2026-07-13 to 2026-07-19

Week of 2026-07-13

7 daily files

Summary

seylance2897

In #origins-and-producers on July 16, explained that Kamavindi produces several quality tiers and separations - including a main lot, a main SL lot, and smaller intentional lots - and warned that roaster marketing can obscure these distinctions.
Emphasized that Kenyan variety identification is unusually uncertain: much coffee labeled SL28 is genetically testing as K7, lots marketed as "SL28 and SL34" have probably also contained Batian or Ruiru, and expanded testing has revealed more cross-pollination than expected.
Said it is too early to make confident sensory distinctions between isolated SL28 and SL34. He only tasted SL34 separately for the first time in 2025, and separating SL varieties from hybrids was itself a recent success.
Argued in #1513307859658477568 on July 17 that tasting ability is the foundation of roasting skill: a roaster will only roast as well as they can taste, and blind cupping of differently developed coffees is essential practice.
Noted that roast appearance and behavior are affected by process, variety, density, and maturation time. For an unfamiliar Peruvian coffee and producer, he cautiously guessed that visible differences might come from maturation time and seed density.
Discussed new Ethiopian separations in #Brew-Along: a very high-elevation farmer at Chorso was isolated for the first time, but the farm still contains untested "wild" coffee, illustrating how many potentially excellent Ethiopian varieties remain unidentified.
Warned that extremely small "toxy" lots are volatile and can become phenolic very quickly, though successful examples can be spectacular. He also said very high-elevation Bensa/Arbegona coffees - around 2,500 metres or more, with tiny dense seeds - may be an exception to his general preference for brewing coffee very fresh.
Proposed that some Peruvian farms may actually be too high and cold for optimal fermentation; SEY is experimenting with moving coffee grown around 2,500 metres down to roughly 2,000 metres for fermentation.
In #cupping on July 19, scored Dwight's Red Gesha 89.5: excellent florality and articulation, but slightly insufficient intensity and structure for 90+. He stressed that SEY's scores are internally calibrated and do not automatically match other specialty-coffee scoring systems.
Gave approximate internal quality ceilings by origin and variety - Panama Gesha around 92-95, Ethiopia 90-94, top Peru potentially 92+, Colombian Pink Bourbon/Chiroso around 89-90, and Kenyan SL lots potentially 89-92 - while stressing that this concerns an exceptionally tiny fraction of global coffee. He also argued that rarity affects his personal valuation: a 90-point Kenyan can matter more to him than a more available 92-point Ethiopian.

lancehedrick

Very few substantive messages were captured for Lance this week.
Repeated "brew Chelbessa and chill" in #Brew-Along on July 14, making Chelbessa the explicit brewing recommendation.
Repeated "William Ortiz for life" on July 16, expressing strong enthusiasm for that producer's coffees.
Briefly greeted the community during the July 17 brew-along and positively reacted to another person's brew on July 18, but the captured text contains no additional tasting notes or technical advice.

opp4004

In #1513307859658477568 on July 13, distinguished two frequently conflated "grainy" characters: fresh coffee can show temporary woody or lightly toasted grain notes, while genuinely underdeveloped roast graininess remains present even when later flavors mask it.
Expressed skepticism toward strong resting claims and ultra-light-roast apologetics. He argued that a properly roasted filter coffee should not transform from bad at two or four weeks into excellent at 45 days, and that resting should not be used to explain away baked or underdeveloped roasting.
Still acknowledged that resting changes presentation: fresh coffee can be chaotic, layered, and intense, whereas older coffee may become cleaner, more focused, balanced, and consistent. A March 18 Ruvumu remained surprisingly good months later, though he preferred its earlier complexity.
Troubleshot a rechargeable grinder that repeatedly stalled on Ruvumu. A full charge did not solve it, so he dismantled the grinder, found coffee lodged near the burr, cleaned it, and suspected the obstruction was the cause.
Recommended trying boozy or heavily fermented coffees as espresso, where they can become much more tropical. He especially likes boozy profiles supported by pineapple or baijiu-like notes, while raspberry-heavy versions become tiring; ONA Raspberry Candy was cited as poor filter coffee but more convincing as espresso or with milk.
Gave a negative assessment of Shelves' Kamavindi SL34: burnt-plastic and scorched-herb notes suggested a roast problem, though he stopped short of definitively calling it underdeveloped. He found the review socially awkward because the Korean roastery's owner was connected to a friend.
Praised several specific coffees: a natural Maracaturra from Nicaragua's Best of Maragos competition for lilac, lemon, apricot, berries, and lemongrass; Elzer Garcia's very high-elevation Cajamarca Typica for black tea, lemon, starfruit, yellow florals, and yuzu; Georgina Puma Gesha for pear blossom, Pink Lady apple, Moscato, and green grape; and Humure washed Red Bourbon for apricot, saffron, black tea, and gooseberry.
Rejected the proposition that ultra-light roasting is inherently superior or perfectly "preserves" green coffee. His criterion was whether the roast produces a delicious, coherent cup; some coffees benefit from attenuation or balance rather than maximum exposure of every green characteristic.
Offered repeated origin and variety judgments: Chorso was his best washed Ethiopian of the year so far; William Ortiz's coffees were strongly recommended; David Berrio's processing can turn Urrao chiroso's herbal character into fruit; Buku Sayisa evoked classic Yirgacheffe with bergamot, tea, and peach; and Chinese Syrina was the best variety he had tasted from China.
Critiqued sourcing and roasting strategies across roasters. He thought Tim Wendelboe's heavier recent cups reflected declining or changing green coffee more than darker roasting, preferred Heart's exploratory sourcing, found Aery's recent washed coffees near-underdeveloped, and argued that some contemporary "clean" profiles produce an explosive front palate followed by an empty finish.

dougssg

In #current-menu on July 14, started an intentionally early hype campaign around SEY winning the number-one Finca Sophia auction lot, while repeatedly stating that release timing and other practical details were not yet available.
Said the Finca Sophia lot was only 7 kg and that this was SEY's first participation in a Panamanian auction, making the number-one result genuinely surprising.
Joked about roasting the tiny lot on a popcorn roaster, then clarified that SEY was seriously purchasing a smaller roaster, presumably to handle very small lots more appropriately.
Mentioned staying awake until 4 a.m. to complete the auction purchase and jokingly demanded that community members buy large quantities in return.
While in Los Angeles, noticed that Finca Sophia's David Pohl was also there and considered arranging a brief live conversation with him.
Pushed back on price language on July 15, saying that $20 per 100 g is not cheap but should not be classified as a premium coffee price.
Said on July 16 that he did not expect the discussed coffee to be as expensive as people feared, although the captured context does not make the exact anticipated price or coffee completely explicit.
Strongly endorsed Ndwiga as a "slamming" Kenyan and one of the highlights of SEY's Kenyan-lot cupping that year, explicitly calling it worthy of a hype campaign.
Suggested buying at the Saturday event so Pepe and Jose could sign the box, indicating an in-person release or promotional event tied to the coffee.

naomi (car7iern)

Very few messages were captured for Naomi this week.
In #espresso-focused on July 13, reported that extending espresso shots from roughly 40-42 g out at about 1:2.2 to 45-47 g at about 1:2.5 made the finish dirtier and the shot more muddled.
Preferred the shorter ratio because it better delivered the intended style: high intensity, articulation, clarity, and a concentrated "juice bomb" character, while acknowledging that longer ratios might reveal other positive qualities.
Said the team might experiment with much longer ratios during the week and report the results.
In #water on July 17, said the requested water-related item was not currently sold at the shop, though it might be offered in the future; the item itself is not identifiable from the captured text.

