2026-06-22 to 2026-06-28

Week of 2026-06-22

7 daily files

Summary

seylance2897

On William Ortiz's Aji, seylance2897 said the lot was more fermented than he personally prefers, around 3.5 on his own 1-5 fermentation scale, but still "quite lovely"; SEY bought it partly to preserve the producer relationship and avoid complicating future allocations.
He framed the Aji as an experiment around cherry selection and brix rather than fermentation control: higher sugar content appears to have increased fermentation, and the next iteration should keep the brix experiment while pulling back fermentation to reveal cleaner variety and terroir.
He repeatedly emphasized that SEY is trying to map coffees by place and variety, not by process dominance; his line is crossed when fermentation or processing becomes more dominant than terroir/variety, though he stressed this is a personal SEY-specific stance rather than a universal judgment.
He contrasted "clean" and "fermented" using shared calibration rather than universal terminology: for him, clean means clarity of terroir and variety, with no fermentation or processing in the cup profile, but he acknowledged that other roasters' scales would mean different things.
On naturals, he said he has a "global reputation" for not buying them and has only tasted a couple he personally considered truly clean; he still respects roasters who source naturals well and said SEY will keep experimenting, including another natural experiment with Sophia when the harvest is larger.
He gave production-specific context for several lots: Pepe's washed Mejorado had been released once years ago; the current Sydra Wave lot from Soledad was the best he had tasted from that producer; Boneya was "hella clean"; David's Chiroso from Urrao was his personal high score among Urrao chirosos so far.
He explained fermentation trials with Gerald and Peter, including small-bucket fermentation, a hunch from him and Tim Hill that SL may want warmer fermentation, possible shorter warm fermentation, and a cooler fermentation in Peter's dark room; Peter also painted tanks black to test whether higher tank temperature helps.
He clarified washed processing: all normal washed coffee is fermented to remove mucilage after depulping, while zero-fermentation washed coffees require specific equipment such as an eco-pulper that removes mucilage before drying.
He gave origin/processing details on Bombe and Alo: Bombe is a region with processing sites owned by different exporters; the SEY Bombe coffee came from Alo's Bombe site, while Alo Village refers to coffee grown and processed in Alo; Tamiru also produces eco-pulper coffees from both Bombe and Alo.
He described operational problems at CTI after RPM acquired the warehouse and changed systems, saying releases that used to take 24 hours were stuck nearly 14 days without confirmation, possibly threatening future roast availability.

lancehedrick

lancehedrick gave a compact filter recipe: grind setting 8, 92C water, 1:15 ratio, 45 g bloom for 30 seconds, another 45 g pour, then 135 g pour, targeting about a 2-minute drawdown.
He later clarified that the target was roughly 2 minutes total, not merely drawdown after the last pour.
In Brew-Along, he kept the tone light and brief, repeatedly calling the brews "yummy" and later posting "Friday Funday" while pointing to Boneya Robe / Chorso Bule Ethiopia.
In filter discussion, he dismissed coffee competition results as practically meaningless, arguing that competitors often use heavily processed coffees, free gear, and have to construct narratives around them.
He followed that criticism by asking for the person's actual current brewing approach, implying that practical dialing-in matters more than copying competition methods.
His captured messages were relatively sparse this week; most were short brewing prompts or quick reactions rather than extended arguments.

opp4004

opp4004 opened the week with a detailed review of Norbey Quimbayo's semi-washed Sidra from La Esmeralda in Acevedo, Colombia: yellow tropical fruit, syrupy sweetness, eucalyptus, darker berries, but somewhat compressed flavors that might improve with rest or a lighter roast.
He compared Boneya Robe and Chorso Bule, saying Boneya was more immediate, tea-like, peachy, lily-floral, silky, and likely more crowd-pleasing, while Chorso Bule was more complex and layered; he refused to declare one objectively better.
On Tres de Mayo from San Ignacio, Peru, he emphasized its subscriber-only feel, Caturra rarity, lemon/lemon verbena acidity, panela sweetness, wildflower florals, bing cherry, cacao, and lemongrass, while reflecting that great Caturras had changed his view of the variety.
He reviewed Karumandi Factory AA from Kenya as "classic Kenya" in the Korean sense: florals, grapefruit, molasses sweetness, berries, black tea, and dark chocolate, though he disliked the molasses note as a Kenyan characteristic.
He used the Musumba discussion to explain cultural differences in tasting notes, especially Maesil Cha, strawberry, watermelon, panela, and dulce de leche; he argued Asian consumers often have stricter, cultivar-specific expectations for fruit descriptors.
He reviewed Edid Medina as a strange, fascinating, likely subscriber-only coffee with milky texture, lemongrass, blueberries, jackfruit, botanical SL9 florals, and Makgeolli-like fermented rice wine character; he thought it needed about another week of rest from a 6/10 roast date.
He tested grinders and filters actively: with a Kenyan natural from Gatura, the A2 grinder produced aggressive tart acidity, mulberry, raspberry, orange, and rose, but less sweetness than flat burrs; with Servio Botina, the A2 gave clean aromatic separation with hibiscus tea, dried berries, oolong, kiwi, and tropical candy.
On naturals, he largely agreed with the difficulty of clean Ethiopian naturals, describing many as turbid, fermented-fruit-peel, dusty/milkshake-like, or aged-tea-like, while saying clean examples may appear only once or twice a year from places like Sookoo, Sheka, or historically Gesha Village.
He developed a theory that humid, foggy coffee regions may produce exceptional results partly through lower fermentation temperatures, while dry environments aid drying but can push fermentation temperatures higher and produce more overt fermentation.
In the "clean/funky" terminology debate, he argued that clean and funky are not true opposites, that traditional vs experimental processing may be clearer, and that "clean" is too inconsistently defined; he personally uses it for cups where nothing masks aromatics or leaves a distracting coating, but now tries to avoid the word.

dougssg

dougssg objected to pinning a recipe that used 40 g of coffee for only about 175 ml of brew, joking that it was too much coffee for too little caffeine and asking others to test whether it was a good use of 40 g.
He preferred a room-temperature brew over a flash-chilled version, saying the finish was significantly better.
In current-menu discussion, he hyped Chelbessa as "fire" and revealed mystery coffees as Kamavindi Gesha and an Esmeralda Honey.
He asked for Austin cafe recommendations for a friend and later pushed people to attend a California event with Pepe and others, joking that non-attendees would lose the right to see his hype posts.
He reported tasting Honey Esmeralda and three Alo lots, calling the Esmeralda honey "really pretty," the Alo lots all incredible, and possibly favoring the hybrid washed among the three.
He promoted Difluid refractometers for subscribers, saying subscribers should email to get a large discount, and framed the refractometer as a tool for understanding what one is tasting, while taste buds should decide what one actually likes.
He clarified a current-menu distinction: one coffee had been Sidra washed, while the newer one was Sidra Wave washed.
In Brew-Along, he explained SEY's cafe practice: they use whichever single-origin SEY coffees are on bar that day, never blends, and the cafe represents a living version of the retail menu.
He said SEY was doing two Lost Origin lots and another Digna for a Motors popup in September, with a possibility that a tiny amount could reach retail.
On filters and brewing tools, he said he was impressed by his first Brezi brew, advised always using sandwich papers, referenced OXO cold brew, and asked about Hiflux filters because many people had placed in Brewers Cup using them.

Cross-thread takeaways

The central debate of the week was how to describe fermentation, processing, "clean," and "funky" without misleading people. seylance2897 argued from a green-buyer/roaster calibration system focused on terroir and variety; opp4004 pushed for less ambiguous language such as traditional vs experimental and more precise fruit-ripeness descriptors.
Aji, Chiroso, SL9, Bombe, Alo, Boneya, Chorso, and Lost Origin lots became the practical examples through which the group debated process intensity: William Ortiz's Aji was considered slightly too fermented for SEY's ideal, David's Chiroso was a standout, Boneya was clean and floral, and Lost Origin was defended only when tied to intentional experiments.
Naturals were treated as both seductive and problematic. seylance2897 framed himself as highly skeptical of naturals because they usually obscure place/variety; opp4004 agreed that truly clean Ethiopian naturals are extremely rare, while still noting exceptions and distinguishing Nicaragua and other origins.
Brewing discussion was concrete but fragmented: Lance supplied a simple 92C, 1:15, 2-minute filter recipe; dougssg questioned high-dose low-yield recipes; opp4004 experimented with ORB filters, A2 grinding, grind-size changes, and extraction intensity.
Tasting-note language was a major subtheme. opp4004's Maesil Cha, strawberry, watermelon, dragon fruit, and Makgeolli explanations highlighted cultural calibration problems, while seylance2897 admitted that notes like "jam" imply more fermentation and that he wants tasting notes to set expectations without overdetermining experience.
SEY's operational side surfaced repeatedly: printed coffee cards can become inaccurate or hard to write under weekly release pressure, cafe offerings mirror the retail menu rather than blends, Difluid refractometers are sold with subscriber discounts, and CTI warehouse delays may constrain upcoming roast schedules.
Subscriber culture shaped the week: several standout or mysterious coffees were discussed as subscriber-only or subscription surprises, including Tres de Mayo, Edid Medina, Boneya/Chorso, and possible future Montoya or Lost Origin lots.
The strongest disagreement was not over whether fermented or experimental coffees can be good, but over classification: seylance2897 insisted his thresholds are non-arbitrary because they are calibrated and producer-facing, while opp4004 warned that seller language can become too prescriptive and can limit how consumers experience a coffee.

