Saturday, August 17, 2013

Single Origin Coffee - Hunkute from Nylon Coffee Roasters and Colombia from Highlander Coffee

Single Origin Coffee
Disclaimer: This post has completely nothing to do with cameras or photography.

Something I could not live without (for long periods of time). I rarely had the opportunity to compare two different single origin coffee beans different roasters side by side simply because I don't buy and stock up coffee. Hunkute (Ethiopia) from Nylon Coffee Roasters and Columbia from Highlander Coffee. Both are single origin arabica coffee - meaning they are not blend of mixture of coffee beans from different farms or regions but are from the same farm. Most of the coffee we find in supermarkets and cafes were blends (ie Starbucks three regions, etc..) there are exceptions, but these were few. Single origins allow us to fully appreciate the distinct flavors associated with coffee grown in the particular farm or region.

 

Hunkute (Left), Colombia (Right) double shot of approximately 16g through approx 60ml. (micro-Nkkor 105mm f/2.8 with SB800 at 1/8000s)
Nylon Coffee Roasters, a small coffee roaster started out sometime in the middle of last year (2012) in Everton - within close proximity of Singapore General Hospital. It was a "micro"-roaster and have seasonal runs of wonderful variety of single origins from different farms. The downside is the runs were seasonal - this means they will not run for indefinite amount of time! Similarly to Bokasso, also an Euthopian single origin, the Hunkute was sweet as an espresso but more lively! I have tried aeropress method of brewing which resulted in a coffee that wasn't sweet compared to the espresso. The profile was completely different so don't waste it on aeropress - the way it is meant to be tasted was non other than through an authentic espresso machine! I felt it would be a waste to run these through v60 drip so I never bothered to try especially since this costs almost twice as much compared to the coffee from highlander! This particular one is meant to be enjoyed as an espresso!
I quite like the Bokasso single origin which ran prior to Hunkute.

 

Hunkute from Nylon, 300g(micro-Nkkor 105mm f/2.8 with SB800 with difusser to avoid glare at 1/8000s)
Highlander Coffee was one of the pioneers to roast coffee in-house, providing freshly roasted coffee to consumers in Singapore. They have a terrific espresso blend - Supremo Blend which I loved and still love ^_^
I started out getting my beans supply from Highlander Coffee after countless disappointment with different coffee beans from places like Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leave and concluded that freshly roasted coffee beans contributes to approximately 60% of how a coffee will taste!
The Colombia has a heavier body than Hunkute, a hint to moderate smokiness which Hunkute completely lacks, and the smell could really be considered pungent compared to Hunkute. I dislike the word pungent because I find that is meant to be reserved for Sumatra Mandheling I once had (like 6-7 years ago) in a cupping session. I noticed the beans was more brittle most likely the result of darker roast compared to the Hunkute from Nylon.
I quite like this Columbia from Highlander on my machine but have yet to try it through an aeropress or v60 drip.

 

Hunkute from Nylon, 300g(micro-Nkkor 105mm f/2.8 with SB800 with difusser to avoid glare at 1/8000s)
Conclusion?
They are different and not meant to be compared! -_-"  I change beans from time to time because I find myself loosing too much of my sense of taste if I stick to one blend or single origin coffee. It felt refreshing to get back the some coffee you tried previously but didn't quite appreciate then.

 

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