Cross-thread takeaways

The week repeatedly separated green-coffee identity from marketing labels. Seylance stressed genetic ambiguity around SL28, SL34, K7, hybrids, and Ethiopian "wild" varieties, while Opp explored whether isolated varieties outside their original terroirs retain meaningful sensory identity.
Ultra-light roasting remained the central disagreement. Opp accepted its tea-like delicacy and acidity but rejected claims that it is inherently more faithful to green coffee; Seylance instead focused on tasting calibration and argued that roasting competence follows from the ability to recognize development accurately.
Resting was treated as a change in presentation, not a cure for defects. Opp said age can mask graininess and improve balance but cannot repair underdevelopment; Seylance generally preferred freshness, except for unusually high, dense Ethiopian coffees.
Cupping scores were framed as contextual tools rather than universal truth. Seylance described SEY's internal origin-specific calibration and the exceptional rarity of even 85-86-point coffee, while Opp said he notices scores but ultimately privileges his own palate, giving Chorso Bule 91 largely because of its texture.
High elevation appeared as both advantage and technical risk. Opp praised exceptionally high Cajamarca Typica, while Seylance suggested that farms around 2,500 metres may be too cold for fermentation and described experiments moving harvested coffee downhill.
Small and rare lots drove both excitement and operational problems. The 7 kg Finca Sophia auction win prompted Doug's early hype and discussion of a smaller roaster, while Seylance described tiny Chorso and potentially phenolic "toxy" separations whose scarcity and volatility complicate production.
Across users, the strongest practical brewing advice was specific rather than doctrinal: Naomi shortened espresso ratios for cleaner, more articulated shots; Opp recommended hotter water or finer grinding for SEY's increasingly light Ethiopians and espresso for boozy anaerobics; Lance's concise recommendation was simply to brew Chelbessa.

Full weekly Markdown preview

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2026-07-13 to 2026-07-19

seylance2897

2026-07-14

11:40 PM #origins-and-producers: Honestly I haven't tasted much! I'll get some and give it whirl
11:42 PM #origins-and-producers: Different lots and processes but same producer!
11:44 PM #origins-and-producers: for sure. I didn't get a chance to taste that lot from CC so I'm curious!

2026-07-16

12:26 AM #origins-and-producers: Kamavindi, like most farms, produces a pretty wide variety of 'qualities'. then you get into lot intentionality, Kamavindi for example, produces a main lot a main SL* lot and then also smaller, more specific lots. This all gets very confusing and generally made even more confusing depending on how any givin roaster might market the coffee.
12:27 AM #origins-and-producers: The SL varieties are something of a mess at the moment and the subject to on going mystery. Most SL28 in kenya is actually coming back genetically as K7. Its a mystery as to why.
12:29 AM #origins-and-producers: as for the flavor profiles. It is only extremely recently that SL 34 has been tried to be separted out from SL28 to taste. Personally, last year was the first time I tasted SL34 by itself. So, its pretty early on to try and make any kind of statments as to their differences in the cup.

Even getting SL separated from the Hybrids has been exceptionally difficult and last year was our first real sucess in doing so
12:31 AM #origins-and-producers: I'll add that over the years any coffeee marketed as 'sl34 and sl28' almost without question had at least some batian or ruiru or both in it as well
12:33 AM #origins-and-producers: i mean, they have a good idea based on the seeds that they planted, also mophology is pretty effective to a degree.. But, unless something has been genetically tested, its pretty tough to know for sure whats actually being grown. since we started testing a lot more, we've discovered that way more cross-pollination was happening than we originally thought
1:00 AM #origins-and-producers: coffee will definitely continue to change alot... haha assuming climate change and low prices doesn't completel destroy it
1:00 AM #origins-and-producers: for sure, its all quite complicated with a lot of history... for example, in Colombia, the fenderation would only really allow farmers to plant a couple varieties. this is starting to change but its been very regulated for a long time
1:09 AM #origins-and-producers: ehaha this has also been my experince

2026-07-17

4:35 PM #1513307859658477568: this is a really good question and honestly i'm not entirely sure myself. I would know the answer in a place like Ethiopia or Colombia, but i'm not familiar with Peru or Dwight's processing to really know whats happening here. But best guess - it's different levels of maturation times and seed densities.
4:56 PM #1513307859658477568: Very much my opinion, but I'd say very little. Learning how to taste coffee is the most important part of learning how to roast. You'll only roast coffee as well as you can taste it. You can learn to taste coffee by cupping a bunch of other roasters' coffees of varying levels of roast development. If you can taste coffee well and understand roast development from a taste perspective, the roasting of it comes quite easily. But, there is no short cut to learning how to taste it well
4:56 PM #1513307859658477568: thats a practice
6:23 PM #what-are-you-brewing: we'll also be releasing a couple lots from Eyla this year.. will be fun to compare lots
6:26 PM #1513307859658477568: yeah, i mean certain things are easy... like natural processed coffees look very different than washed coffees when roasted.. so processing does play a role... so does variety and definitely so does density and maturation times
6:31 PM #1513307859658477568: ha yeah, its totaly a stunning coffee
6:45 PM #Brew-Along: yeah, so there is a farmer at the highet elevation in chorso that we specifically asked snap to seperate out this year for the first time. So, its very isolated, with very specifc variety.
6:45 PM #Brew-Along: we still don't know which varities cause he still has 'wild' coffee on his farm that we haven't tested
6:45 PM #Brew-Along: there are still a ton of varieties in Ethiopia that are going to be excellent that we're still discovering
6:47 PM #Brew-Along: I'm working on it
6:49 PM #Brew-Along: always
6:50 PM #Brew-Along: haha maybe... the harvest is super super small... pepe is still deciding if hes going to try to make a toxy lot this year. they are extremely volitile and go phenolic in a blink of an eye
6:50 PM #Brew-Along: obviously when they hit.. they hit hard
6:52 PM #Brew-Along: ha no, i've only cupped it once straight out of the roaster
6:54 PM #Brew-Along: Daniel caro is very good
6:59 PM #Brew-Along: Bombe is back in stock at 250g
7:06 PM #Brew-Along: doug will tell you 24 hours before it drops 😂
7:08 PM #Brew-Along: the fresher the better with the one exception of high high elevation in Bensa/ arbgona... IMO
7:09 PM #Brew-Along: yeah like 2500 +
7:09 PM #Brew-Along: they crazy tiny dense seeds
7:12 PM #Brew-Along: Sol naciente has been the highest farm in peru... but there are actually a few higher
7:13 PM #Brew-Along: I think those farms are actually too high.. we are trying something this year where we bring the coffee down to 2000m to ferment.. I have a theory its too cold at 2500+
7:16 PM #Brew-Along: k gott go cup ❤️
7:16 PM #Brew-Along: peace
8:04 PM #1513307859658477568: 100% echo tasting blind.. it is actually fully essential
9:37 PM #what-are-you-brewing: are you serious?
9:39 PM #what-are-you-brewing: with a tiny hand milled lot like that, i suppose the chances are higher... but yeah, it would be a miracle if it made it though the sovda
9:39 PM #what-are-you-brewing: damn, i'm so sorry
9:50 PM #what-are-you-brewing: yeah, that should definitely never, ever happen

2026-07-19

5:34 PM #origins-and-producers: Danche is just slightly higher elevation than chelbesa. Danche is the sub kebele within chelbesa, same as Siti, and Kubi - all sub kebeles within Chelbesa
5:36 PM #cupping: I scored Dwight red Gesha 89.5. It has excellent florality and articulation.. but it needs a little more intensity and structure to get into the 90s for me.

that being said, its a stunning coffee.. i don't score very many coffees 89.5
6:28 PM #what-are-you-brewing: so cool to taste a single producer separation from the choros site ❤️
6:30 PM #what-are-you-brewing: yeah for sure, i find the acidity on that coffee to really crisp
6:40 PM #cupping: Scoring is an ever-evolving conversation of calibration and re - defining

But, where we're at loosely

Colo, Pinks / chirosos - ceiling can be like 89+ with a few instances of 90 (a few wilson abla lots, Gildaro's pink 2 or 3 years ago, etc... , excellent versions of these varieties are 88+, floors, for us, would be like 87.5

Ecuador Mejorado / sidra - 88 - 89.5 - rarely do i hit anything into 90 (with the exception of tyoxy

Panama Gesha - 92 - 95... If we bring in anything under 92 that would be a disapointment; anything over 95 is winning the BOP

Peru - still mapping this - but cieling is obviously quite high... I'm guessing in the 92+ range at its best... but SL9s* are looking at like 88+ - 90

Ethiopia is 90-94

Kenya we're still working on the ceiling here for SL varities... but, here we're looking for 89- 90+... I'm guessing we'll see some SL's with our newer projects getting closer to the 91s maybe 92... but haven't tasted them yet.