Full weekly Markdown preview

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2026-06-22 to 2026-06-28

seylance2897

2026-06-23

10:59 PM #what-are-you-brewing: passing along all the love the Gerald!

2026-06-24

3:54 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Yeah, the Aji from William Ortiz was a little more on the fermented side of the spectrum than I'd personally like it to be. But, he also produced one of my highest scoring pinks and chirosos this year... so, had we rejected the Aji that would have gone to another roaster and would have really complicated things for next year. So, we decided to buy it, and we'll work with him next year on trying to get it a little cleaner.

I do think even for being slightly more fermented, its still a quite lovely coffee. Kinda goes into that conversation of trying to calibrate around level of fermentation 1-5.. for me this coffee would have been around a 3.5
3:57 PM #what-are-you-brewing: ha yeah, his chiroso this year was stunning
3:59 PM #what-are-you-brewing: yeah, honestly i haven't tasted a ton of sparklingly clean Ajis... most of what i've tasted of that variety has been even farther processed that this one... so, i'm still not 100% sure on the quality of this actual variety.
4:00 PM #filter-focused: oh nice! we are just about to release a lot from this same producer! ours will be a washed lot though
4:03 PM #what-are-you-brewing: its a less commonly produced 'newer ethiopian' variety being grown in colombia.. similar to Pink Bourbon, Chrioso, Sidra etc
4:04 PM #what-are-you-brewing: ha unfortunately it doesn't work like that
4:11 PM #what-are-you-brewing: yeah Aruzi, similar to Aji, is a much less commonly produced variety in colombia
4:40 PM #what-are-you-brewing: i tasted a lot of her coffee this year... but i didn't taste her aji unfortunately
5:18 PM #filter-focused: nice!
8:47 PM #what-are-you-brewing: There isn't necessarily expectations to buy all varieties. But, producers/ exporters like to try and honor supply chains. So, for example, had we rejected the Aji and another roaster bought it they would most likely want that coffee again next year... So, it get a little more complicated politically with allocatios.
8:52 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Hey! yeah, personally I would like this coffee to clean up alittle. This was mostly an expiriment around cherry selection and brix contents.... We didn't want to also change the variable to fermentation though cause the brix was what we wanted to look at. But, with the higher sugar content more fermentation happened.. giving it the profile that it has. Next we will do a similar expiriment with brix but pull the fermentation back to see if we can get less 'fermentation' in the cup.

I personally thinks the current lot is exceptional. But, I'm also very interested in getting full clean variety/terroir flavors in the cup
8:57 PM #what-are-you-brewing: this is the second time we've released a washed mejorado from Pepe.. the first time was a number of years ago though
8:58 PM #what-are-you-brewing: i will also say...this lot we released is the best sydra wave lot i've personally ever tasted from soledad
8:59 PM #what-are-you-brewing: its very, very good
9:04 PM #what-are-you-brewing: its very clean
9:15 PM #what-are-you-brewing: With geralds set up... we will try two things... he only ferments in small buckets... also tim hill and i have an intuition that SL actually wants a warmer fermentation.. so it would be keep it the same just do it shorter.

But, we will also try to do a cooler fermention in Peters dark room
9:19 PM #what-are-you-brewing: nice! unfortunately i didn't taste that coffee! was it from bean and bean?
9:20 PM #what-are-you-brewing: yeah, we have lots to expiriment with... peter also painted his fermentation tanks black this year to see if that helps increase the temp of the fermentation
9:21 PM #what-are-you-brewing: no, boneya is hella clean
9:22 PM #what-are-you-brewing: its been fun seeing who prefers chorso and who prefers bonya ha
9:22 PM #what-are-you-brewing: been pretty evenly split oddly
9:23 PM #what-are-you-brewing: oh cool, bean and bean also roasted that coffee
9:24 PM #what-are-you-brewing: i haven't had coffee from Neem yet though, i'll check em out!
9:25 PM #what-are-you-brewing: not sure! thats just been my experience
9:26 PM #what-are-you-brewing: just charging my phone! once it charges alittle i'll give ya a ring
9:36 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Pepe had a very small harvest this year and all his lots taste a little different because of how he makes/ processes coffees. So, we'll have to wait and see!
9:40 PM #what-are-you-brewing: <@952039663680512030> single tree gesha lot jose?
9:41 PM #what-are-you-brewing: who copied who? 😂
9:43 PM #what-are-you-brewing: hahah
9:43 PM #what-are-you-brewing: i'll reach out
9:46 PM #what-are-you-brewing: this is exactly how i've been brewing it
9:46 PM #what-are-you-brewing: so transparent and so complex
9:47 PM #what-are-you-brewing: yeah i also get more florality this way
9:48 PM #what-are-you-brewing: cupping the production roast of it tomorrow!
9:49 PM #what-are-you-brewing: straight out of the roaster its very good. it is more on the fruited side of the gesha / peru spectrum but not as far as marlene's coffee
9:50 PM #what-are-you-brewing: its very hard to know honestly
9:51 PM #what-are-you-brewing: haha the famous blueberry harar naturals... honestly, i never had that experience.. so, i can't really speak to it. i've always been a natural hater 😂
9:57 PM #what-are-you-brewing: ha yeah, i very much have a global reputation for not buying naturals... unless I'm working on something very specific
9:59 PM #what-are-you-brewing: haha I'm definitely trying... its very, very hard... I've tasted 2 in my life
10:00 PM #what-are-you-brewing: yeah, but thats only because those were made for me.. i had to buy them to do the expiriment.
10:00 PM #what-are-you-brewing: probably not a natural because they aren't doing any samples. So, i'd be buying it blind
10:00 PM #what-are-you-brewing: ya yes 100%
10:01 PM #what-are-you-brewing: we will abosolutely do another natural expiriment with sophia when they have a larger harvest next year
10:02 PM #what-are-you-brewing: one of my top 5 coffees in life
10:03 PM #what-are-you-brewing: so rare
10:29 PM #what-are-you-brewing: lets go
10:30 PM #what-are-you-brewing: it all depends on your tolerance of fermentation. ha I have a pretty small tolerance for it. so its very rare for me to taste a natural that I personally feel is clean
10:30 PM #what-are-you-brewing: But also, there are a ton of very good roasters who source beautiful naturals!

2026-06-25

12:24 AM #what-are-you-brewing: haha I also really love fermented foods... I'm just very particular about it in coffee ha

2026-06-26

8:11 PM #origins-and-producers: I haven't heard!

2026-06-27

5:12 PM #origins-and-producers: Hey yeah, haha looks like most people kind of answered this for me. But, I'm personally looking to explore and kind of map coffee for profiles of place and variety. When it comes to fermentation and/or naturals... I usually draw the line when I feel the cup profile is more dominated by fermentation than place/variety. This 100% not saying that naturals are bad. But, it is extremely, extremely challenging / maybe kind of impossible to produce a natural where the cup profile isn't dominated by process/fermentation. We do do a lot of experiments trying to figure out how to produce natural processed coffees that I would define as 'clean' or tasting mostly of place/variety, but thus far, we've been mostly unsuccessful. It is remarkably hard. I will keep trying though!

But this is a very personal stance on the subject. I'm sure there are other people here who would disagree!
5:41 PM #origins-and-producers: for sure, also, I / sey am very, very specific within the world of coffee. There are a ton of processing / expiriments happening in coffee that I'm just never going to be interested in hah... luckily there are a lot of amazing roasters out there that are bringing them to market
6:07 PM #origins-and-producers: haha wouldn't say this is arbitrary 😂 ...but yeah this is totally true
6:14 PM #origins-and-producers: we're really very specific around how we define 'fermentation/processing' in the cup.. that is actually very easy to carlibrate around with producers/ suppliers around the globe !
6:20 PM #origins-and-producers: oh its very very very much a niche.. ha just not an arbitrary one
6:25 PM #origins-and-producers: it could be a difference in the definition of arbitrary... not I'm not quite sure
6:25 PM #origins-and-producers: ha for sure
6:49 PM #current-menu: uhmmmmm let me look into this 😂
6:53 PM #origins-and-producers: Oh i think there is always more to unlock in coffee... haha I fully believe that each year we taste coffee that has never before been tasted. Coffee and our understanding of it continues to chnage so rapidly its crazy.
7:00 PM #current-menu: Ha yes, we definitely messed this one up! It's been fixed on the website. Unfortunately, the cards have all been printed. I'm so sorry we missed this one!
7:23 PM #origins-and-producers: Lost origin is certainly going to fall into the 'processed' side of that line IMO, but that is also more than just using yeast inoculations. The reason we work with Franz at lost origin is because he has a really impressive lab and also he is very interested in working with us on specific things to see what we can learn to then potentially take out into 'real world' situations. They are also very cool coffees, and I think the level of intensity of flavor and what we learn by making them and tasting them is really very good! He does produce alot of coffees that go so far over that line that i don't believe we're learning anything and they are just interesting ' what can we do with coffee' profiles, this are significantly less interesting and I'd probably never release them.

