Las Nubes, El Salvador - Abracadabra Coffee Co.

Abracadabra Coffee Co. is a relative newcomer to the VT coffee scene. They began roasting coffee out of Cavendish, VT less than a year ago. I was ecstatic to find their coffee at the Healthy Living Market in South Burlington, where Abracadabra's gorgeous packaging really caught my eye. It's always exciting to see the coffee community grow and to find new roasters.

Right now, there are 3 offerings from Abracadabra available at Healthy Living and I chose the Las Nubes honey process* El Salvador. (* - for a note on what "honey process" means, check out the bottom of this post.)

I brewed Las Nubes in a Chemex, Kalita Wave, and Aeropress. I had the best results with the Kalita Wave by far.

Tasting Notes:
Interestingly, I spent more time with this coffee because cups came out distinctly 1 of 2 ways while brewing.

When my Kalita Wave brew finished between 2:45-3:00 minutes, I tasted an exceptionally sweet dried mango sweetness. Perhaps some berry notes. As the coffee sits on the palate, the sweetness fades and I notice the brightness becomes more citrusy. The finish is dry and tart.

When I let my brew time stretch to 3:30, however, the sweetness becomes much more subdued while the berry notes remain. This tart berry character really reminded me of cranberry as the package's tasting notes suggests.

Overall, this coffee is fantastic. Bravo to Abracadabra on a stellar first impression. I'm excited to continue trying their coffees.

Cheers,

David


Note:

*"Honey process" coffees, also known as "semi-washed" coffees, are processed by first placing whole coffee cherries into a water bath where the mucilage acidifies and some, but not all, of the fruit is removed from the coffee seed. Kind of like a peach with the fruity flesh still stuck to the pit. The coffee seed with the remaining mucilage still attached is then dried on raised beds or patios. During this time, a fermentation process breaks down the remaining mucilage allowing it to be mechanically removed. 

The important part here is that "honey process" does not mean the gooey, golden sweetener in your pantry was ever involved in the coffee's processing. Nor does it mean that the brewed coffee will taste like honey - if it does, it isn't thanks to the processing.