But, we work in the regions that we work in because of the cieling potential of the regions and the varities those regions are producing... We're constantly looking and exploring other places that have these kinds of potentials... We're also working on better genetics to places with potential .. i.e getting better varieties to Narino
6:41 PM #origins-and-producers: haha Tim Hill has insane maps. .be hes made them himself.. I only have actual printed copies not digital copies... i might ask him for a digital
6:46 PM #cupping: I mean all of this needs to be taken within a hugeeeee understanding of context... we are literally, no bull shit, talking about the highest quality coffees on the planet and searching out where the highest quality coffees are possibly being produced... we're talking about the .00001% of all coffee grown on the planet.

An 86pt coffee is still .0001% of coffee grown on the planet and honestly is a miracle... 85 pt coffee is a miracle; it's exceptionally difficult to produce. So while it's easy to be like, " meh, it's only an 87.5... that is both true with our microcosm and both a full misunderstanding of the larger context of what that coffee is.
6:47 PM #cupping: that coffee was insane... i scored it 90 even. tyoxy like 5 years ago or whatever was like a 92 for me
6:53 PM #origins-and-producers: It can be quite complicated

But, in Gedeb specifically, the coffee will be named after the Sub Kebele because that is the smallest region. So for example, Siti is the sub Kebele within the Kebele of Chelbesa, within woreda of Gedeb within the zone of Gedeo, within the larger district of Yirgacheffe
6:54 PM #cupping: haha yeah...
6:55 PM #cupping: we're just getting a lot from Pepe from Putu that he said is highest he has ever scored Putu.. so we'll see
6:56 PM #cupping: i actually bought coffee from that farm before Pepe bought it... like nearly 10 years ago when it was just fransisco... that coffee was 89-90 easy... but then really fell hard until pepe started working with it
6:56 PM #cupping: no pepe named it surya
6:56 PM #cupping: Putuchio was its original name
6:58 PM #cupping: but i don't believe hes selling anything under that name any more
6:58 PM #cupping: originally he was going to name just the lots he sold to us surya
6:59 PM #cupping: and san pedro
7:01 PM #origins-and-producers: Danche, kubi, for example are other sub kebeles withint chelbesa
7:03 PM #cupping: Also, need to note - these scores do not translate across all of specialty coffee haha... they are very much internal but also calibrated around our exporters, producers and other suppliers.

For example, coffee quest, alo, kamavindi, osito, etc... are all calibrated to this scoring system..but that doesn't mean all roasters are also using it. The Panama scores are pretty calibrated within Panama and those producers, though...
7:05 PM #cupping: i mean, that is one of my top coffees of all time... which also goes to say all scores are not weighted evenly for me... for example, a 90 pt kenyan coffee, for me would be a better coffee than a 92 pt ethiopian coffee... simply because 92pt ethiopian coffee more availbale than a 90pt kenyan coffee... which is properly hard.
7:12 PM #origins-and-producers: not in this case, in this case Danche is its own site... But, what your describing is common
7:12 PM #cupping: always gotta ask the hard questions
7:13 PM #cupping: Both Rwanda and. Burundi have the biggest qualitycles of anywhere we work. meaning from season to seaon they have the biggest quality swings... some years the highest scoring coffees are like 86.5/87 and sometimes they can get as high as 89...
7:14 PM #cupping: But they are also two of the poorest countries we work in... we really don't know what those cielings are with proper investment and better infrustructure
7:15 PM #cupping: yeah, I cup a lot of coffees from Tanzania and other countires. IMO Rwanda and Burundi have the highest potential for quality... DRC also is quite high but so hard to work in
7:15 PM #cupping: definitely trying... honestly Evan at passanger has done incredible work in Burundi
7:16 PM #cupping: he has built a whole new composting program that supplies entire hills with compost.. its pretty incredible...
7:18 PM #cupping: just that could see a significant tick up in quality
7:37 PM #cupping: i think th Q is actually quite usless for this level of coffee IMO

For me scores do translate across origins - the one thing to note here is that I do not believe in cupping / tasting latin coffees after Ethiopian coffees. scores do translate across the origins but Ethiopian coffees makes latin coffees taste vegetal in ways they aren't actually vegetal.. so i never taste latin coffees after Ethiopians
7:38 PM #cupping: The best way to learn is to cup coffee and score coffees with people and talk about why they are being scored that way... if you buy coffee than try and calibrate with suppliers and importers... you just have to make sure they aren't trying to sell you something ha
7:40 PM #cupping: but what i think makes sey kind of unique is that we release soooo many coffees that if you were to taste and score every coffee that we rlease in a year... you'd be honestly very good at it ha
7:41 PM #cupping: I think that we might actually start doing monthy cuppings of all the subscription coffees...so that would be a good way to at least calibrate with how we score and evaluate coffees
7:42 PM #cupping: yeah, getting access to that kind of education in this industry can be remarkabley challenging
7:42 PM #cupping: yup
7:44 PM #cupping: For us, we're looking for objective ways of talking about coffees... for example, if my roaster gives me 3 words and a cup score, I know exactly what that coffee tastes like... we keep personal preferences aside when scoring/ evaluating coffees
7:46 PM #cupping: i find its also a better way to be open minded.. profiles i use to not love i know really love because i understand how special they actually are... in some cases i like them more thn the obvious profiles at this point
8:49 PM #cupping: i have not!
8:49 PM #cupping: thinking of doing them on discord!

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lancehedrick

2026-07-14

4:02 PM #Brew-Along: brew chelbessa and chill
4:59 PM #Brew-Along: brew chelbessa and chill

2026-07-16

2:49 PM #Brew-Along: william ortiz for life
3:53 PM #Brew-Along: william ortiz for life

2026-07-17

6:38 PM #Brew-Along: whaddup SEYcord!
6:39 PM #Brew-Along: [attachment only]
7:37 PM #Brew-Along: whaddup SEYcord!

2026-07-18

10:33 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I love this

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opp4004

2026-07-13

12:40 AM #equipment: Mine isn’t that old, so I recharged it for now
12:46 AM #1513307859658477568: I think people are mixing up two different things: the grain-like freshness that naturally fades as the coffee rests, and the grainy character that comes from underdevelopment
12:49 AM #1513307859658477568: Fresh coffee—especially coffees roasted a bit more—can definitely have a woody character or a lightly toasted grain-like note. Those tend to mellow with time.

But then there’s the grainy character of an underdeveloped roast, and that never really goes away
1:22 AM #1513307859658477568: An underdeveloped grainy note can seem like it disappears over time. But I don't think it actually does. What's really happening is that other flavors become more pronounced and gradually mask it
1:26 AM #1513307859658477568: This is actually one of the reasons I've become a bit skeptical about ideas surrounding resting and UL roasting. I still believe that if a coffee is roasted properly, it shouldn't make a dramatic difference whether it's freshly roasted, two weeks off roast, or even four weeks off roast. The coffee may change, of course, but I don't think those changes should be used to explain away roasting flaws. I feel the same way about underdevelopment and grainy flavors. If they're there, they're there. They might become less obvious as other flavors develop, but I don't think they truly disappear
1:30 AM #1513307859658477568: Yeah, I agree with that. Coffees that are a bit more developed—the kind with the roasty character we're all familiar with—do tend to lose those notes over time. They also lose a bit of flavor intensity along the way. I can see how someone might describe that roasty character as "grain-like"
1:31 AM #1513307859658477568: One of my friends actually has a different theory about UL coffees. He calls it the "baked theory." His argument is that many UL coffees inevitably taste a bit baked when they're fresh. As the coffee rests, that baked character fades into the background, allowing the underlying flavors to come forward. Honestly, I think that explanation fits quite a few UL coffees I've tasted.
1:34 AM #equipment: I just ground another coffee (Ruvumu), and it stalled twice again even though I had fully charged it. I took it apart completely and found some coffee slightly stuck around the burr, so I cleaned it out and removed it. Hopefully that does the trick
1:47 AM #1513307859658477568: Actually, this is a completely separate topic, but I generally try to ignore roasters' resting recommendations as much as possible. Even things like the "Drink after 2 weeks" note on SEY's boxes—I try not to look at it. 😂 Of course, because of shipping time, the coffee often ends up being around two weeks old anyway. I do get asked to evaluate coffees from time to time, and I actually have some coffees right now that I'm waiting to rest before trying. Roasters usually want people to taste their coffee after it has stabilized and reached its intended profile. Of course, my attitude is basically: "Haha, I'm not listening to you guys!" 😂
1:48 AM #1513307859658477568: I personally don't think a well-roasted coffee really needs much resting. Of course, espresso can be a nightmare if the coffee is too fresh, but for filter coffee—especially since tools like the Orb have become available—I feel like there's even less reason to worry about resting anymore
1:49 AM #1513307859658477568: Sure, I do think that letting coffee rest can create interesting changes. You can experience moments where the flavors feel like they're "opening up" or "closing down," and I understand why certain points in time might appeal to different people. However, I would separate that from roasting quality itself. I don't think resting should be used as an explanation for, or a measure of, whether a coffee was roasted well
1:50 AM #1513307859658477568: I'm not saying this as a complaint toward you. I'm only bringing it up because I've seen some people complain about these things. I think Thomas probably knows exactly who I'm talking about. 😂
1:51 AM #1513307859658477568: I don't really believe in the idea that a coffee is bad at 2 weeks, still bad at 4 weeks, and then suddenly becomes amazing at 45 days. I just don't think coffee works that way.
2:08 AM #1513307859658477568: To be honest, I have to admit something... I'm still drinking a SEY coffee that was roasted back in March. I have so many coffees waiting to be reviewed that everything has piled up. I just brewed the Ruvumu again, and it was actually really good—more focused and clean than before.