The natural process experiments we did with Tamiru last year are also very good examples of this. -So what keeps this again from being arbitrary for me is that when/if we release something like a coffee from Lost Origin it is because of a very intentional/ non arbitrary reason / expiriment hoping to continue learning something very specific
7:35 PM #origins-and-producers: yeah this i totally agree with... what keeps it from being arbitrary is that every buyer should be good enough at tasting coffee / knowing what they themselves are looking for to define it quite specifically. It could and probably will be a different definition than mine, but it should be well defined... and not arbitrary. Without that level of specificity, I wouldn't really call that person a professional. If that makes sense.
7:36 PM #origins-and-producers: hah this I would 1000% take issue with this and would happily triangulate levels of fermentation in cups for this producer. Its one of the easiest things to taste in coffee IMO
7:38 PM #what-are-you-brewing: You're at prufrock??
7:39 PM #what-are-you-brewing: haha oh that makes sense
7:41 PM #what-are-you-brewing: yeah its a nice cafe for sure
7:51 PM #origins-and-producers: for sure, i'm using fermentation to actually mean fermentation not 'processing' I define these things quite differently
7:53 PM #origins-and-producers: oh no, i think there is still a ton of things we need to learn about varieties. also crosses are happening all the time. Also grafting is starting to happen.. for example we'll be tasting gesha grafted onto SL root stock on Kamavindi in the next year or two... just so many things that still can be explored in coffee
7:57 PM #origins-and-producers: Also, for example, Tim Hill and I both have very different levels of acceptable fermentation. But, i know exactly how he defines his and he knows exactly how i define mine. His preferences are just different from mine. Neither are arbitrary or right or wrong.
7:58 PM #origins-and-producers: yeah, exactly. unless its something like the expiriments with ALO or something where we have to purchase the coffee up front to try and learn something... and sometimes in those cases the experiment went so badly that we can't release the coffee haha
8:34 PM #origins-and-producers: nitrogen flushed naturals in kenya.. ha I don't think i have!
8:35 PM #1515118804202422343: hah nice!
8:41 PM #1515118804202422343: yeah for sure. out of 1-5 of fermentation in the cup.. I'd be at like 3 for Edid's coffee. but, there is also quite a bit of cup variance as well.
9:56 PM #filter-focused: <@839279408057024512> should be able to help you out here... he uses v60s a lot

2026-06-28

3:27 PM #origins-and-producers: Yeah the bombe we released is fermented. The sample that i sent with Jose is a zero fermentation lot and <@224084337807589376> is corrent. that is made with an eco-pulper
3:29 PM #1515118804202422343: Yeah totally! the problem for me here is that there isn't an actual uniform or agreed upon definition of these things. So everyones 'scales' mean something entirely different and is only meaingful within their own system. So, for instance, what could be pretty far down the fermentation line for me could be very clean for another roaster... It feels like this would just get very confusing very fast and everyone would have to learn what each roasters definition of 'funky' and 'clean' actually mean... ?

I don't know, i'd be curious to hear some thoughts
3:38 PM #origins-and-producers: other bombe sites like a bombe from Daye bensa or some other sites?
4:46 PM #1515118804202422343: yeah, i agree with all of this... when using these types of words/language to talk about coffees, or really anything, its really only meaningful if there is actual shared experiencial knowledge of the definition of the words. 'Clean' for me means clarity of terroir and variety. meaning no fermentation or 'processing' in the cup profile.

I could definitely put a 1-5 scale on the card, but that would only be meaningful to the people on this Discord who are engaging in this conversation and are interested in calibrating with me specifically around what that scale means for me... I do use this language to communicate with a lot of producers/ suppliers so it does translate farther than just me... But, its certainly an intereting question.
4:54 PM #1515118804202422343: I do do this to some extent... If i use jam for example, that will mean slightly more fermentation in the cup than perfectly clean
4:55 PM #1515118804202422343: but this speaks a little more to <@224084337807589376> comments about fruit... Which i also do. For example, ripe fruit, unripe fruit, over ripe fruit, stewed fruit, perserved fruit etc
5:17 PM #1515118804202422343: yeah I think this is an important part of the conversation... I also think transparency is also necessary. It's the worst to buy something that you think is going to be something that it's not. So there is a tricky balance here.
5:17 PM #1515118804202422343: This is pretty similar to how i'd also define these words... its also quite calibrated with how i communicate to producers and suppilers
5:30 PM #what-are-you-brewing: This harvet of David's chiroso is.... really good...
5:31 PM #what-are-you-brewing: my personal high score of the chirosos from Urrao this year
5:31 PM #what-are-you-brewing: so far... we will be getting a few late deliveries
5:32 PM #what-are-you-brewing: outside of the Ethiopians... which kinda don't really count on cupping tables ha... David's chiroso was the highest scoring coffee on our multi roaster table this week
5:33 PM #what-are-you-brewing: not sure yet! we're still buying in Urrao and things are still being delivered but nothing has actually been sample milled and cupped yet. I'd expect to start seeing those samples like next week or the week after
5:34 PM #what-are-you-brewing: haha I'm sure hao yung or doug will hype something once they arrive 😂
6:36 PM #1515118804202422343: its definitely a very interesting conversation and I'm super interested in it. I obviously bring a very specific perspective (green buyer/ roaster) to the conversation and I'm really interested and curious to hear how others think about it... other buyers/roasters, enthusiasts, baristas etc...
7:06 PM #1515118804202422343: yeah for sure... it might make sense though in the roasters own system..we just don't know the system ha
9:07 PM #origins-and-producers: All washed coffee is fermented. Producers use fermentation to break down the muculage on the seeds once the cherry has been removed in the de-pulper
9:08 PM #origins-and-producers: The only washed coffees that aren't fermented are those using a very specific de-pulper called an eco-pulper. These can be calibrated to remove all the mucilage and then can go straight onto drying beds without fermentation
9:09 PM #origins-and-producers: Bombe is a region... a lot of exporters own processing sites in Bombe that buy cherry from the producers there. Daye bensa has a site in Bombe, Elto has a site in Bombe, Alo also has a site in Bombe
9:10 PM #origins-and-producers: This coffee comes from Alo's site in bombe. So the cherry / coffee is grown in bombe and is is processed by Alo
9:11 PM #origins-and-producers: Alo viliage is the coffee that is grown in Alo and and produced by Alo's site in Alo.. hah its a little confusing because tamiu named Alo his company after the town he grew up in that is also called Alo
9:12 PM #origins-and-producers: they have the same processing equipment as the Alo site
9:13 PM #origins-and-producers: tamriu also produces eco-pulper coffee from Bombe and the Alo site
9:14 PM #1515118804202422343: haha dragon fruit is pretty tough to get really good ones... Also i use that mostly as a discriptor for more 'watery/ delicate tropical profiles' as opposed to very big loud tropical profiles like passion fruit or pineapple
9:15 PM #origins-and-producers: yeah that lot was pretty wierd ha.. it as an expiriment of holding the coffee after it had an initial dry on it
9:16 PM #origins-and-producers: honestly, i thought that was one of the best ethiopians of the year last year...it was just a realyly small lot
9:16 PM #origins-and-producers: but i thought it out cupped the white honey.. which was also an insane coffee
9:16 PM #origins-and-producers: yeah same
9:18 PM #origins-and-producers: CTI is still an absolute mess. RPM ( a differnet warehouse) aquaired CTI and changed the operating system... Jackie ( who handles most of the releases from CTI) also went on vacation for like 10 days.. when she got back everything was a total and absolute mess.
9:18 PM #origins-and-producers: we use to get 24 hour releases from CTI. i have an release that is now almost 14 days old and still haven't even heard confirmation that it has been recieved
9:19 PM #1515118804202422343: yeah.. its like not quite like melon.. its more tropical than that... but its not as punchy as other tropical fruits like mango/ passion fruit... etc
9:21 PM #1515118804202422343: ah yeah, kinda like that ha
9:21 PM #1515118804202422343: haha i need to do better at tasting notes... ideally I'm able to communicate things in a way where people know what they are going to get
9:24 PM #current-menu: whoa, this actually happened
9:25 PM #current-menu: which coffee did you actually buy?
9:25 PM #origins-and-producers: oh no, its a complete mess
9:25 PM #origins-and-producers: if it doesn't get sorted out soon we may just end up not having coffee to roast one of these weeks
9:26 PM #current-menu: oh man, thats the absolute worst... I'm so sorry for that
9:27 PM #current-menu: The aruzi has been sold out for quite awhile... but when i get in monday morning I'll see if i can find some to send you
9:27 PM #current-menu: that should never happen
9:27 PM #current-menu: I'll also blame it on the youtuber
9:28 PM #current-menu: ohh maybe it happened there
9:28 PM #current-menu: what have we done 😂
9:29 PM #origins-and-producers: i do.. but not enough..

