I tried an Exotic Coffee
- og-tom
I went to sleep excited yesterday.
Because I get to brew an interesting coffee as soon as I wake up. Let me tell you which one and why the excitement.
You might have heard of Arabica. You might have also heard Robusta. These are the popular species of coffee that are well known and available everywhere.
But there are two more recognized varieties of coffee: Liberica and Excelsa.
I tried Excelsa. It is not widely available. I was really surprised knowing few Indian Estates grow Excelsa. And Rosette coffee and Subko roast them and sell them.
I was researching on why this is becoming popular and why were they not in the first place. It's really interesting.
Arabica and Robusta are easier to grow. And easier to produce in large quantities. So exporters preferred them. They are also lower in height compared to Excelsa.
But recently, there seems to be some supply chain disruption in countries like Brazil (droughts followed by heavy rains damaged crops) and Vietnam (extreme weather conditions). Hence the prices were raised. It led people to look for food alternatives.
The advantage with Excelsa and Liberica is they can grow in warmer temperatures and don't need much altitude. Coffee industry is also booming, especially speciality coffee. The demand for variety is increasing, leading to the popularity.
Interestingly, this variety is known to have less caffeine. Which only means one thing - drink more cups.
That's the research and theory part. Let's get into the experience.
I ordered these Excelsa beans from Subko.
If you observe, the altitude is 1000 MASL (meters above sea level), which generally low. Most specialty coffee is typically grown between 1,200-2,000 MASL.
On a side note, Mooley Manay Estate also grows Arabica and Robusta at this altitude. This estate is amongst the first farms in India to grow high grade Excelsa coffee.
The beans are rounder in shape. These are known to have a fruity sweeter notes in general.
When I grind the beans, jackfruit aroma is so prominent. I couldn't get any other notes.
I made a regular V60 with 15g coffee and 150g water at 90C. This is my baseline recipe. I make changes on how it turns out based on this.
I thought the jackfruit wouldn't transfer to the cup after brewing it but it did. This is a funky coffee. Everyone might not like it but for it turned out nice. Good balance which starts out sweet and has an acidic after finish.
This is an interesting experience. I only had one cup till now. Will do more. Also the recommendation says it's best to use it up within 30 days. Looking forward to more funky brews.
That’s all I have. Have a caffeinated weekend.
See you.
Keep on brewing!