Dogwood / Uganda / Rwenzori / Natural

This is the first specialty coffee I had in Minnesota, and the first time I've had Ugandan coffee. Per Dogwood's site, Uganda primarily produces robusta coffee, but they've expanded into arabica and the results are exciting to the coffee world. 

The coffee was described as having notes of "crunch berries and cherry pie." I was confused at first as to what exactly a crunch berry was. I thought that there was no way it was a reference to Cap'n Crunch cereal, but rather some type of berry I was not intelligent enough to know about. After a few minutes, the fruity cereal flavor became too difficult to ignore, so I lowered my ego and googled "crunch berry." I was right. 

The flavor was good, but unfortunately, it was difficult to ignore the wateriness of the coffee. The little body it had left my tongue wanting. I understand that light roast coffees typically are lighter bodied, but this was too far. 

As the coffee cooled, the cherry pie came to the front. This is part of the frustration of coffee for me. Much of the flavor needs the coffee to not be hot. But when it starts to get cold enough for those special flavors, I'm in crisis mode, trying to slurp up my drink while it's still good (hot). And after too long, I've got a room temperature drink I don't have the patience to sip. I will figure this out. It's a good thing the cherry flavor (I tasted and smelled no pie) did not appeal to me. 

Otherwise, my favorite part about Dogwood was the three-way tap, with still, sparkling, and ice cold water options. I love sparkling water. In fact, I love sparkling water so much, I've started to tire of it, and sometimes I choose still water. 

Stepwise / Colombia / Asociación Los Naranjos / Washed Pink Bourbon

Stepwise is ran by a "barista's barista," per a barista who referred me here. At risk of ruining a future Minnesota coffee scene reputation, I will try to be as honest as I can. Stepwise is not ran by my barista. My cappuccino was good, not great, and the espresso did not stand out under the milk. I don't think that's an indictment of the shopkeeper, instead, I think it's just evidence of the difficulty of espresso consistency and that coffee is not universal. I'll break these down.

It is incredibly difficult to get consistent espresso. Even if you dial in your bean perfectly, you have to maintain all of the variables of your shot repeatedly. First, you have to grind consistently. Your dose has to be the same weight, the granules consistent sizes across shoes. Your puck prep must be perfect, or at the least, consistent. Your machine must retain the same temperature profile through the shot, the same pressure, and your shot should be the same volume. The barista repeated to several customers, including me, that he was slammed. His single-group espresso machine did look comically small in the back of the cafe, but he really did not have that many customers. Just more than he was used to. I'm sure his technique and gear was on point, but unfortunately, he just had to make 8 cappuccinos in 10 minutes and his consistency suffered. 

There probably was something about the coffee that I was not smart enough to taste. That is probably the case. But unfortunately, I did not taste the coffee underneath the milk. I prefer an airier cappuccino, but these had thicker milk. The smell of the coffee rose above the milk. However, the flavor was not notable, nor could I recount to you what I tasted. To someone more experienced, knowledgeable, or just with different taste, they may have enjoyed this. To me, it was just another cappuccino.

I liked the direction that Stepwise was taken. A casual, weekend-only cafe that closes early. The ceiling could use some sound deadening. The booths could be pushed up against the wall, and some decor between chest level and the high ceiling could improve the calmness of the space. The cafe suffered from a chaotic incompleteness that did not fit my model of a cafe. But to one that likes that vibe, Stepwise is perfect for them. But not for me.

Coffee is ideally diverse and accepting. So I will not write off Stepwise. And I may return. But it is not my go-to. 

SK Coffee / Colombia / Sebastian Ramirez / Washed Pink Bourbon

I think it is notable that this coffee is a Pink Bourbon. I don't know what that means. What I will say is that I had this coffee at 10 AM. It's now 5:20 PM, over seven hours later, and the memory of the flavor of the coffee is still on my tongue.

It was fruity and acidic, but the standout was the chamomile with spices. I tasted clove and star anise, but looking back, the black pepper described in the tasting notes was also there. I did not find lemon meringue. This coffee showed me a new type of coffee - coffee with a natural spiciness. It was fascinating. I loved it.