But, if in a week or two you see that we only have 4 Perus we're roasting.. ha you'll know what happened
9:29 PM #current-menu: yeah, that coffee has been gone for awhile
9:30 PM #current-menu: haha you shouldn't have to open the box😂
9:32 PM #1515118804202422343: I think this is super important... I think as roasters/ currators... we have a responisbility to help people know what they are getting when they buy something
9:32 PM #1515118804202422343: but, it is a very challenging thing to do without as <@224084337807589376> put it... influencing the actual experience tooo much
9:33 PM #current-menu: ha that is definitely some poor UX
9:34 PM #current-menu: also when we ship the coffee to cafes.. sometimes the cards fall out in the shipping.. so the cafe have to put the cards back in... they should obviously check to make sure its accurate.. but i can certainly see it happening
9:34 PM #current-menu: maybe we just make my life easier and we get rid of the cards 😂
9:36 PM #current-menu: haha i know, everyone loves them... its crazy how many people send me pictures of all the cards theyve collected over the years... thats actually how i met hao yung.. he has cupped and saved like every card we've ever released... But they are so hard to write for how many coffees we release 😂
9:36 PM #current-menu: haha also mango.. he has so many
9:37 PM #current-menu: we decide what coffees we're going to release on tuesday... I have to write the cards and get them to print by wednesdays noon and then they get delivered in time for monday the first roast day of the week
9:38 PM #current-menu: it can get very challenging when we're releasing up to 4+ coffees in a week... 2 a week is okay ha
9:40 PM #current-menu: haha oh they absolutely hate me
9:41 PM #current-menu: globally known as the needy little coffee princess who also hates naturals ha
9:42 PM #current-menu: well... if he didn't start buying processed/fermented coffees once he started his own roasting company...
9:43 PM #current-menu: haha this is 100% a joke... I really respect alot of what hes done for the industry over the years
9:43 PM #current-menu: i just couldn't resist
9:44 PM #current-menu: please don't take that out of context and put it out into the internet
9:44 PM #current-menu: haha
9:45 PM #current-menu: hahaha
9:45 PM #current-menu: scott is fine and will be fine, hes more famous than all of us ha
9:46 PM #current-menu: He did however make my life quite miserable for afew years with all his hate on loring talk
9:46 PM #current-menu: ha so much hate
9:48 PM #current-menu: haha i'd pay money to watch that with bowl of popcorn
9:50 PM #current-menu: I've really tried hard to learn from people over the years... and one thing i've learned is to never say anything difinitively in coffee.... It always changes and our understanding always changes.. so unless you're willing to apologize all the time and admit you got something wrong... its just best to converse within the context of this is the best we know at this moment and we're all doing out best to continue learning as we go
9:52 PM #current-menu: lets learn and grow together... I really don't think there is a need to be like it's impossible to roast good coffee on an X roaster... what is that going to do to all the people who have that roaster. I think its best to just try and talk about how twe can do the best we can with the tools we have and keep it positive
9:54 PM #current-menu: i've tasted amazing cofee roasted literally on a popcorn popper
10:01 PM #current-menu: i'm on the train back to new york and amtrak's internet is so bad i can't stream the world cup match and I am upset
10:43 PM #origins-and-producers: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaDlqkWRZIo/
10:44 PM #origins-and-producers: I think an interesting and worth while part of the co-ferment conversation
10:45 PM #1515118804202422343: nah that would be like 3.5 for me... probably pretty rare that i'd actually release a 4. but, it could happen. Digna last year from LO might have been a 4
10:45 PM #current-menu: ha what kind of discount? 😂
10:46 PM #origins-and-producers: yeah, really unsprising to me
10:50 PM #current-menu: we're looking into one... but they are properly expensive ha
10:57 PM #origins-and-producers: people would argue that its better that value gets captured at the production of the coffee not at the roasting
10:57 PM #origins-and-producers: assuming you can charge more for flavored coffee
10:58 PM #origins-and-producers: 100%
11:09 PM #origins-and-producers: oh for sure.. the lack of transparency effects all producers
11:10 PM #origins-and-producers: pepe is very vocal about this ha
11:21 PM #origins-and-producers: oh really? why are they saying it isn't valid?
11:22 PM #origins-and-producers: true but pedro is, himself a producer with his own farm
11:26 PM #origins-and-producers: Interesting, so you can't use NIR to find something specific
11:27 PM #origins-and-producers: as for the co-ferment / infused part.. Isn't he explicitly saying these are not 'infused' coffees and they are being marketed as 'co-fermented' coffees
11:29 PM #origins-and-producers: he said like halfway through that the term infused was being fully used incorreclty and that they started marketing them as co-ferments.. not because of the incorrect use of infused but because of the marketability of the word... or at least that was my read
11:31 PM #origins-and-producers: it think ultimately his point is that while they can't definitively say that these are synthetically flavored coffees the use of glycol strongly suggests that that is the cause for these coffees being marketed as 'co-ferments'
11:32 PM #origins-and-producers: but its interesting that you're saying its not a good way of actually proving glycol was used
11:33 PM #origins-and-producers: yeah this could totally be true
11:33 PM #origins-and-producers: I mean, or at least, junk science that he believes isn't junk science haha... i know pedro well enouhg to know that he at least believes it was done properly
11:33 PM #origins-and-producers: word
11:34 PM #origins-and-producers: speaking of which... did you get that sample from tim?
11:34 PM #origins-and-producers: the chiroso from el jardin
11:34 PM #origins-and-producers: (*#&(@*&$(@#*&$(@*#$@#($*@#$e
11:34 PM #origins-and-producers: i will yell at him tomorrow
11:35 PM #origins-and-producers: i'll let him have his sunday afternoon in peace ha
11:36 PM #origins-and-producers: actually i did end up buying that lot.. so it might just get here before I can get tim to send it.. in which case i'll just send it
11:37 PM #origins-and-producers: also kenyan lots should be deliverd on monday... i'll keep you posted
11:37 PM #origins-and-producers: what a nightmare

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lancehedrick

2026-06-23

6:13 PM #Brew-Along: yummy brews
6:54 PM #Brew-Along: yummy brews

2026-06-24

5:28 PM #filter-focused: Yooo
Go to 8
Use 92C water
1:15 ratio
45g bloom
30s
45g pour
30s
135g pour
2min drawdown

2026-06-26

9:04 AM #filter-focused: 2min total
4:44 PM #Brew-Along: Friday Funday
5:36 PM #Brew-Along: (https://www.seycoffee.com/collections/archived-coffees/products/2026-boneya-robe-chorso-bule-ethiopia)
5:37 PM #Brew-Along: Friday Funday

2026-06-27

10:38 PM #filter-focused: Hit me with it. Whats up

2026-06-28

8:20 PM #filter-focused: Comps mean literally nothing lol
8:20 PM #filter-focused: Hot take
8:20 PM #filter-focused: They are using crazy processed coffees and very frequently free gear and need to construct a narrative
8:20 PM #filter-focused: What is your current approach tho
8:22 PM #filter-focused: 100%

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opp4004

2026-06-22

1:19 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Colombia, Acevedo, La Esmeralda / Norbey Quimbayo – Sidra, Semi Washed

I've had coffee from this producer before through a sample box from Mirra in the US. This year, I got lucky—some coffees from Acevedo made their way into Korea through a well-known green coffee importer, Coffee Libre. Thanks to that, I was able to revisit a good Acevedo coffee after quite some time.

The cup is filled with yellow tropical fruits. There's an intense sweetness that clings to the palate, almost like a rich simple syrup. The characteristic eucalyptus note of Sidra refreshes the mouth and keeps the profile lively. Through the middle and finish, darker berry notes weave together into a dense, layered fruit character. At the moment, the flavors feel somewhat compressed and clustered together—whether that's due to resting time or the roast itself, I'm not entirely sure. My impression, however, is that this is something time will likely improve. The green coffee itself feels quite promising. If someone were to roast this coffee again, I'd personally love to see it taken a little lighter.
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6:02 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Tbh, this wasn't the coffee I originally planned. I was going to open the Tres de Mayo, but one of my crew (a bit of Korean specialty coffee meme: the person organizing a coffee order is called the "captain," while the people joining the order are called the "crew." I'm Captain Mango, of course) provoked me by saying, "Chorso Bule is great, but Boneya Robe is even better." So naturally, I had to find out for myself.

Compared to Chorso Bule, this coffee is more immediate and more tea-like in its expression. What stands out most is a flavor reminiscent of Zhangping Narcissus, a Chinese oolong tea that I absolutely love. The peach character is much more direct and obvious than in Chorso Bule, while an elegant lily-like floral note gradually blooms through the cup. There's also an incredibly silky texture that reminds me of tulsi tea, accompanied by a persistent gooseberry note that carries beautifully from the middle of the cup all the way through the finish.

In some ways, this coffee reminds me of the old HR61 lot from El Roble in Colombia. That coffee leaned more toward green grape, but in terms of sheer quality and intensity, I think this coffee operates on a noticeably higher level.

So what's my verdict? Honestly, I don't think I can say one is better than the other. 😂 It really comes down to preference. Boneya Robe is the more immediate and intuitive coffee. The flavors are easy to understand and instantly appealing. Chorso Bule, on the other hand, is the more complex and layered experience. If I had to guess, Boneya Robe will probably be the crowd favorite. It's simply more approachable and more direct in the way it presents itself.
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6:11 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Haha, the subscription lineup is so good this month. I feel incredibly lucky

2026-06-23

1:42 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Before brewing this coffee, I searched Discord to see what other people had said about Tres de Mayo. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not a single mention. 😂 And honestly, that's one of the reasons I spend so much time writing reviews. I'm often curious about how other people experienced a coffee—what they tasted, what stood out to them, what emotions it evoked. Sometimes those impressions simply don't exist anywhere, and moments like this remind me why I keep documenting my own experiences, whether a coffee is extraordinary or not. Someone has to leave a trail behind. 😂

Anyway, Tres de Mayo seems to be a subscriber-exclusive release. It's a coffee from San Ignacio, Peru. Historically, coffees from Cajamarca haven't been the region I've paid the most attention to, but in recent years I've noticed more and more exciting producers being discovered there. The region feels far more interesting today than it did a few years ago. The variety is Caturra, which has quietly become one of the rarest sights in specialty coffee. At this point, I'm not even sure how many truly pure Caturra lots still exist in the world. In a way, this coffee feels like a small gift reserved for subscribers.

