspoon
  
• Knife
• Sauce Pan
• French Coffee Press
• Drip Coffee Maker
• Percolator Coffee Maker
• 4 - Coffee Cups
• Filtered Water
  

Tomorrow I will begin to describe the variables of the experiment. Stay Tuned...