The most notable thing about this coffee was not that it was great coffee, it's that I had a great time. I told the baristas I was visiting from out of town, and that I wanted some great coffee. They endorsed my choice of the "Sebastian Ramirez - Pink Bourbon Washed."

I sat at the bar, which Carter, the barista, pointed out had no outlets. SK Coffee has bars at all their cafes - they hoped that people would sit at the bar and chat. Carter was knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate about coffee. I only asked for his name as I was leaving the cafe.

He asked me how I got into coffee - I told him that the purchase of an espresso started a descent into madness of making "good coffee." In the pursuit of good coffee, I discovered that there were multitudes to coffee, and that I should not try to force coffee into the image I'd like it to be in. I should instead accept coffee for what it is and appreciate it for its flavor and dynamism.

I told him about my local roasters, and the different coffees I've tried, and how I'd just been to Dogwood. He told me that Dogwood was where the Twin Cities coffee scene started. I told him about how I expected New York to have mind-blowing coffee, but that I discovered that the Midwest has a much better scene. He told me that Cafe Imports, the largest importer in the world, is based in Minneapolis. I didn't know that, I thought it was fascinating. He even said he feels like the Las Lajas micro-mill is a Midwestern coffee, because Cafe Imports has the strongest relationship with that mill of any importer.

He eventually warmed up to me. He made a cup or two of coffee for the staff, which I was eyeing. I wished he had dealt me into the first one, but I guess he hadn't warmed up yet. He gave me a sample of the second staff pour-over he made - an SK Coffee / Costa Rica / Ivan Solis / Candy Natural Catuai.

That tasted excellent, but I cannot recall it enough for a full description.

Eventually, he received a guest. He gave her a vanilla latte, which she didn't like, so he promised to get her something more acidic. He told me she was his friend and that she wanted to get into coffee. He pulled out a magnetic cardboard box, which held a bag with about 30g of coffee beans (he measured it out in front of me). He brewed it, and thankfully served me in.

He said it was a Colombia Gesha. It is officially a "Colombia Finca Mikava Gesha Santuario Reserve 2023 - Winning Lot 35 WBrC" from Standout Coffee (link). $66 for 100g of coffee - that's probably the most expensive coffee I've ever had. That was probably $15 of beans just for the cup I had! It was an exceptional tea-like coffee, and I definitely got notes of jasmine. But once again, I did not have enough to truly enjoy the coffee.

I was having such a great time, that I wanted to try another cup of coffee that they had. So I went and ordered a SK Coffee/ Colombia / Sebastian Ramirez / Cinnamon Honey (Cinnamon co-ferment) Caturra. I had a sip of this coffee in Maria's latte, which was insane. It had the taste of a flavored latte but purely from the effect of the cinnamon which was fermented with the coffee. I was thoroughly impressed by the flavor with milk. On its own, unfortunately, I did not like it. I think there is a brashness inherent to honey process coffees that I do not enjoy in espresso, which is okay. I still respect it, and it is definitely better (and delicious) with milk!

I really, really enjoyed my time at SK Coffee, and I appreciate Carter's positive attitude and interest in chatting with the customer. He's a great barista. Part of what makes coffee great is the people, and today, I felt something special.

Hyperion / Ethiopia / Buncho / Natural

This coffee has small beans. That's my first reaction. Every two beans of this coffee are about the same size as last post's Lobster Butter Love. That might explain why it was so _expensive_, too. It was $21 for 12oz, where Lobster Butter Love is $16 for 16oz. I bought it for my dad, who isn't a fan of light roasts, so I was happy to pay up.

I wanted to show him a more dynamic coffee with more fruity flavors and origin characteristics. I heard from James Hoffman's YouTube channel that Ethiopian origins are a good origin to show people who are not used to fruitier, more acidic single origin coffees, which tracks with my logic. Ethiopian coffee often has notes of peach, and peach is much more approachable than, for example, more citrusy Central American origins.