As for the cup itself—it's wonderfully lemon & lemon verbena. It opens with vibrant lemon acidity, followed by a sweetness reminiscent of panela. Wildflower-like florals drift through the middle of the cup, accompanied by bing cherry fruit. In the finish, subtle hints of cacao and lemongrass emerge, while the bright, sparkling acidity keeps the entire experience lively and refreshing.
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1:42 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I've always preferred Yellow Caturra, but this coffee inevitably brings back memories of the great high-elevation Caturras that once came out of Nariño. Does anyone still remember those coffees? Coffees from producers like Teresa Riasco Erazo and Nidia Adriana Morales Lopez completely changed my perception of what Caturra could be. Those coffees set an extraordinarily high benchmark. This coffee may not quite reach those heights, but that's hardly a criticism. It's still a genuinely delicious cup—bright, expressive, and immensely enjoyable.

More than anything, it feels like the perfect coffee to start the day with.
1:48 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Tbh, after drinking so many caturras over the years, I started to dismiss the variety a little. But my perspective has changed quite a bit over the last few years. It turns out caturra was never the problem—I had just been drinking the wrong ones
2:00 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Wow, that's a wonderful memory
4:51 AM #filter-focused: 2000+
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6:14 AM #what-are-you-brewing: The coffee I'm drinking today comes from Karumandi Factory in Kenya. It's an AA lot, and somewhat unusually, the varieties listed are only SL28 and Ruiru 11. The factory is part of Baragwi FCS, which also includes Guama, a factory known for producing some excellent coffees. This is my first time tasting a coffee from Karumandi, however. In Korea, we often describe a Kenyan coffee with grapefruit and dark chocolate characteristics as "classic Kenya," and this coffee fits that description almost perfectly.

The cup opens with delicate florals before a wave of grapefruit fills the palate. Molasses-like sweetness and berry fruit dominate the early and middle stages of the cup. As it progresses, black tea notes begin to emerge, eventually leading into a finish marked by dark chocolate. Tbh, I'm not particularly fond of molasses-like flavors, and in my personal view it's not a characteristic I want to find in a Kenyan coffee. Because of that, I can't give this coffee the highest praise. Even so, it's still a very enjoyable cup.
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8:48 AM #filter-focused: Yeah 😂

2026-06-24

12:57 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Maesil cha note? 🤣
1:12 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Drinking Musumba. I’m getting notes of green apple, black tea, berries, and a touch of white currant, and it reminds me a lot of a Kenyan coffee
1:40 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Haha, what made me laugh was that they literally wrote "Maesil Cha" on the tasting notes. 😂
1:41 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I usually just write "green plum juice" to avoid confusing people. Maybe I should learn from them
1:49 AM #what-are-you-brewing: It's actually a bit different. 😂 Maesil is arguably closer to an unripe apricot than a plum. Nobody really eats it as a fruit because, it doesn't taste very good that way. Most people either preserve it with sugar or make liquor from it, then dilute it with water and drink it
1:49 AM #what-are-you-brewing: We call it "Maesil Cha"
1:52 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I mean, we have so many stone fruits that, apart from peaches, they all start to feel like cousins of each other anyway
1:53 AM #what-are-you-brewing: It's kind of funny how tasting notes split along cultural lines. Here in Asia, if you asked me to distinguish between panela and dulce de leche, I'd probably struggle a bit. 😂
1:59 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Here's a small tip, especially for people working in coffee. In many parts of Asia, people don't just eat strawberries or peaches casually—we actively seek out specific cultivars and varieties. Because of that, we're often much stricter about those flavor references than you might expect.

Strawberry is probably the best example. I constantly hear people buying a coffee from a US roaster with "strawberry" on the tasting notes, only to say, "There's no strawberry in this at all." Watermelon tends to be another one. The issue isn't necessarily that the tasting note is wrong. It's that many Asian consumers have a very specific idea of what strawberry or watermelon actually tastes like, so the bar for using those descriptors is much higher.

...Of course, this only really matters if you're interested in the Asian market. 😂
2:00 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Yeah, it’s difficult. It really is
2:18 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Yeah, you might even perceive it as slightly fermented
2:20 AM #what-are-you-brewing: It’s probably closer to a fermented berry character than to actual strawberry
2:24 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Asian strawberries and watermelons are often incredibly sweet—sometimes to the point where they’re almost overripe and starting to soften.

Because of that, there’s occasionally a subtle fermented impression that comes with the fruit.

So when many of us think of “strawberry” or “watermelon,” we’re often thinking of something much riper and sweeter than what people in other regions might imagine. 😂

Honestly, if you want to understand the kind of strawberry character many of us associate with the word, just think about some of CGLE’s naturals
2:26 AM #what-are-you-brewing: That might actually be one of the reasons why Asian coffee drinkers tend to be more tolerant of heavily fermented naturals and co-ferments
2:29 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Look at this—I just took this photo. These watermelons are insanely fresh and sweet.
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2:34 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Haha, I always feel that gap. I don’t think there’s much we can do about it, honestly
5:44 AM #what-are-you-brewing: There can be all sorts of reasons, but the usual answer is simply, “Grind a little finer.” 😂 Of course, there’s always the possibility of defects as well.
5:47 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Remera, Rwanda?
5:48 AM #what-are-you-brewing: With Rwanda and Burundi, though, there’s a somewhat higher chance that what you’re tasting is related to green coffee defects
5:49 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I’m always impressed by how SEY consistently manages to source great Burundis
7:07 AM #what-are-you-brewing: It’s fairly common in Korea and Japan
8:38 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Chili, milky, lemongrass, berries
8:39 AM #what-are-you-brewing: It’s a little weird, but it’s good

2026-06-25

12:35 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Well… looking at this conversation, I guess I’m drinking a natural today
12:52 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Come to think of it, I don't think I've had a SEY Ethiopian natural since then... Actually, maybe there was one more?
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12:54 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Was the coffee they did with Tamiru a natural?
1:00 AM #what-are-you-brewing: That's why I always used to tell people, "If you see a natural, just buy it"
1:41 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Ready to making soup
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1:54 AM #what-are-you-brewing: 😂 I was actually planning to drink a natural this morning, but breakfast ended up being a bit too rich.So I started looking for something less heavy and thought, "Alright, let's go with this instead." This is Edid Medina, probably one of the subscriber-only coffees.

The way this coffee develops is... kind of strange. Can I even call this an Ethiopian natural? The texture is incredibly milky. There's this combination of milky notes, lemongrass, blueberries, and even jackfruit (seriously, real jackfruit) that runs through the cup. I wouldn't normally expect this kind of character from an SL9, so it's caught me completely off guard. And somehow, in the middle of all this weirdness, that classic SL9 floral character is still there — a distinctly botanical, almost green-floral quality. So what exactly is this coffee?
1:58 AM #what-are-you-brewing: The more I think about it, the more it reminds me of Luis Salas. It's different, sure, but there's definitely a family resemblance. The processing feels very similar.
1:59 AM #what-are-you-brewing: The whole reason I brewed this coffee was because a friend sent me what can only be described as an emergency alert. 😂

"Bro, this thing is ridiculously fermented."

Naturally, I had to drop everything and brew it immediately. And honestly? It's kind of fascinating.
1:59 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Yeah, that's it. This tastes like those Indonesian Longberries I used to drink a long time ago.
2:04 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Have you ever had Makgeolli? If you ever come to Korea, you should try it. 😂 This coffee tastes surprisingly similar.
2:05 AM #what-are-you-brewing: It's a traditional Korean rice wine made from fermented rice
2:06 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Funny enough, MUJI in Korea actually sells alcohol. 😂They carry a few traditional Makgeollis there. You should try them sometime
2:08 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Anyway, this is a really unusual profile for an SL9. Not something I'd normally expect from the variety at all. Subscribers, give this one a try
2:21 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Edid Medina
2:31 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I think it probably needs another week or so. It's already quite good, but I have a feeling it'll be even better with a little more rest(6/10 roasted)
3:33 AM #current-menu: Me as a subscriber: No strategy, no planning, just vibes and RNG
4:43 AM #current-menu: Alo sourced
4:44 AM #current-menu: Bombe is pretty big
4:44 AM #current-menu: You know how it goes. Just buy more SL9
4:47 AM #current-menu: The area is genuinely huge, so it produces a massive amount of coffee
4:58 AM #current-menu: Ya-koo-ta-pa-ta
4:59 AM #current-menu: or Ya-kue-ta-pa-ta
5:31 AM #what-are-you-brewing: This is a Kenyan natural from Gatura. For the first time in a while, I ground it with the A2. Just look at the particle distribution — the value for money is honestly ridiculous. For reference, in Korea you can usually pick up an A2 for around $55–65. 😂

The first thing that stands out is how much more aggressively the acidity comes through compared to the Flat Burr. This thing is really tart. It feels like biting directly into sour fruit. Mulberry, raspberry, orange, and rose notes are all there.That said, compared to the Flat Burr, it's noticeably lacking in sweetness.

That comes with both advantages and disadvantages. On the positive side, the acidity really shines. On the downside, you lose some of that lush, fruit-forward character that makes a coffee feel like a basket of ripe fruit. That's a little disappointing. Maybe the A68 would solve that? 😂
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5:34 AM #current-menu: They're money-sucking monsters
5:41 AM #what-are-you-brewing: $55? Yeah, that's an instant buy 😎
6:27 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Hard for me to compare. I don't own a ZP6 😂
6:30 AM #what-are-you-brewing: But grind speed is slower and more consistent, which I personally see as a positive
6:31 AM #what-are-you-brewing: And this is purely one of my personal superstitions, but... 😂 I've always felt that, when it comes to conicals, smaller burrs tend to perform better
6:32 AM #what-are-you-brewing: My guess is that if you're going to make a larger burr work well, it probably needs a geometry more like the ZP6 than the classic Comandante-style burr
6:34 AM #what-are-you-brewing: My personal theory is that the larger the burr and the narrower the grinding chamber, the more likely you are to run into defects caused by regrinding. And I don't think this is limited to conicals, either. The same logic applies to flats. That's one of the reasons I find the ZP6 burr geometry so appealing. It's a very sharp, aggressive design that grinds quickly and evacuates grounds efficiently.
7:06 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Believe it or not, SSP used to be my neighbor. 😂
11:38 AM #current-menu: https://www.seycoffee.com/collections/coffee/products/2026-luis-mildred-montoya-la-arboleda-colombia
11:40 AM #current-menu: It appears to be a coffee from the Montoya family. I've enjoyed Carmen's coffees in the past, but over time I found the cedar-like character becoming more and more pronounced, to the point where it's no longer really my preference.