That said, my personal preference is still the chaotic complexity you get right when the coffee arrives. I love that stage where all kinds of flavors are jumping out at once and the cup feels incredibly layered. Of course, the fact that a Ruvumu roasted on March 18 is still tasting great is honestly pretty shocking in itself.
4:06 AM #equipment: I’m just assuming it was caused by some coffee getting stuck in there... it has to be that! 😂
4:28 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I do like boozy coffees, but I think it really depends on what notes are supporting that character. If it comes with something like pineapple, I love it. But if it leans more toward raspberry, I start to find it a bit tiring
4:28 AM #what-are-you-brewing: When pineapple comes into the picture, it reminds me of Chinese baijiu, which is actually my favorite kind of alcohol-related note in coffee
4:41 AM #what-are-you-brewing: If you pull those boozy coffees as espresso, the whole impression can change dramatically. They often become incredibly tropical
4:43 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Trust me, this is a tip from someone who has been drinking anaerobic-fermented coffees for over 7 years 😂
4:45 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Anyone who has tried ONA's Raspberry Candy as espresso or in a milk-based drink will probably understand what I mean. As a filter, it's honestly pretty terrible
4:49 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Yeah, exactly. I do enjoy funky coffees, so I thought I'd try it as a filter... And I ended up experiencing hell
6:04 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I'm drinking a Kamavindi SL34 right now. I was asked to review it, but... this one's a tough one. Honestly, I don't think it's very good. I wouldn't go as far as calling it underdeveloped, but I do think there's something off with the roast. I'm getting notes that remind me of burnt plastic and scorched herbs. It's been a while since I've had a coffee I genuinely didn't enjoy 💀
6:05 AM #what-are-you-brewing: The worst part is that I still have to write the review and live with the consequences. The moment I say I didn't like it, I can already imagine all the reactions that are going to come my way... and honestly, I'd rather not think about it
6:06 AM #what-are-you-brewing: It's from a small roastery in Korea called Shelves. They roast on a Stronghold, and... well, the owner is a friend of one of my friends, so it's a bit of an awkward situation
7:54 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Yeah... they introduce themselves as Nordic-inspired, but at this point I'm starting to wonder if they've only ever had underdeveloped nordic roasts
10:09 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Well, I think they're at least aware that there might be an issue. I still have three more coffees from them to try, so hopefully those turn out to be much better 🤯

2026-07-14

2:12 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Right now I'm drinking a really interesting coffee. It placed 6th in Nicaragua's "Best of Maragos" competition. As far as I know, the competition was limited to varieties carrying the Mara genetics—Maracaturra, Maragogype, and I think Pacamara was eligible as well. This one is a natural-processed Maracaturra. The roast is extremely light—honestly, I think it's even lighter than Shoebox, at least in my experience. Whenever I drink Maracaturra, it reminds me of Ecuador's Mejorado. Those two varieties share a surprisingly similar flavor profile, and this coffee is no exception.

I'm getting lilac-like florals, bright lemon, a rich stone-fruit sweetness that reminds me of apricot, slightly darker berry notes, and even a touch of lemongrass. There is a hint of fermentation, but it integrates nicely with the berry character, so I don't find it distracting at all. I heard that Nicaragua had an exceptional harvest last year, but this year is expected to be extremely poor. So I'm not sure we'll get to see coffees like this again anytime soon—but I really hope we do.
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4:23 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I think one of the Shoebox fans mentioned recently that they've changed their roasting style
4:31 AM #what-are-you-brewing: 😂😂😂😂 Seriously, this is hilarious
4:34 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Anyone who drank SEY between 2020 and mid-2022 would probably say the opposite—that Shoebox was the one inspired by SEY. Seriously, what's going on? 😂
4:35 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Exactly. People seem to have forgotten the days when everyone was saying, "SEY is so underdeveloped," and practically screaming about it
4:40 AM #what-are-you-brewing: In the end, whether it's UL or not isn't really the point. What matters is how well the roaster expresses what they're trying to achieve through the roast.

The problem is that some people seem to reduce the whole discussion to, "UL = preserving absolutely everything in the green coffee" I just don't think it's that simple. That's probably why I still find myself on the front line of the "anti-UL" camp 😂
4:45 AM #what-are-you-brewing: There are definitely real advantages to roasting in an UL style. From that subtle acidity everyone talks about, to the tea-like experience that some people enjoy—those are all valid qualities. But I see those as the result of a roaster's personal taste, their curation, or simply what they're trying to express through the coffee. That's where preference comes in. What I struggle with is that some UL fans seem to value UL roasting primarily because they believe it "preserves everything in the green coffee" To me, there's a more fundamental question that should come first:

Is the coffee actually delicious? Is it enjoyable to drink?

