May greetings from the Ruby Roasting Department! I’ll start off with a quick introduction. My name is Katy Szapa and after 5 years in production, roasting, and QC here at Ruby, I’m ecstatic to be the new Roasting and Quality Manager. Let me now introduce you to this month’s unique coffees!
Our Bright & Lively selection is from Tanzania, an origin we haven’t offered in a long time. This lot is from the esteemed Burka Estate on the slopes of Mount Meru. Rich & Sweet features a subscription exclusive roast of a community lot from the town of Jesús María, Puebla, Mexico. Roaster’s Choice subscribers will find both coffees in their mailbox this month. I really enjoyed getting to know these two coffees through roasting and brewing these past couple weeks. Follow along as I brew these up side by side! To start, I prepped 30 g of coffee and 500 mL of water for each brew.
The Tanzania Burka grounds are smelling so sweet and light, syrupy almond extract comes to mind. I really like this coffee with a little longer brew time - a full four minutes - so I am using a Kalita Wave dripper to make that easy to achieve. The first pour, aka the bloom, releases fragrant stone fruit and cantaloupe aromas. I add a bit more water every 30 seconds until I reach 500 g, with the last pour being at 3:00. The first sip is sweet and confectionary - reminding me of homemade almond cake. Woven throughout is a dried apricot fruitiness playing along with a zesty orange acidity. Finally, I taste a hint of baking spices giving the Burka brew some added complexity.
Mexico Jesús María smells fudge-y and decadent. I brewed this with a V60 pour-over dripper, resulting in a faster brew time and a lighter body than if I had chosen a different method. The bloom sends up a caramelized, dense sweetness. After 30 seconds, I gently fill the dripper up to 250 g. I keep pouring slowly until I reach 500 g. The first sips are pleasantly nutty. Intense brown sugar gives way to dark chocolate. As it cools, more layers of cocoa and sugar unfold- maple sugar, date sugar, you name it. My experiences with this coffee brewed with a Kalita or Chemex have resulted in a rich, indulgent brownie-laden brew.
While Burka’s light roast beans give us a bright but light, sweet and delicate profile, Jesús María’s medium roast gives us something a little bolder. I encourage you to experiment and find what you like in both of these coffees. Or feel free to enjoy them without thinking about it too much - I support that, too. We love to share them with you however you enjoy your coffee at home!
Cheers!
Katy