Ritual & process

Coffee

Tracking my journey through beans, brews, and the pursuit of a better cup.

5
Tried
1
To brew
14
To try

Santa Maria de Dota, Dota Valley, Costa Rica

Smooth, robust, dark, and smokey. Made espresso with these beans and it turned out well, would buy again.

Naturally-processed East Africa & washed Colombian blend

Sweet, deep, and soulful. Made espresso with these beans, which was okay. Wouldn't buy again.

Mbozi Small Holders, Mbozi district, Songwe, Tanzania — washed, AA grade

Washed AA from the Mbozi smallholder group in Tanzania's southern highlands — MoonGoat's third consecutive year sourcing the region. High sweetness, clean citrus character, and a quick tannic finish. Sorted to AA screen size for roast consistency, and pitched as a daily drinker rather than a showpiece lot. My tasting verdict is still to come.

Ayla washing station, Bombe, Bensa district, Sidama, Ethiopia — heirloom, washed, 2,000m

Washed heirloom lot from the Ayla washing station in Bombe, on the Bensa side of Sidama, roasted in Santa Ana by the Orange County roaster behind the Los Rios Street café. Peach, wildflower honey, and black tea on the bag. Okay in the cup — nothing off about it, but nothing that stood out either.

Peru — Geisha, washed

A washed Geisha from Peru, roasted light. Praline and amaretto on the sweeter, nuttier end, tropical fruit and dried melon on the other — which is an unusual pairing for a washed Geisha, where the florals normally carry the cup on their own. Peru is still a quiet origin for the variety compared with Panama or Colombia, and the lots that do come out of it tend to be small.

Dahwe washing station, Gisagara District, Southern Province, Rwanda — Red Bourbon, fully washed, 1,630m

Just bought; my tasting notes are still to come. Scenery describes roast plum, cherry, apple, tangerine and citrusy black tea in the cup. Their brew guide suggests filter or turbo espresso, with 4+ weeks of rest.

Roaster's listing ↗

Current setup

Espresso Machine

Breville Bambino (BES450)

Compact machine with 54mm portafilter, ThermoJet heating (ready in 3 seconds), and manual steam wand for microfoam.

Grinder

MHW-3BOMBER Precision R3

Manual hand grinder. Precise step adjustments for dialing in espresso vs pour over.

V60 Dripper

MHW-3BOMBER

Pour over dripper for manual brew. Clean, precise extraction for highlighting single-origin beans.

Distributor

Normcore Chisel V-Blade

Coffee distribution tool for even puck prep before tamping.

Pour Over Brewer

Chemex Eight Cup Classic

40oz borosilicate glass carafe with a polished wood collar and leather tie. The bonded filters are thick enough to strip fats and sediment, which is what gives a Chemex its unusually clean cup.

Server

La Cabra Coffee Server (450ml)

Heat-resistant glass server with a wooden lid. Transparent, so volume and extraction stay readable through the brew — used under the V60 and the AeroPress.

Pour Over Set

Fellow Stagg [XF]

The two-cup set: a vacuum-insulated stainless dripper, a hand-blown double-wall glass carafe, and 30 flat-bottom filters cut for the system. The insulation is the point — a steel dripper normally sheds heat across the brew, and this one holds temperature through the whole extraction. Flat bottom with a hole-and-bump pattern underneath to keep the bed draining evenly instead of clogging at the centre.

Cold Brew Bottle

Hario Filter-In Bottle

650ml borosilicate bottle with an integrated mesh filter. Medium-fine grind, 12 to 24 hours in the fridge, then pull the filter and serve straight from the bottle.

Bean Atlas

A map of beans I've tried or have ready to brew. Toggle between where each was roasted and where it was grown.

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