Luis & Mildred's coffees, on the other hand, are processed using David Berrio's "Cochadas" process, which makes me think this one has a lot of potential. Honestly, my expectations are pretty high. If there's a family that could be considered the godparents of Chiroso, it's probably the Montoyas. And now we're talking about an even more advanced processing approach? Yeah, I'm genuinely excited about this one. 😂
12:41 PM #current-menu: (Currently imagining a world where this shows up in the subscription box)
11:48 PM #current-menu: https://www.seycoffee.com/products/difluid-r2

2026-06-26

12:07 AM #current-menu: If I’m remembering correctly, it’s the hybrid washed style where they use an eco-pulper and then dry with cherry(or pulp)
12:08 AM #current-menu: I’ve had some absolutely amazing coffees processed that way
12:15 AM #current-menu: I hope Doora. Their coffees are excellent, and they’re also working with Alo.
1:13 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Currently drinking: An Aji variety from Salado Blanco, Huila, Colombia. Produced by Sebastian Garces of Las Lajas.

It's a shame I never got the chance to try William Ortiz's Aji, but at least I've had the opportunity to explore a few others. Despite drinking coffee for quite a while, I don't think I've ever come across Salado Blanco as an origin before, nor this producer. Being an Aji, I was expecting some of that distinctive aromatic character.

There is a hint of chili-like aroma at the base, but it's far less dominant than I expected. Instead, what stands out most is an almost milkshake-like sweetness combined with a medley of fruit notes. Green grape is particularly prominent, alongside an intense stone-fruit character that feels almost concentrated. There's also a touch of black pepper in the background.

That said, while the coffee is certainly expressive, the flavor separation isn't quite as clear as I'd like. My suspicion is that the new ORB filter I've been experimenting with may be pushing the extraction a little too hard. I probably need to adjust the recipe and see what happens.
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5:38 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I'm drinking Ruvumu now. The extraction was coming across a bit too intense under my current setup, so I opened up the grind size quite a bit.
I'm getting notes of black tea, plum, lemon, and blackberry. The body is surprisingly light, almost delicate, but the aromatics are absolutely explosive. It's an interesting combination, and I think I'll need to spend some more time dialing in the recipe to find the right balance.
6:17 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I'd recommend buying it separately
6:18 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I just use the one made for the aeropress 🤣 I've heard good things about the 58mm filters as well
3:10 PM #what-are-you-brewing: You're very welcome! I'm glad it helped
5:00 PM #Brew-Along: Boneya
5:18 PM #Brew-Along: Boneya is ridiculously floral
5:21 PM #Brew-Along: Chorso feels like drinking two different coffees at the same time, while Boneya is just… incredibly elegant

2026-06-27

1:37 AM #what-are-you-brewing: The coffee I'm drinking right now comes from a producer named Aristobulo Rayo Mendez. It's a Gesha from Tolima, Colombia. Honestly, I can't even remember the last coffee I had from Tolima. If I had to guess, it was probably something from Mauricio Shattah. A Gesha from Tolima is not something I come across very often, so I was quite excited to try it.

The cup is actually more straightforward than I expected. There's a bright lime-like acidity and aroma, accompanied by berry-like fruit notes. What really stands out, though, is a surprisingly soda-like character intertwined with a cotton-candy sweetness that seems to dominate the entire cup. There are some floral notes present as well, although I wish there were a bit more of them. Still, that soda-like aromatic quality is incredibly distinctive and makes the coffee feel quite unique.
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2:17 AM #what-are-you-brewing: My friend roasted it! It's from a Korean roastery called RealBean
2:31 AM #origins-and-producers: Lance is probably the most famous natural hater in specialty coffee 😂
2:32 AM #origins-and-producers: The thing with Ethiopian naturals is that, aside from maybe one or two exceptional lots a year, you often end up with those slightly “turbid” profiles
2:34 AM #origins-and-producers: Hmm… maybe something like fruit peel notes, or a slightly heavy, almost dusty milkshake-like texture mixed with fermented fruit? Or even something reminiscent of an aged tea character.
2:36 AM #origins-and-producers: Truly clean examples — without that "turbid or ferment-driven" profile — probably show up only once or twice a year. 😂 They're very rare and hard to source. You might occasionally see them from Sookoo or Sheka, and historically from Gesha Village, although even there things have evolved quite a bit
2:37 AM #origins-and-producers: Even naturals from very famous producers sometimes get described as “wow, this is like a washed coffee!”, but most of them still carry that fermented fruit peel character. And for some people, that can come across as quite off-putting or even unpleasant.
2:39 AM #origins-and-producers: In that sense, eco-pulped white honeys or honey-processed coffees can actually come out cleaner than naturals. Even something like Danche can show that.

Lately, it feels like controlled fermentation in water-based processing might actually have some advantages, so I can see natural-process avoidance becoming more common — unless a completely new method comes along
2:40 AM #origins-and-producers: That said, naturals from places like Nicaragua — my personal favorite — are a totally different story. 😂 It really is complicated
2:55 AM #origins-and-producers: This is a bit of a personal theory, but since we were talking about water — I’ve noticed something interesting. Coffees coming from humid regions — places where drying coffee is naturally difficult — often seem to produce exceptional results.

For example, certain areas in Honduras, like Finca Santa Lucia or parts of Cielito Lindo, are reportedly extremely humid, with constant fog. I’ve heard they used to produce amazing coffees like that, although with climate change, those profiles are probably harder to find now. Later on, we started hearing about other “foggy” regions producing outstanding coffees as well — Panama’s Longboard comes to mind.

In that sense, Ethiopia feels like almost the opposite environment, which might make it even harder to consistently produce truly great natural coffees there. Maybe that’s why we’re seeing so many experiments with water-based processing methods — underwater fermentation, river flow somethings, and so on.
3:00 AM #origins-and-producers: That’s true. However, humid environments can mean lower average fermentation temperatures, especially during nighttime, which might actually contribute to more favorable outcomes.

In contrast, dry environments are ideal for drying but can lead to higher fermentation temperatures, which, as we saw in the early days of anaerobic fermentation, often results in more overtly fermented flavor profiles
3:01 AM #origins-and-producers: There are even processing methods where they only dry the cherries at night. 😂
3:02 AM #origins-and-producers: Of course, it can vary by region and variety. That’s what makes coffee even more difficult
3:03 AM #origins-and-producers: That’s why collecting data is extremely important — especially for green coffee importers or producers making investment decisions. Sometimes it takes several years, but at least looking at the current results from Ethiopian coffees, it feels like some answers are starting to emerge
4:36 AM #origins-and-producers: I usually think those famous naturals are delicious too, my favorite is Sookoo’s Laayyoo
5:38 AM #what-are-you-brewing: The coffee I'm drinking right now is Servio Botina. I ground it using the A2 — and the grinder was literally screaming. 😂 I recently changed my filter, and the extraction has become more stable, so I felt like I could finally start using the A2 properly and have been dialing it in.

The cup is extremely sour — in a good way. I’m getting hibiscus tea, dried berries, oolong, kiwi-like fruitiness, and tropical fruit candy notes. The A2’s performance is honestly impressive — the separation of aromatics is really clean.
2:39 PM #what-are-you-brewing: I've heard same

2026-06-28

1:03 AM #origins-and-producers: Maguta! It’s probably at fermentation level 99. 😂
1:06 AM #origins-and-producers: Does the Bombe page mention “Zero Fermentation”?
1:15 AM #origins-and-producers: If it were truly zero fermentation, I’d expect them to mention the Penagos pulper, since that’s one of the key components of the process.
1:20 AM #origins-and-producers: It might be considered a special process in Central and South America, but I think it's actually quite common in Ethiopia. It's basically the traditional washed process used in Jimma
1:22 AM #origins-and-producers: And I doubt they'd leave out any mention of the Penagos or Eco-pulper. It'd probably be more important to check whether it's on the offer list Lance posted before
1:26 AM #origins-and-producers: I'm not entirely sure, so Lance would probably have to confirm it. From what I know, zero-fermentation processing generally relies on an Eco-pulper to remove the fruit as quickly as possible. It's possible they just didn't mention it this time, but the previous Jimma lots all explicitly referenced a Penagos or Eco-pulper
1:44 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Currently in the cup: Reynaldo Luque. This coffee came from the same person who sent me the Red Gesha, along with a few other coffees. Since this was the oldest roast of the bunch, I decided to start with it.

It unfolds quite differently from Lucio's coffee. Compared to Lucio's lot, this one has slightly less separation between the flavors. My first impression is that it tastes like coffee from younger trees, although it could just as easily be a processing-related characteristic—I can't say for sure. Either way, it's still a very enjoyable cup.

