Written by Airship's Head of Education, Aaron Morton.
Like many roasters around the globe, we are privileged to work with incredible people who have a deep conviction and connection with the work they do, the processes involved and the product they produce. This coffee is evidence of yet another group of impassioned people, who’s vision extends beyond simply finding the best coffees.
This washed coffee from Hada Molecha boasts a deliciously bright acidity that, when extracted well, gives way to an orange blossom and nectarine sweetness, supported by a delicate peach tea after taste.
The producers of this coffee highly value educating their farmers in the craft of cultivating great coffees. We find ourselves in a similar position when it comes to the people we place behind the bar to prepare the coffees we work with.
We have had this coffee on the training bar for the past week or so with the goal of allowing our baristas to get their hands on the coffee before we place it in front of you. Nearly every team member will have had their hands on this coffee before it reached you. As a result, the recipe you are about to learn has been built by our baristas as we continue to pursue excellence in the trade of coffee making.
We have built this coffee into our offering both on pourover, and espresso. This will be focused on espresso. Using 1:2 ratio using 19.5 grams of coffee, and 45g of water or an ounce and half.
To begin we need to set our grinder to an appropriate grind size. All grinders are different, and most use different numerical settings. Set your grinder to a setting that produces a grind size similar to very fine sand. If you are using a grinder designed for espresso, try a grind that is a fourth of the way from the finest it can get. Next, set a timer and watch the shot pull. You should aim for a 28-29 second shot. If the shot pulls fast and tastes unpleasantly bright, the shot is under extracted. You should make your grind finer to extend the time it takes to pull the shot. If the shot pulls long, and tastes hollow and drying, the shot is over extracted. You should make your grind more coarse to shorten the time it takes to pull the shot. Your goal is clarity, harmony, and balance. You should be able to clearly detect that bright citrus orange juice like acidity. Due to the nature of espresso (highly concentrated coffee) you will always taste sour and bitter. Harmonizing the two by manipulating extraction with grind size adjustments will result in a well rounded sweetness and balance.
This coffee will be served on Espresso at the 5th St. Cafe! If you are local come by and ask our baristas to prepare it for you! If you want to know more about building an espresso recipe, ask any of the baristas behind the counter.
Happy brewing!