That's the discussion I think should come before everything else
4:46 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Ha... I guess I'm showing my "anti-UL tendencies" again today. 😂 The Maracaturra I drank today was UL as well!
5:32 AM #what-are-you-brewing: UL isn't automatically better. Different coffees have different characteristics—some things are worth highlighting, while other aspects might need to be toned down or balanced
5:34 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Anyway... it's been so hot today that I also tried Soup + Ice, but I think I need to tweak it a bit more. Maybe I need to apply more pressure? The coffee tastes good overall, but the acidity is standing out a little too much
6:25 AM #current-menu: 🇺🇸✈️🇰🇷
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6:32 AM #current-menu: …And I still haven’t finished all the subscription coffees
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11:11 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Wilson Alba definitely had that Kenya-like aromatic profile
4:08 PM #Brew-Along: I guess I'll have to start stealing some Sophia from my friends too
4:18 PM #Brew-Along: Don't expect naturals from SEY!
4:19 PM #Brew-Along: A natural from SEY is basically a once-a-year ceremony
4:21 PM #Brew-Along: Although... Lance did say they worked with a lot more coffees this year, so maybe we'll see a few more naturals
4:24 PM #Brew-Along: I really love William Ortiz's coffees. I've heard the Aji is excellent too, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet
4:27 PM #Brew-Along: I guess I need to go steal some Chelbesa
4:28 PM #Brew-Along: Lance isn't really a fan of El Salvador
4:28 PM #Brew-Along: El Salvador has been through a really difficult journey, and on top of that, the El Salvador offerings in the US haven't been that great either. Most of the better coffees have gone to Europe instead.
4:30 PM #Brew-Along: Of course, I like El Salvador too, but honestly, you can count the number of truly great farms from that country on one hand. And when you think about the whole world competing for those coffees... yeah, it's a really tough situation.
4:31 PM #Brew-Along: Rather than putting that much effort into El Salvador, I think focusing on Colombia is a much more realistic approach
4:37 PM #Brew-Along: ZERO CRACK coffees are definitely interesting... But if roasters keep trying to do that, they're going to pull all their hair out
4:39 PM #Brew-Along: Oh no
4:43 PM #Brew-Along: David Berrio's processing is the best in Urrao. It's the kind of work that transforms herbal notes into fruit
4:44 PM #Brew-Along: To do something like that, you'd have to turn it into charcoal first
4:46 PM #Brew-Along: Eucalyptus
4:49 PM #Brew-Along: In my mind, chiroso has three possible profiles: herbal, cedar-like, or absolutely incredible fruitiness with a gesha-like character. Hopefully we get lucky
4:56 PM #Brew-Along: Currant, especially red currant
4:58 PM #Brew-Along: It's hard to find that profile at SEY... You usually see it more often in what people call "factory coffees" from Kenya, or in Kenyas from Tim Wendelboe or Coffee Collective
5:01 PM #origins-and-producers: Hmm... Chorso, maybe it's because I haven't tried Chelbesa yet, but so far it's been the best Ethiopian coffee I've had this year
5:02 PM #origins-and-producers: Of course, I'm talking about washed coffees only. 😂 Naturals might be a completely different story though
5:04 PM #origins-and-producers: I mean, I've had so much Chelbesa already... I honestly wasn't even expecting it this year. 😂 Apparently the same lot is available in Korea though, so I'm thinking of going over and "stealing" some
5:06 PM #origins-and-producers: But if Sophia is only 7kg, that seems like a lot less than the old Ngaratua Gesha. The competition for it is going to be insane
5:06 PM #origins-and-producers: I saw they have Duromina at Blanchard's
5:07 PM #origins-and-producers: Duromina is the one that got me seriously into specialty coffee. You absolutely have to try it. Seriously
5:07 PM #origins-and-producers: https://blanchardscoffee.com/collections/single-origin/products/duromina-3
5:08 PM #origins-and-producers: I feel like Blanchard's never became as well-known as it deserves in the US, considering the quality of their coffee. Or am I wrong?
5:08 PM #origins-and-producers: (Though maybe saying this on the SEYcord is a little awkward... 😂)
5:14 PM #current-menu: Instead, you guys are going to end up receiving Ethiopian duplicates
5:15 PM #current-menu: The ones labeled "Finca Sophia"
5:26 PM #origins-and-producers: You’re right… Duromina has changed a lot. I could even feel the drop in quality when SEY was using it.
5:54 PM #current-menu: The most expensive coffee I’ve ever had was one where the green coffee cost over $1,000 per kilo…
But compared to prices these days, that feels like nothing. 😂
7:19 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Edid - Woah, Juan - Wow, Boneya - Whaaat?
7:23 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Since SEY’s Ethiopians seem to be roasted even lighter than before, try raising your water temperature or grinding a little finer than usual

2026-07-15

2:47 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I got up a bit late today, so I'm only just now having my coffee and writing this review. Typica grown by Elzer Garcia in Cajamarca. Interestingly, it's cultivated at an elevation of 2,380–2,450 meters, which might make it one of the highest coffee-growing areas in Cajamarca. The variety is Typica as well—the first Peruvian Typica I've had since the one SEY released a while back.

As for the cup, it has a kind of elegance that reminds me of Colombian coffees—especially Mikava—although it doesn't quite reach the same level of intensity. 😂 It opens with notes reminiscent of Chinese black tea, before lemon and starfruit take over the mid-palate. As those fade, a floral note that reminds me of yellow blossoms emerges, followed by a long finish of rich, yuzu-like citrus.

I think Scenery was selling this same coffee (or maybe it was Obadia?), but regardless, both the coffee and the producer have a very exciting future ahead. I've always felt that coffees from Cajamarca tend to have a certain ceiling in terms of flavor, but this one genuinely breaks through it.
2:58 AM #current-menu: I'm broke, so I'll just drink Ethiopians with green coffee that costs a little over $100 per kilo. That's the proper way to adapt to the new normal 😎
3:32 AM #current-menu: Well, Panamanian coffee is definitely expensive—I'll give it that. But credit where it's due. Like said earlier, the one thing I can say with confidence is this: coffee is cheapest today. 😂 From here on out, it's only going to get more expensive!
4:11 AM #origins-and-producers: It really depends on the coffee. Guat coffees can be great, and with Honduras it varies a lot depending on the region. What coffee are you talking about?
4:19 AM #origins-and-producers: Rosma is great. Honduras, on the other hand, doesn't really appeal to me.
4:20 AM #origins-and-producers: If you want to try something like an SL28 from Honduras, I'd recommend coffees from Ben Paz or Caballero
4:23 AM #origins-and-producers: It's about that time of year when coffees from La Paz start showing up. If you wait just a little longer, you'll probably see Caballero's SL28, Batian, and even some rare Ethiopian varieties
4:26 AM #origins-and-producers: Oh... Gesha Village has been introducing really innovative processing methods for years. Things like Mossto, for example. I think they did it to differentiate themselves from other Ethiopian coffees — and it worked, since they were also among the most expensive coffees.
4:28 AM #origins-and-producers: I think it was around 2020, or maybe 2019? If I remember correctly, the most expensive coffee Gesha Village sold at the time was the 1931 Honey. After that, I think it was Mossto. Either way, that's how it went. These kinds of processing methods are pretty common in Ethiopia now, but they really weren't back then. That trend just kept evolving from there
4:32 AM #origins-and-producers: I heard that last year's Zero Fermentation was really good. But among the coffees I've personally experienced, one of the best was a hybrid washed coffee from Doora, where they dried the parchment and coffee cherries together. It's a method that could be a bit controversial, though...
4:42 AM #origins-and-producers: According to various accounts, coffee in the parchment stage is said to be the state where it absorbs external aromas most easily. That's why some coffees that are usually called "flavored" coffees are made by drying parchment alongside different materials. In Doora's case, though, they simply followed that principle and dried the coffee together with coffee cherries (I'm still not sure whether it was the pulp or the skin), and I think that had a huge impact on the aroma. From a coffee purist perspective, there isn't really an issue since they were using coffee byproducts rather than adding external flavors. Still, I can understand why some people might feel uncomfortable with that approach
5:41 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I'm drinking Ibonia right now. It has this slightly tart, sour jelly-like acidity with tropical fruit aromas, a creamy sweetness reminiscent of dulce de leche, and a hint of rhubarb. As time goes on, the acidity seems to become a little more pronounced.

2026-07-16

2:24 AM #origins-and-producers: Here’s a little consolation… There are genuine SL28s outside of Africa that came through Scott Laboratories, you know? They’re not that great either. 😂
3:21 AM #origins-and-producers: Honestly, I think K7 is the secret behind the flavor… At least, that’s my theory. 😂😂😂
4:28 AM #current-menu: Buku is so goooooooood
4:32 AM #current-menu: I’ve still got the UL version of Buku Sayisa… Maybe I’ll brew it today. 😂
5:03 AM #current-menu: The Buku Sayisa I had was definitely a bit different. It actually felt more... classic? Like drinking an old-school Yirgacheffe. You know, that combination of intense bergamot, Chinese tea-like flavors, and peach. Anyway, it was a really memorable coffee.
5:09 AM #origins-and-producers: Maybe someday. If I remember correctly, I once came across a coffee made from K7 separated out on its own. It wasn't from Africa, though—I think it was from Guatemala.
5:11 AM #origins-and-producers: Or it might actually be easier in places like Uganda, the DRC, or Zambia. That said, whether it's realistically possible is another question, since it would require financial support, infrastructure, and farmer education.
5:12 AM #origins-and-producers: I think I mentioned Kapsokisio before. At Tim Wendelboe, they say it tastes different because it contains K7. Personally... I'm not so sure. 😂
5:33 AM #origins-and-producers: I'm sure there are quite a few places that have planted K7 on its own. Places like Coffea Diversa in Costa Rica, where coffee is grown almost like a research collection, Floripondio in Bolivia, or probably somewhere in China as well. The question is whether that really means anything, since it's no longer Kenyan K7. I'm not sure how much significance that has.
5:41 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Syrina is quite an interesting variety. China has been growing and experimenting with all kinds of coffees, but the best one I've had from there was Syrina. The next best was probably SL34, if I remember correctly. The terroir itself feels somewhat similar to Nicaragua, so I actually think it could be a good place to grow varieties with Mara-thing genetics.