The profile opens with a rich, lychee-honey sweetness and a layered, complex acidity. There's a subtle hint of lemongrass woven into the cup, alongside a floral character that reminds me of honeysuckle. That's probably why people call it Inca Gesha. 😂 Lucio's coffee, on the other hand, feels more classically Gesha-like. From the mid-palate onward, I get a fruitiness reminiscent of perfectly ripe dragon fruit, before the finish fades into elegant orange blossom florals.
Attachments:
- IMG_1430.JPEG (image/jpeg 1536x2048)
3:41 AM #what-are-you-brewing: By "separation," I mean how clearly the individual flavors are defined.

Sometimes you can tell there's a lot going on in the cup—a broad range of flavors—but they're blended together to the point where it's difficult to identify each one clearly. That's what I mean when I say a coffee has lower flavor separation
3:41 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Of course, there are coffees that are beautifully integrated while still having excellent flavor separation. Those tend to be the expensive ones 😂
9:02 AM #what-are-you-brewing: https://youtu.be/V1EptbzKOkA
9:03 AM #what-are-you-brewing: This video will probably help
3:45 PM #1515118804202422343: Having tasted all kinds of heavily processed coffees, looking at September's classification makes me think... funky and clean aren't really opposites. That's just my opinion, though 😂 Of course, I understand what they're trying to convey, but it doesn't really resonate with me. I think it would make more sense to simply distinguish between traditional and experimental processing.
3:50 PM #1515118804202422343: The term "clean" is another one I struggle with. I used to use it quite often in my reviews, but the more I thought about how to explain it to other people, the more I felt it was better not to use it at all. Instead, I find it much easier to describe things like how ripe the fruit tastes or the level of fermentation.

The problem is that everyone seems to define clean differently. Some people call a coffee clean simply because it has a very short, empty finish. Others use it to describe coffees with excellent flavor separation, while saying more complex, layered coffees are less clean. It's a surprisingly difficult term to define consistently, and honestly... it starts arguments more often than you'd expect. 😂

Anyway, that's all from me!
4:00 PM #1515118804202422343: I use the word "clean" to describe a cup where there's nothing getting in the way of the aromas. People whose palates are fairly well calibrated with mine usually understand what I mean. 😂

For example, I might be referring to an overly dominant brown sugar sweetness, a fermented sugarcane-like sweetness, or any other character that masks or interferes with the coffee's aromatic expression. It also shouldn't leave a coating or distracting texture on the palate. The problem is that there are just too many things to explain every time I use the word clean. So I've basically made a personal rule to avoid using it whenever possible.
5:02 PM #1515118804202422343: Of course, experimental coffees can be incredibly clean too. I’ve had plenty that were.

The reason I’d rather classify coffees as traditional or experimental is simply because there are people who know they don’t enjoy experimental processing
5:10 PM #1515118804202422343: If you asked me what I consider “funky,” I’d probably point to the early days of anaerobic fermentation. Some of those coffees were so heavily fermented that they could genuinely remind me of food waste. Which also means I rarely use the word funky for most coffees these days.

If I describe a coffee as having soft fruit or slightly overripe fruit, I usually mean the fermentation character is fairly pronounced. On the other hand, when I say ripe fruit, I mean the fermentation feels well-balanced and integrated rather than excessive.
5:12 PM #1515118804202422343: That’s why I think sellers need to be a bit more careful with the language they use. This might sound a little strong, but the moment a seller starts telling consumers, “This is what this coffee is,” they’re also limiting how people are allowed to experience it.

Providing information is important, of course. But when that information becomes overly subjective or overly prescriptive, I think it can end up creating more confusion than clarity.
5:14 PM #1515118804202422343: But i know plenty of consumers actually prefer that kind of guidance. It’s just my personal preference
5:21 PM #1515118804202422343: Maybe I’ve been influenced by you guys over the years… or maybe we just clicked from the beginning, which is why I’ve stayed subscribed for so long.

Either way, this is a really fun conversation. It’s surprisingly hard to have discussions like this anywhere else.

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dougssg

2026-06-22

12:20 AM #filter-focused: I can’t in good faith pin a recipe that requires that much coffee for that little caffeine😂😂
12:20 AM #filter-focused: It’s literally 40 grams for like 175ML
3:09 AM #current-menu: I’m only signing Knicks memorabilia
3:10 AM #current-menu: My daughters Father’s Day card with the SEY box
Attachments:
- IMG_9385.jpg (image/jpeg 2160x2880)
3:11 AM #current-menu: She repped the Finca Sophia!
3:12 AM #current-menu: She does
3:19 AM #filter-focused: Room temp
3:19 AM #filter-focused: The finish on this was significantly better than the flash chilled brew.
3:47 AM #filter-focused: For the OXO?
3:47 AM #filter-focused: Waiting for that ups notification
3:50 AM #filter-focused: Oh yea see above😂😂😂
4:28 AM #current-menu: Hahaha no way
4:28 AM #current-menu: Jijon forever
4:40 AM #filter-focused: Try both and tell me which was a better use of 40 grams of coffee
4:42 AM #current-menu: I think you should be good!
8:09 AM #current-menu: None to Hyunah
5:13 PM #current-menu: Could be box 1 could be 3 could be 6.
5:13 PM #current-menu: So just do 6 box sub and cover your bases
5:40 PM #current-menu: I think same but not as sure
5:56 PM #1515118804202422343: I see how it is
5:57 PM #1515118804202422343: Interesting. I found the danche washed to have so much watermelon in it, and the white honey to lean much more honeydew.

2026-06-23

12:26 AM #current-menu: Anyone who ordered Chelbessa 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
12:26 AM #current-menu: 630 PM with <@1504523316864749676> <@1017897299105550437> <@522586445131677719>
Attachments:
- IMG_9387.jpg (image/jpeg 2160x2880)
12:27 AM #current-menu: Chelbessa and ??? And ???
12:29 AM #current-menu: Ok I can say the mystery coffees
12:29 AM #current-menu: Kamavindi Gesha and an Esmeralda Honey.
12:34 AM #current-menu: Chelbessa is fire
2:35 PM #current-menu: Anyone know any Austin cafes
9:17 PM #current-menu: It’s for a friend not me unfortunately

2026-06-24

4:08 PM #filter-focused: I think it’s like 200? I just fill to the line

2026-06-25

1:09 AM #current-menu: Great guess
5:53 PM #current-menu: Any of you guys at Kaizen this am for a coffee meet up?
Attachments:
- IMG_3397.jpg (image/jpeg 2160x2880)
10:28 PM #current-menu: That guy Phillip I introduced you to took that photo haha
10:29 PM #current-menu: Anyone from California who doesn’t come to the event to hang with <@952039663680512030> plus Pepe plus me loses the right to see my hype posts. I will find a way for discord to make that happen.
10:55 PM #current-menu: [attachment only]
Attachments:
- IMG_9403.jpg (image/jpeg 2160x2880)
10:55 PM #current-menu: He just was randomly there hahahah
10:55 PM #current-menu: Honey Esmeralda and 3 Alo lots.
11:29 PM #current-menu: That one was the Esmeralda honey.
11:29 PM #current-menu: Really pretty
11:30 PM #current-menu: The Alos are all incredible
11:30 PM #current-menu: Maybe the hybrid washed was my favorite of the 3
11:34 PM #current-menu: Everyone knows we sell Difluid refractometers right? For subscribers it’s an incredible deal.
11:48 PM #current-menu: Are you a subscriber?

2026-06-26

12:10 AM #current-menu: Make sure you email to get the discount. It’s a large discount!
12:31 AM #current-menu: Bombe is pretty fire
1:14 AM #current-menu: They will have another roasted batch!
5:02 AM #current-menu: They need SEY
5:31 PM #current-menu: Yes that is as a sidra washed. This is a sidra wave washed
5:32 PM #current-menu: Best way to put it is- use it to help understand exactly what you’re tasting. Use your taste buds to decide what you like to taste, use a refractometer to tell you what you were actually tasting.
5:33 PM #Brew-Along: Whatcha brewing
5:35 PM #Brew-Along: Did anyone answer this? We use whatever of our coffees we have on bar that day. We don’t do blends ever. Our cafe represents a living version of our retail menu.
5:37 PM #Brew-Along: They can “get” their butts somewhere else if they don’t like what we’re serving
5:37 PM #Brew-Along: 😂
5:38 PM #current-menu: <@101272699736694784> two lost origin lots.
5:38 PM #current-menu: We’re doing another digna for the pop up with Motors.
5:38 PM #current-menu: In September.
5:38 PM #current-menu: Possible a tiny bit of hits our retail
7:25 PM #filter-focused: First Brezi brew
Attachments:
- IMG_9418.jpg (image/jpeg 2160x2880)
7:25 PM #filter-focused: Really impressed
11:13 PM #filter-focused: Always do sandwich papers
11:19 PM #filter-focused: Cold brew OXO
11:59 PM #filter-focused: You should have known my answer

2026-06-28

5:10 PM #filter-focused: What’s the deal with the hiflux filters?
7:48 PM #filter-focused: So many people just placed in brewers cup using them
9:09 PM #filter-focused: What’s the story?

