Aint she perty?

My sweety pie decided to surprise me by ordering a coffee plant from some company in Indiana called Gurney. She was so excited about it that she could not wait the 6 or so weeks that it took to deliver it and blurted it out to me the same night she placed an order. I spent the next month “nesting” preparing a  good place to keep my new child.  I decided to keep it inside on my little indoor garden table that I set up to keep my plants happy during the winter months. It is still a bit fragile and under a bit of shock from traveling across the continent to arrive at out apartment in the Bay Area, but I am sure I will get it to thrive in no time.  I did a bit of research on maintaining coffee plants and know that I need to be careful with temperature and light and that it needs ample amounts of nitrogen in order to thrive. I am ready for the challenge and I am more than ready to reap the rewards that will come in three to four years.

Who know what the coffee beans that this baby produces will taste like. The Gurney Nursery was a little vague as to its exact heritage. They just label it as an arabica variety. I know I probably will not be starting a profitable indoor coffe plantation anytime soon, but perhaps I could have one for strictly personal use within a decade or so. Lets see, they say a average coffee plant produces about one pound  of beans a year, and since I drink about a pound a week (give or take), it will take about 60 full grown plants to keep me rolling in the beans.

Yeah, that could be workable.

I went and got myself some Organic Java Kajumas from sweet marias this week. Since it was a Java and I have been on a blending kick, I decided to also get me some of that Ethiopian Kembeta that went so coincidentally well with the other Java that did not happen to be organic. I roasted two 4oz.  batches of each of these puppies seperately in my trusty little Nesco (which i am hoping to replace some day with a bigger badder Behmor) for 24 minutes each, getting both to a nice and mild full city and let them sit seperately overnight.The next morning a did a sort of half assed job blending them and made up a pot before work. It tasted even better than the coincindentally perfect blend.The organic Java kujamas has a nice earthy undertone that blends well with the  wild Ethiopian kembata making for one great cup. This blend taste good, if not better as it starts to cool. I usually need go to a microwave to warm up my neglected coffee mug later in the morning, but not this time. The cooled blend tasted great, so I just sipped it a little chilled.  

First a word about the cup..

Hey there peeps, creeps, and cheeps. Happy Post President’s slash Valentines Day. me and my sweety pie took a drive down to Hearst castle to celebrate the psuedo holiday that means nothing to us working stiffs in the retail business. Anyway, the trip did provide me with another excuse to purchase yet another coffee mug. Its a nice one, almost too nice. I am a bit scared to drink out of it though because of the sticker telling it me that it contains stuff which the State of California finds to cause cancer.

Now to the coffee

I got some water boiling right now. I am planning to brew some more  El salavador Finca Kilimajaro, which I roasted  a couple of days ago.  It is the last batch of the two pound limit that  that I got from Sweet Maria’s  last month. I was going to try to let the rest sit but, feel the need for more brain juice. MMmmm sweet, sweet brain juice.Besides, I am about to drive down to the SM warehouse. and pick up another four pound baggy of their latest offerings.

When I see a limit on something, I assume it gotta be good so I generally get all that I can. I guess I am impulsive like that. Sometimes I get burnt and wind up with way too much of something I did not want in the first place.   This time however, it paid off.  The El Salavador Finca Kilimajaro was, by far, the best of the bunch of coffees that I had purchased in bulk last month.

El Salavador?Kilimajaro?….

Finca?

I know what you are thinking, Kilimajaro is that big ol mountain in Africa, while El Salvador is smack in the middle of Central America and that continental drift thing happened billions of years ago, so how the hell did this coffee get a name like this? Well apparently this is a Central America coffee, that has African Character, hence the name.  Whatever the reason, this coffee rocks and I wish I could have gotten more than the two pound limit.

Unlike most Central American offerings, this cup does not come across as overly bright, but it is rather subtle in its brightness. The  initial taste is very distinct and sharp, very akin to its Kenyan cousins, but not as wild in its acidity. It is wild, yet clean.

I got a little crazy with the last batch and roasted it a bit darker(FC+ as  opposed to FC). The lighter roast tasted a bit better, but the dark brew still does the job. Although, at a darker roast, it does not smell as lively, and you miss out on that first initial aroma that is given off when the hot (but not quite boiling) water hits the coarsely ground beans of the lighter roast setting off a blooming effect. The smell alone was enough to wake you up.