By the way, Syrina is probably known as Brazil's IAPAR 59, though I think more recently it's also been referred to as IPR 107
5:54 AM #origins-and-producers: I'm thinking the same thing, honestly. I'm just doing it to support the people in the coffee industry. 😂😂😂
5:54 AM #origins-and-producers: The best life is being able to wake up and just think, "Hmm... what coffee should I drink today?" 😂
6:21 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I'm drinking the UL version of Buku Sayisa that's currently available at SEY. It was roasted by <@393710626385559554> , who I’ve been quietly following here. It has very soft, yellow-toned florals, bergamot, a tea-like character reminiscent of high-altitude Taiwanese oolong, and flavors like muscovado sugar. It's incredibly subtle, smooth, and gentle.
1:15 PM #filter-focused: Hmm... if I compare old Tim Wendelboe to old SEY, I remember Tim being the lighter of the two. 😂 I think the first time I had Tim was around 2019, or somewhere around then, and I distinctly remember that pretty much every coffee was roasted very light
1:17 PM #filter-focused: And I still end up drinking Tim's coffees at least once a year. Tbh i think the reason his coffees can feel a bit "heavier" has more to do with the quality of the green coffee than with the roasting itself
1:17 PM #filter-focused: The quality of the green coffee he was working with used to fluctuate quite a bit. I've heard it's become much more consistent in recent years, though.
1:22 PM #filter-focused: El Puente's Gesha seems to become sweeter, richer, and woodier with each passing year. I don't think it's a roasting issue. For reference, I've been drinking El Puente Gesha every year through Tim Wendelboe or Counter Culture Coffee
1:23 PM #filter-focused: I think it would be a pretty easy problem to solve if Tim simply roasted coffees from different farms. 😂 But changing long-held convictions isn't easy
1:26 PM #filter-focused: I think it's probably part of his philosophy of what specialty coffee should be... But as a consumer, it's honestly hard to see that as a positive. The farms he's been buying from have been on a downward trend in terms of cup quality—Kenya and Ethiopia being the obvious exceptions
1:28 PM #filter-focused: Take El Puente and Caballero, for example. There's no doubt Caballero gave Tim preferential access for years. But these days, Caballero has been focusing on other farms instead, and the quality from those two new farms is, in my opinion, significantly better than what they're producing at El Puente. Even Coffee Collective seems to be making an effort to move in a new direction. I just wonder when Tim will do the same.
1:32 PM #filter-focused: I felt exactly the same when I first had coffees from El Puente—or farms right around that area. They were incredible. But honestly, these days I find even the Gesha to be too rich or too heavy. That's been my impression every single year. If I had to pick one variety from El Puente today, it would probably be the SL28
1:37 PM #filter-focused: I actually prefer heart over Tim. 😂 heart has always been an outstanding roastery, but I think they spent a little too long searching for the right roasting setup. Now that they've switched to a Loring, though, I'm really looking forward to seeing where they go from here
1:38 PM #filter-focused: heart has always had a knack for finding coffees that make you wonder, "Where on earth did they find this?"—especially when it comes to Peru, Kenya and Ethiopia. That was always one of the things I liked most about them
3:17 PM #Brew-Along: Ozik looks like a mortar shell. Customs is going to confiscate it
3:24 PM #origins-and-producers: Maybe it's Anibal Pineda? If it was the one that appeared at the CoE, it probably passed genetic testing and was officially recorded in the CoE database
3:27 PM #origins-and-producers: I've never seen Maura before. 😂
3:31 PM #Brew-Along: I'm going to try Georgina tomorrow
3:34 PM #Brew-Along: Region, and washing station
3:40 PM #Brew-Along: Yeah, another Lance actually said that. 😂 There are a lot of reasons behind it, though.
3:45 PM #Brew-Along: Maybe SEY should organize your cupping scores and share them somewhere? Everyone seems really curious about them 🤣
3:49 PM #Brew-Along: I usually just look at a score and think, "Oh, that's interesting" and move on. My own palate matters more to me anyway😂
3:50 PM #Brew-Along: I gave Edid an 86.5, the texture just wasn't great. Chorso Bule, on the other hand, got a 91 from me because the texture was excellent. That's really all there is to it
11:09 PM #equipment: I usually buy from Taobao. Can you use it?
11:16 PM #equipment: I think you’re probably better off just getting the AeroPress one
11:31 PM #what-are-you-brewing: I told ya 😎

2026-07-18

1:33 AM #what-are-you-brewing: LH, you win. I'm drinking Georgina Puma Gesha right now, and... yeah, this one actually deserves all the hype.
1:43 AM #what-are-you-brewing: The florals remind me of pear blossoms, with Pink Lady apple-like fruitiness. At first, I thought it tasted like Riesling, but it's actually sweeter—more like a Moscato. There's also a fresh, palate-cleansing green grape note woven throughout. It's an incredibly elegant coffee. I usually describe Peruvian geshas as being like wild horses, and I expected this one to be the same. It's the complete opposite. If I had to compare it to something, it reminds me of Bolero in ballet—refined, graceful, and beautifully composed.
6:23 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I'm drinking Humure, a washed Red Bourbon from Rwanda, at the moment. Although Humure is exported through Baho, it's a washing station sourced by Sundog, so I think the overall quality is excellent. And this coffee definitely lives up to that. I'm getting notes of ripe apricot, saffron, Chinese black tea, and gooseberry. It has that unmistakably Rwandan profile, but in a very positive way. Even though there seem to be a lot of different flavors going on, the Chinese black tea-like character ties everything together beautifully and gives the cup a really balanced, elegant structure.

2026-07-19

1:35 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Haha, we have pretty similar preferences. I also really enjoy the complexity you can squeeze out of a coffee before it’s fully rested. That said, after resting, the cup is usually much more consistent and balanced
1:51 AM #what-are-you-brewing: <@908458585728630836> My friend dropped off a bunch of Korean coffee at the pop-up today. It's Doan coffee roasted by <@393710626385559554> if you're interested, stop by and give it a try—or at least grab some to cupping
2:09 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Anyway, the coffee I'm drinking right now is a Peruvian Gesha from Alto Mirador in Cajamarca. If I remember correctly, Alto Mirador won 1st place at the Cup of Excellence in either 2024 or 2025. Since then, some of my friends have been sourcing coffee from them consistently, and I honestly think they're producing some of the best coffee in Cajamarca.

The cup is dominated by a deep bergamot note, osmanthus-like florals, and an oolong tea character. In the middle of the cup, more delicate aromas begin to emerge—honeysuckle, pomelo, and a gentle hint of lime. That said, it's roasted in a more "Korean style," so the finish is quite short. That's the one aspect that keeps it from being a perfect match for my personal preferences.
2:38 AM #what-are-you-brewing: That's just the taste of washed China, accept it 🫩
2:40 AM #what-are-you-brewing: China does support its coffee industry at the national level, but to be honest, aside from the naturals, a lot of the coffees end up tasting... interesting. 😂 So I don't usually recommend them. Then again, it's also kind of hard to recommend coffees that were "river-fermented and then thermal-shocked," if you know what I mean
2:41 AM #what-are-you-brewing: The only washed coffee from China that I've genuinely enjoyed was MiYi's Purple Caturra—although it's now been identified as a type of Catimor—processed using the K72 method
2:45 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I haven't tried Oma myself, but a friend of mine said their coffees tend to taste a bit grassy. So... I'll probably keep passing on them
2:47 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I had no idea what that was supposed to mean, so I looked it up—and it's actually a pretty interesting variety. I'll have to do a bit more reading and try it
2:50 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Yeah, I looked into it, and it seems like it's a natural mutation discovered in Pu'er
2:50 AM #what-are-you-brewing: If I tell my "tea master" that it's a variety discovered in Pu'er, Yunnan, Dehong, he'll probably get furious. 😂 Thanks for the interesting news though. I'll definitely try to find some and taste it myself.
3:00 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Hopefully my "tea master" can help track it down. From what I can tell, Dere 132 is probably a natural mutation of Typica, and the Typica parent might be Pluma Hidalgo. Anyway, it's a really fascinating variety. I'm actually going to try to buy some now.
3:48 AM #origins-and-producers: <@122865974138503170> introduced me to a variety called Dere 132, and I just bought two bags of it.

