#2 Champion Coffee Costa Rica

This coffee played a central role in my signature drink at both the Danish Barista Championship and the World Barista Championship.

During my visit to Volcan Azul in Costa Rica this past January, I had the privilege of working with Alejo Castro to continue an experiment we began back in 2018.

The focus of this project was the mucilage left behind during the depulping process. Normally discarded, this mucilage still contains remarkable flavors and sugars, which we wanted to explore and utilize.

When I started this experiment in 2018, I had no idea what to expect.

Now, I’m completely amazed by the results. The coffee is exactly what I envisioned: rich body, silky smoothness, a velvety mouthfeel, and the delicate characteristics of Geisha—peach, bergamot, and jasmine—all shining through. Most importantly, the transparency of each variety’s unique attributes remains intact in the cup.

The Caturra variety undergoes a 24-hour soak in water, initiating a natural fermentation process. Afterward, the water is drained, and fresh mucilage from Gesha cherries picked the same day is added to the tank for another 24 hours. This merging of two distinct varieties creates a truly exceptional coffee.

Caturra is celebrated for its chocolatey flavor and pleasant mouthfeel, while Gesha is renowned for its bright acidity and rare citric and floral notes, such as bergamot and jasmine. Combining the two varieties brings out the best of both worlds, creating a cup that’s complex, balanced, and unforgettable.

Key details of the process:

• Caturra: Picked with a Brix level of 24%, contributing chocolatey richness and a smooth mouthfeel.
• Gesha: Picked with a Brix level of 22–25%, offering vibrant acidity, jasmine, and citrus.
• Fermentation details: pH 4.0, Brix 14, temperature 15–19°C, over two days. Natural yeast development enhances the complexity.
• Drying: The coffee is dried on raised beds for 19 days to ensure even drying and optimal flavor development.

This meticulous approach has resulted in a coffee that embodies body, smoothness, and the bright, delicate notes of Gesha, all while maintaining remarkable clarity in each variety’s profile. It has been a journey of discovery, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the results.

As a general rule you should dial in your espresso using a scale. The first three shots is normally indicating your espresso flow and the appearance of how well your espresso flow/brew.

Your first indicator should be the first drop appearing after activating starting the water flow (pump/bottom).

I recommend the first drop to appear approx. at 8-10 sec. In that way your espressoshot will brew as long a 26-31 sec. if it appears before 6 sec. I will recommend you should grind finer and vise versa if the first drop appears too late/after 11 sec or more.
This extraction will give you a more ristrettoét espresso and more intens.

Bryggeguide:

Fremhæv syrlighed med Hario og December Dripper

Denne kaffe er ideel til brygning med enten Hario V60 eller December Dripper, da begge metoder fremhæver kaffens naturlige syrlighed.

Bryggeforhold og den samlede mængde afhænger af faktorer som hældeteknik, kaffemængde og bryggetid. Jeg vil selvfølgelig opfordre dig til at eksperimentere med forskellige hældeteknikker for at finde den perfekte balance, der passer til både dig og kaffen.

Trin-for-trin bryggeinstruktioner

Trin 1: Præinfusion
Præinfusion er det første trin, hvor du væder kaffebønnerne, så de kan absorbere vand. Denne proces begynder at frigive kaffens smage og aromaer.

• Brug kun nok vand til at mætte kaffebønnerne i filteret.
• Tip: Mængden af vand til præinfusion afhænger af, hvor meget kaffe du bruger. Mindre kaffe = mindre vand til præinfusion.

Tænk på præinfusion som en måde at “aktivere” kaffen på—målet er en jævn og fuld mætning.

Trin 2: Blooming
Blooming er den fase, hvor kaffepartiklerne udvider sig, mens gasser (som CO₂) frigives. Dette forbereder kaffen til en ordentlig ekstraktion, og smage og aromaer begynder at udvikle sig.

• Retningslinje:
  • Mindre kaffe → Kortere bloomingtid.
  • Mere kaffe → Længere bloomingtid.
• Eksempler:
  • 33 g kaffe → 30 sekunders bloomingtid.
  • 60 g kaffe → 50-60 sekunders bloomingtid.

Denne fase er afgørende for at opnå en balanceret kop, da den skaber fundamentet for bryggeprocessen.

Trin 3: Opbygning af brygget
Dette trin handler om at kontrollere bryggetiden og sikre, at kaffen interagerer jævnt med vandet.

• Vigtige tips:
  • Undgå at lade kaffen tørre ud i filteret mellem hældningerne—det kan føre til ujævn ekstraktion.
  • På den anden side, undgå at hælde så meget vand, at du skaber en “svømmepøl” oven på kaffelaget.

Målet er at opretholde et jævnt og stabilt flow af vand gennem kaffebønnerne, så kontakttiden bliver ensartet for en balanceret ekstraktion.

Nyttigt tip: Kaffen skal “løbe igennem” jævnt—hverken for hurtigt eller for langsomt. Balancen her er nøglen til at få de bedste smagsnuancer frem.

Eksperimentér og find inspiration

Hver kaffe er unik, og det samme gælder din bryggeoplevelse. Prøv at eksperimentere med følgende for at forfine dit bryg:

• Justér hældehastighed og mønster (cirkulært, spiral eller centreret hældning).
• Leg med forskellige kværningsgrader for at se, hvordan det påvirker flowet og ekstraktionen.

For yderligere vejledning kan du kigge på detaljerede bryggeguider til din valgte bryggemetode på min youtube kanal og med Decemberdripper