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-------------------

GPT-5.5 Thinking Summary

seylance2897

On William Ortiz's Aji, seylance2897 said the lot was more fermented than he personally prefers, around 3.5 on his own 1-5 fermentation scale, but still "quite lovely"; SEY bought it partly to preserve the producer relationship and avoid complicating future allocations.
He framed the Aji as an experiment around cherry selection and brix rather than fermentation control: higher sugar content appears to have increased fermentation, and the next iteration should keep the brix experiment while pulling back fermentation to reveal cleaner variety and terroir.
He repeatedly emphasized that SEY is trying to map coffees by place and variety, not by process dominance; his line is crossed when fermentation or processing becomes more dominant than terroir/variety, though he stressed this is a personal SEY-specific stance rather than a universal judgment.
He contrasted "clean" and "fermented" using shared calibration rather than universal terminology: for him, clean means clarity of terroir and variety, with no fermentation or processing in the cup profile, but he acknowledged that other roasters' scales would mean different things.
On naturals, he said he has a "global reputation" for not buying them and has only tasted a couple he personally considered truly clean; he still respects roasters who source naturals well and said SEY will keep experimenting, including another natural experiment with Sophia when the harvest is larger.
He gave production-specific context for several lots: Pepe's washed Mejorado had been released once years ago; the current Sydra Wave lot from Soledad was the best he had tasted from that producer; Boneya was "hella clean"; David's Chiroso from Urrao was his personal high score among Urrao chirosos so far.
He explained fermentation trials with Gerald and Peter, including small-bucket fermentation, a hunch from him and Tim Hill that SL may want warmer fermentation, possible shorter warm fermentation, and a cooler fermentation in Peter's dark room; Peter also painted tanks black to test whether higher tank temperature helps.
He clarified washed processing: all normal washed coffee is fermented to remove mucilage after depulping, while zero-fermentation washed coffees require specific equipment such as an eco-pulper that removes mucilage before drying.
He gave origin/processing details on Bombe and Alo: Bombe is a region with processing sites owned by different exporters; the SEY Bombe coffee came from Alo's Bombe site, while Alo Village refers to coffee grown and processed in Alo; Tamiru also produces eco-pulper coffees from both Bombe and Alo.
He described operational problems at CTI after RPM acquired the warehouse and changed systems, saying releases that used to take 24 hours were stuck nearly 14 days without confirmation, possibly threatening future roast availability.

lancehedrick

lancehedrick gave a compact filter recipe: grind setting 8, 92C water, 1:15 ratio, 45 g bloom for 30 seconds, another 45 g pour, then 135 g pour, targeting about a 2-minute drawdown.
He later clarified that the target was roughly 2 minutes total, not merely drawdown after the last pour.
In Brew-Along, he kept the tone light and brief, repeatedly calling the brews "yummy" and later posting "Friday Funday" while pointing to Boneya Robe / Chorso Bule Ethiopia.
In filter discussion, he dismissed coffee competition results as practically meaningless, arguing that competitors often use heavily processed coffees, free gear, and have to construct narratives around them.
He followed that criticism by asking for the person's actual current brewing approach, implying that practical dialing-in matters more than copying competition methods.
His captured messages were relatively sparse this week; most were short brewing prompts or quick reactions rather than extended arguments.

opp4004

opp4004 opened the week with a detailed review of Norbey Quimbayo's semi-washed Sidra from La Esmeralda in Acevedo, Colombia: yellow tropical fruit, syrupy sweetness, eucalyptus, darker berries, but somewhat compressed flavors that might improve with rest or a lighter roast.
He compared Boneya Robe and Chorso Bule, saying Boneya was more immediate, tea-like, peachy, lily-floral, silky, and likely more crowd-pleasing, while Chorso Bule was more complex and layered; he refused to declare one objectively better.
On Tres de Mayo from San Ignacio, Peru, he emphasized its subscriber-only feel, Caturra rarity, lemon/lemon verbena acidity, panela sweetness, wildflower florals, bing cherry, cacao, and lemongrass, while reflecting that great Caturras had changed his view of the variety.
He reviewed Karumandi Factory AA from Kenya as "classic Kenya" in the Korean sense: florals, grapefruit, molasses sweetness, berries, black tea, and dark chocolate, though he disliked the molasses note as a Kenyan characteristic.
He used the Musumba discussion to explain cultural differences in tasting notes, especially Maesil Cha, strawberry, watermelon, panela, and dulce de leche; he argued Asian consumers often have stricter, cultivar-specific expectations for fruit descriptors.
He reviewed Edid Medina as a strange, fascinating, likely subscriber-only coffee with milky texture, lemongrass, blueberries, jackfruit, botanical SL9 florals, and Makgeolli-like fermented rice wine character; he thought it needed about another week of rest from a 6/10 roast date.
He tested grinders and filters actively: with a Kenyan natural from Gatura, the A2 grinder produced aggressive tart acidity, mulberry, raspberry, orange, and rose, but less sweetness than flat burrs; with Servio Botina, the A2 gave clean aromatic separation with hibiscus tea, dried berries, oolong, kiwi, and tropical candy.
On naturals, he largely agreed with the difficulty of clean Ethiopian naturals, describing many as turbid, fermented-fruit-peel, dusty/milkshake-like, or aged-tea-like, while saying clean examples may appear only once or twice a year from places like Sookoo, Sheka, or historically Gesha Village.
He developed a theory that humid, foggy coffee regions may produce exceptional results partly through lower fermentation temperatures, while dry environments aid drying but can push fermentation temperatures higher and produce more overt fermentation.
In the "clean/funky" terminology debate, he argued that clean and funky are not true opposites, that traditional vs experimental processing may be clearer, and that "clean" is too inconsistently defined; he personally uses it for cups where nothing masks aromatics or leaves a distracting coating, but now tries to avoid the word.

dougssg

dougssg objected to pinning a recipe that used 40 g of coffee for only about 175 ml of brew, joking that it was too much coffee for too little caffeine and asking others to test whether it was a good use of 40 g.
He preferred a room-temperature brew over a flash-chilled version, saying the finish was significantly better.
In current-menu discussion, he hyped Chelbessa as "fire" and revealed mystery coffees as Kamavindi Gesha and an Esmeralda Honey.
He asked for Austin cafe recommendations for a friend and later pushed people to attend a California event with Pepe and others, joking that non-attendees would lose the right to see his hype posts.
He reported tasting Honey Esmeralda and three Alo lots, calling the Esmeralda honey "really pretty," the Alo lots all incredible, and possibly favoring the hybrid washed among the three.
He promoted Difluid refractometers for subscribers, saying subscribers should email to get a large discount, and framed the refractometer as a tool for understanding what one is tasting, while taste buds should decide what one actually likes.
He clarified a current-menu distinction: one coffee had been Sidra washed, while the newer one was Sidra Wave washed.
In Brew-Along, he explained SEY's cafe practice: they use whichever single-origin SEY coffees are on bar that day, never blends, and the cafe represents a living version of the retail menu.
He said SEY was doing two Lost Origin lots and another Digna for a Motors popup in September, with a possibility that a tiny amount could reach retail.
On filters and brewing tools, he said he was impressed by his first Brezi brew, advised always using sandwich papers, referenced OXO cold brew, and asked about Hiflux filters because many people had placed in Brewers Cup using them.

Cross-thread takeaways

The central debate of the week was how to describe fermentation, processing, "clean," and "funky" without misleading people. seylance2897 argued from a green-buyer/roaster calibration system focused on terroir and variety; opp4004 pushed for less ambiguous language such as traditional vs experimental and more precise fruit-ripeness descriptors.
Aji, Chiroso, SL9, Bombe, Alo, Boneya, Chorso, and Lost Origin lots became the practical examples through which the group debated process intensity: William Ortiz's Aji was considered slightly too fermented for SEY's ideal, David's Chiroso was a standout, Boneya was clean and floral, and Lost Origin was defended only when tied to intentional experiments.
Naturals were treated as both seductive and problematic. seylance2897 framed himself as highly skeptical of naturals because they usually obscure place/variety; opp4004 agreed that truly clean Ethiopian naturals are extremely rare, while still noting exceptions and distinguishing Nicaragua and other origins.
Brewing discussion was concrete but fragmented: Lance supplied a simple 92C, 1:15, 2-minute filter recipe; dougssg questioned high-dose low-yield recipes; opp4004 experimented with ORB filters, A2 grinding, grind-size changes, and extraction intensity.
Tasting-note language was a major subtheme. opp4004's Maesil Cha, strawberry, watermelon, dragon fruit, and Makgeolli explanations highlighted cultural calibration problems, while seylance2897 admitted that notes like "jam" imply more fermentation and that he wants tasting notes to set expectations without overdetermining experience.
SEY's operational side surfaced repeatedly: printed coffee cards can become inaccurate or hard to write under weekly release pressure, cafe offerings mirror the retail menu rather than blends, Difluid refractometers are sold with subscriber discounts, and CTI warehouse delays may constrain upcoming roast schedules.
Subscriber culture shaped the week: several standout or mysterious coffees were discussed as subscriber-only or subscription surprises, including Tres de Mayo, Edid Medina, Boneya/Chorso, and possible future Montoya or Lost Origin lots.
The strongest disagreement was not over whether fermented or experimental coffees can be good, but over classification: seylance2897 insisted his thresholds are non-arbitrary because they are calibrated and producer-facing, while opp4004 warned that seller language can become too prescriptive and can limit how consumers experience a coffee.

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Week of 2026-06-22

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seylance2897

lancehedrick

opp4004

dougssg

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seylance2897

2026-06-23

2026-06-24

2026-06-25

2026-06-26

2026-06-27

2026-06-28

lancehedrick

2026-06-23

2026-06-24

2026-06-26

2026-06-27

2026-06-28

opp4004

2026-06-22

2026-06-23

2026-06-24

2026-06-25

2026-06-26

2026-06-27

2026-06-28

dougssg

2026-06-22

2026-06-23

2026-06-24

2026-06-25

2026-06-26

2026-06-28

GPT-5.5 Thinking Summary

seylance2897

lancehedrick

opp4004

dougssg

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