It's grown at Lizuk Estate in China, and the coffee was roasted there in-house using an IMF roaster. The "double anaerobic fermentation" part sounds a little scary, but hey, I'm not going to die from drinking coffee, right? 😂 According to my friend(tea master), Dere 132 is a natural mutation of MEXICO-9, and the MEXICO-9 sample itself is considered to be Typica. A Chinese natural mutation of Typica... I'm really looking forward to trying this one.
4:13 AM #origins-and-producers: Looking through various Chinese documents, the characteristics described are: "Arabica type, yellow cherries, narrow leaves, small cherries, small trees, low-altitude potential, and jasmine with nutty-chocolate aromas." If the original sample from Mexico is involved, it could possibly be Icatu. Honestly, the varieties that come to mind are several of Brazil's yellow-cherry coffees.

It's definitely a fascinating variety, but I think the taste itself will have to impress me before it really captures my interest. 😂
6:10 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I'm drinking a Bourbon from Antigua, Guatemala right now. It's from a farm called Paso Ganado, produced by a farmer named Francisco Hernández. I don't usually enjoy experiencing Central American coffees roasted in an ultra-light style, but the person who roasted this one created a profile that reminds me of the old Nordic style—especially something like Lippe's roasting. It honestly brought back a lot of memories.

The coffee is actually quite good. It has a Toblerone-like chocolate aroma as the base, with delicate apple-like fruitiness and a refreshing Chardonnay-like brightness. There are also herbal notes and sweetness reminiscent of homemade cola woven throughout. Personally, I think I might have enjoyed it with just a little more development in the roast, but that's purely a matter of taste.

It's been a long time since I felt that same emotion I had when I first encountered Nordic coffee years ago. It feels strangely nostalgic and a little melancholic.
9:39 AM #origins-and-producers: Danche is an additional site within Chelbesa. It's probably easiest to think of it as a branch or satellite site of Chelbesa
9:45 AM #origins-and-producers: That's why Danche and Chelbesa taste quite similar, while still having their own distinct character. I tend to prefer Chelbesa a little more
1:38 PM #what-are-you-brewing: I think there definitely is a tendency toward that. It's a long discussion, but the mainstream approach among roasters seems to be aiming for a cup where the front of the palate is explosive, while the finish drops off empty—that's what many of them consider a "clean cup"
1:40 PM #what-are-you-brewing: My friend's coffee might be making its way to the U.S. soon. 😂 Apparently they dropped off a lot of coffee at PLAY yesterday, so if everything goes well... who knows
4:48 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Aery has been roasting in a very UL style lately. And I’m really sorry to say this… but I honestly don’t think the coffees taste very good 🫩
4:52 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Hmm… the naturals are actually pretty good. The washed coffees, on the other hand, come across as bordering on underdeveloped, at least to my palate

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dougssg

2026-07-14

5:09 PM #current-menu: Gonna start an early hype train
5:09 PM #current-menu: In case anyone didn’t see, Finca Sophia auction was yesterday and we did a thing.
5:09 PM #current-menu: [attachment only]
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5:10 PM #current-menu: We are?
5:12 PM #current-menu: That’s not for today
5:12 PM #current-menu: It’s an eaaaaarly hype train lol
5:12 PM #current-menu: I have no info about it otherwise to share. When where who what why no idea.
5:16 PM #current-menu: We’re gonna roast this one on a trusty popcorn roaster
5:21 PM #current-menu: We’re buying a smaller roaster in all seriousness.
5:22 PM #current-menu: That’s a 7kg lot
5:23 PM #current-menu: This is our first time participating in an auction from Panama and I’m in shock that we won the #1 lot. Incredible.
5:41 PM #current-menu: I did stay awake until 4 am to make this happen so I expect you to buy like 2kg
8:05 PM #current-menu: $600 I’ll make you low ey long soup on it
8:06 PM #current-menu: https://www.seycoffee.com/products/2025-jose-gallardo-nuguo-lot-850nws-panama
8:06 PM #current-menu: This
8:52 PM #current-menu: That’s iced!
9:03 PM #current-menu: So in a random twist of fate, David Pohl from Finca Sophia and I are both in LA. I’m gonna see if I can get him to do a quick live with me here when I see him shortly!

2026-07-15

1:23 AM #current-menu: I’m unable to provide said request.
2:45 AM #current-menu: $20/100g is not a premium price.
2:45 AM #current-menu: It’s not an inexpensive price but not premium

2026-07-16

5:25 AM #current-menu: I don’t think it will be that expensive.
5:25 AM #current-menu: To this
5:27 AM #current-menu: I’ve been running around in LA so I have been hype absent
5:27 AM #current-menu: HOWEVER
5:28 AM #current-menu: Ndwiga is a SLAMMING Kenyan.
5:28 AM #current-menu: One of the highlights of when I cupped our Kenyan lots this year.
5:28 AM #current-menu: Absoluuuuuutely hype train worthy.
5:28 AM #current-menu: $500 for what quantity?
5:23 PM #current-menu: I think only Orange would have it in advance of today’s event.
5:42 PM #current-menu: Just buy it Saturday so Pepe and Jose can sign the box!

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naomi (car7iern)

2026-07-13

3:26 PM #espresso-focused: So when we were testing, we found with the longer the shots, the finish became a little dirtier. The overall shot was a bit more muddled and generally just not quite as nice. We're right around 40-42 (1:2.2ish) out right now, previously I think we were at 45-47ish (1:2.5) and that change in weight/ratio made a maybe not drastic, but significant, difference
3:26 PM #espresso-focused: And there may also be other nice things we could get with a slightly longer ratio, but I think the overall experience of the slightly shorter ratio makes more sense for what we're going for at the moment. Like a high-intensity, high-articulation, high-clarity shot. A little juice bomb
3:27 PM #espresso-focused: Maybe we'll play around this week and pull some way longer ratio shots just to see what happens and will report back lol

2026-07-17

5:20 PM #water: We don't have any here at the shop for sale 🙁 maybe in the future!

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

GPT-5.6 Thinking Summary

seylance2897

In #origins-and-producers on July 16, explained that Kamavindi produces several quality tiers and separations - including a main lot, a main SL lot, and smaller intentional lots - and warned that roaster marketing can obscure these distinctions.
Emphasized that Kenyan variety identification is unusually uncertain: much coffee labeled SL28 is genetically testing as K7, lots marketed as "SL28 and SL34" have probably also contained Batian or Ruiru, and expanded testing has revealed more cross-pollination than expected.
Said it is too early to make confident sensory distinctions between isolated SL28 and SL34. He only tasted SL34 separately for the first time in 2025, and separating SL varieties from hybrids was itself a recent success.
Argued in #1513307859658477568 on July 17 that tasting ability is the foundation of roasting skill: a roaster will only roast as well as they can taste, and blind cupping of differently developed coffees is essential practice.
Noted that roast appearance and behavior are affected by process, variety, density, and maturation time. For an unfamiliar Peruvian coffee and producer, he cautiously guessed that visible differences might come from maturation time and seed density.
Discussed new Ethiopian separations in #Brew-Along: a very high-elevation farmer at Chorso was isolated for the first time, but the farm still contains untested "wild" coffee, illustrating how many potentially excellent Ethiopian varieties remain unidentified.
Warned that extremely small "toxy" lots are volatile and can become phenolic very quickly, though successful examples can be spectacular. He also said very high-elevation Bensa/Arbegona coffees - around 2,500 metres or more, with tiny dense seeds - may be an exception to his general preference for brewing coffee very fresh.
Proposed that some Peruvian farms may actually be too high and cold for optimal fermentation; SEY is experimenting with moving coffee grown around 2,500 metres down to roughly 2,000 metres for fermentation.
In #cupping on July 19, scored Dwight's Red Gesha 89.5: excellent florality and articulation, but slightly insufficient intensity and structure for 90+. He stressed that SEY's scores are internally calibrated and do not automatically match other specialty-coffee scoring systems.
Gave approximate internal quality ceilings by origin and variety - Panama Gesha around 92-95, Ethiopia 90-94, top Peru potentially 92+, Colombian Pink Bourbon/Chiroso around 89-90, and Kenyan SL lots potentially 89-92 - while stressing that this concerns an exceptionally tiny fraction of global coffee. He also argued that rarity affects his personal valuation: a 90-point Kenyan can matter more to him than a more available 92-point Ethiopian.

lancehedrick

Very few substantive messages were captured for Lance this week.
Repeated "brew Chelbessa and chill" in #Brew-Along on July 14, making Chelbessa the explicit brewing recommendation.
Repeated "William Ortiz for life" on July 16, expressing strong enthusiasm for that producer's coffees.
Briefly greeted the community during the July 17 brew-along and positively reacted to another person's brew on July 18, but the captured text contains no additional tasting notes or technical advice.

opp4004

In #1513307859658477568 on July 13, distinguished two frequently conflated "grainy" characters: fresh coffee can show temporary woody or lightly toasted grain notes, while genuinely underdeveloped roast graininess remains present even when later flavors mask it.
Expressed skepticism toward strong resting claims and ultra-light-roast apologetics. He argued that a properly roasted filter coffee should not transform from bad at two or four weeks into excellent at 45 days, and that resting should not be used to explain away baked or underdeveloped roasting.
Still acknowledged that resting changes presentation: fresh coffee can be chaotic, layered, and intense, whereas older coffee may become cleaner, more focused, balanced, and consistent. A March 18 Ruvumu remained surprisingly good months later, though he preferred its earlier complexity.
Troubleshot a rechargeable grinder that repeatedly stalled on Ruvumu. A full charge did not solve it, so he dismantled the grinder, found coffee lodged near the burr, cleaned it, and suspected the obstruction was the cause.
Recommended trying boozy or heavily fermented coffees as espresso, where they can become much more tropical. He especially likes boozy profiles supported by pineapple or baijiu-like notes, while raspberry-heavy versions become tiring; ONA Raspberry Candy was cited as poor filter coffee but more convincing as espresso or with milk.
Gave a negative assessment of Shelves' Kamavindi SL34: burnt-plastic and scorched-herb notes suggested a roast problem, though he stopped short of definitively calling it underdeveloped. He found the review socially awkward because the Korean roastery's owner was connected to a friend.
Praised several specific coffees: a natural Maracaturra from Nicaragua's Best of Maragos competition for lilac, lemon, apricot, berries, and lemongrass; Elzer Garcia's very high-elevation Cajamarca Typica for black tea, lemon, starfruit, yellow florals, and yuzu; Georgina Puma Gesha for pear blossom, Pink Lady apple, Moscato, and green grape; and Humure washed Red Bourbon for apricot, saffron, black tea, and gooseberry.
Rejected the proposition that ultra-light roasting is inherently superior or perfectly "preserves" green coffee. His criterion was whether the roast produces a delicious, coherent cup; some coffees benefit from attenuation or balance rather than maximum exposure of every green characteristic.
Offered repeated origin and variety judgments: Chorso was his best washed Ethiopian of the year so far; William Ortiz's coffees were strongly recommended; David Berrio's processing can turn Urrao chiroso's herbal character into fruit; Buku Sayisa evoked classic Yirgacheffe with bergamot, tea, and peach; and Chinese Syrina was the best variety he had tasted from China.
Critiqued sourcing and roasting strategies across roasters. He thought Tim Wendelboe's heavier recent cups reflected declining or changing green coffee more than darker roasting, preferred Heart's exploratory sourcing, found Aery's recent washed coffees near-underdeveloped, and argued that some contemporary "clean" profiles produce an explosive front palate followed by an empty finish.

dougssg

In #current-menu on July 14, started an intentionally early hype campaign around SEY winning the number-one Finca Sophia auction lot, while repeatedly stating that release timing and other practical details were not yet available.
Said the Finca Sophia lot was only 7 kg and that this was SEY's first participation in a Panamanian auction, making the number-one result genuinely surprising.
Joked about roasting the tiny lot on a popcorn roaster, then clarified that SEY was seriously purchasing a smaller roaster, presumably to handle very small lots more appropriately.
Mentioned staying awake until 4 a.m. to complete the auction purchase and jokingly demanded that community members buy large quantities in return.
While in Los Angeles, noticed that Finca Sophia's David Pohl was also there and considered arranging a brief live conversation with him.
Pushed back on price language on July 15, saying that $20 per 100 g is not cheap but should not be classified as a premium coffee price.
Said on July 16 that he did not expect the discussed coffee to be as expensive as people feared, although the captured context does not make the exact anticipated price or coffee completely explicit.
Strongly endorsed Ndwiga as a "slamming" Kenyan and one of the highlights of SEY's Kenyan-lot cupping that year, explicitly calling it worthy of a hype campaign.
Suggested buying at the Saturday event so Pepe and Jose could sign the box, indicating an in-person release or promotional event tied to the coffee.

naomi (car7iern)

Very few messages were captured for Naomi this week.
In #espresso-focused on July 13, reported that extending espresso shots from roughly 40-42 g out at about 1:2.2 to 45-47 g at about 1:2.5 made the finish dirtier and the shot more muddled.
Preferred the shorter ratio because it better delivered the intended style: high intensity, articulation, clarity, and a concentrated "juice bomb" character, while acknowledging that longer ratios might reveal other positive qualities.
Said the team might experiment with much longer ratios during the week and report the results.
In #water on July 17, said the requested water-related item was not currently sold at the shop, though it might be offered in the future; the item itself is not identifiable from the captured text.

Cross-thread takeaways

The week repeatedly separated green-coffee identity from marketing labels. Seylance stressed genetic ambiguity around SL28, SL34, K7, hybrids, and Ethiopian "wild" varieties, while Opp explored whether isolated varieties outside their original terroirs retain meaningful sensory identity.
Ultra-light roasting remained the central disagreement. Opp accepted its tea-like delicacy and acidity but rejected claims that it is inherently more faithful to green coffee; Seylance instead focused on tasting calibration and argued that roasting competence follows from the ability to recognize development accurately.
Resting was treated as a change in presentation, not a cure for defects. Opp said age can mask graininess and improve balance but cannot repair underdevelopment; Seylance generally preferred freshness, except for unusually high, dense Ethiopian coffees.
Cupping scores were framed as contextual tools rather than universal truth. Seylance described SEY's internal origin-specific calibration and the exceptional rarity of even 85-86-point coffee, while Opp said he notices scores but ultimately privileges his own palate, giving Chorso Bule 91 largely because of its texture.
High elevation appeared as both advantage and technical risk. Opp praised exceptionally high Cajamarca Typica, while Seylance suggested that farms around 2,500 metres may be too cold for fermentation and described experiments moving harvested coffee downhill.
Small and rare lots drove both excitement and operational problems. The 7 kg Finca Sophia auction win prompted Doug's early hype and discussion of a smaller roaster, while Seylance described tiny Chorso and potentially phenolic "toxy" separations whose scarcity and volatility complicate production.
Across users, the strongest practical brewing advice was specific rather than doctrinal: Naomi shortened espresso ratios for cleaner, more articulated shots; Opp recommended hotter water or finer grinding for SEY's increasingly light Ethiopians and espresso for boozy anaerobics; Lance's concise recommendation was simply to brew Chelbessa.

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Week of 2026-07-13

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seylance2897

lancehedrick

opp4004

dougssg

naomi (car7iern)

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seylance2897

2026-07-14

2026-07-16

2026-07-17

2026-07-19

lancehedrick

2026-07-14

2026-07-16

2026-07-17

2026-07-18

opp4004

2026-07-13

2026-07-14

2026-07-15

2026-07-16

2026-07-18

2026-07-19

dougssg

2026-07-14

2026-07-15

2026-07-16

naomi (car7iern)

2026-07-13

2026-07-17

GPT-5.6 Thinking Summary

seylance2897

lancehedrick

opp4004

dougssg

naomi (car7iern)

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