I think I was right. I also was experimenting with my new Aeropress, which I bought to just make normal coffee at home instead of espresso. Although, I guess Aeropress makes Aeropress coffee, a slightly more concentrated coffee. I've been diluting it.

However, the first time I made this Ethiopian coffee, I used my Cisco Bodum French Press Travel Mug. I am not crazy for French press - this is my second time making French press this year. Last time, I used an Hyperion Honduras Ariel Funez Honey, which had a claimed notes of Apricot. The apricot was very present then, and similarly, the peach and persimmon was present now. But also present was this papery mouthfeel and drying finish, which I just did not find satisfactory. That same mouthfeel and finish was present again.

Opening the bag, the first thing I noticed about this coffee was the aroma. The barista who sold this to me mentioned that that was a defining feature of the coffee. Typically, light roasts don't have the strong coffee aroma that people are used to. This one definitely did.

This coffee claimed notes of peach cobbler, persimmon, cara cara orange, and honeydew melon. I didn't find cobbler. I did find persimmon, with peach alongside it.

I can imagine I would've hated this as espresso. The aforementioned Honduran had this terrible acidity, which Maria accurately identified as the apricot notes. They were much milder in French press.

The persimmon was a very enjoyable flavor in the coffee. I didn't find the cara cara orange or the honeydew melon. I think the cara cara orange was meant to explain the fruity flavor without the acidity. It was very fruity. I can't explain the honeydew melon, but I will say the coffee was very smooth and pleasant.

I did screw up the Aeropress once, and got a sour, underextracted cup. But that speaks to the hand of the barista, not to the bean. I'm glad I've got the Aeropress and the Baratza Virtuoso+. Despite the grinder not being perfect, it is very high quality, and I really appreciate Ross for giving it to me for free.

This coffee was great - all around, a very good, pleasant cup, and a positive experience. I do not know if I like Ethiopian origin coffee, or at the very least, if it is my favorite. But that's okay. This coffee was great!

RoosRoast / Lobster Butter Love

I like RoosRoast - I like the vibe, I find the aesthetic entertaining, I like going to the cafe, I really like the flavor of the coffee itself. Their most popular blend is Lobster Butter Love, which Maria just bought me a bag of. I do like it a lot, and I most importantly love how it smells. They usually have a stand at the farmers market, and the smell of the coffee spills out of their stall and gives the market a great smell.

Unfortunately, it does not taste exactly how it smells, but it tastes great. It's very smooth, it's not bitter or sour. It's a good medium roast. It isn't burnt, but it does feel like the fruitiness has been baked out. I like it. It's great coffee.

Update, 13 January 2025 

I mentioned that the coffee did not taste exactly how it smelled. I think that is because I did a poor job with my AeroPress. Having brewed it twice more, once, impeccably, and a second, moderately too bitter, I disagree with my above take and revise my opinion to say that this coffee is buttery, sweet, smooth, and incredible. Here's how to dial in RoosRoast's Lobster Butter Love on your I dialed it in on my AeroPress:

• 13-14g of beans (imprecisely)
• Ground at 14 on my Baratza Virtuoso+, which I manually calibrated to its finest setting
• 90-95C water using a non-temperature controlled kettle (hotter end is fine)
• Following James Hoffman's "Ultimate AeroPress Technique:"
• Add grounds into AeroPress
• Add 200g hot water
• Set 2 minute timer, insert piston 1cm in to create vacuum
• After the timer is finished, give it one good swirl to make sure no coffee stays at the top
• Steep 30 more seconds
• Apply as little pressure as necessary to push piston down until hissing noise
• You can pull the piston back up to create a better vacuum and prevent a mess while you go to the trash to dump the puck. But, when you go to the trash, make sure that you press the air out of the AeroPress before removing the lid, because you need to make sure the puck is compressed. 
• Enjoy your great coffee. You can dilute it if it is too strong for you. 

Craig’s Coffee / Motown Espresso

This coffee languished in my cabinet. I was very frustrated by the instruction to make such massive shots. I didn't really want to dial it in, and when I tried to create my own recipe, I failed and fell back on the one on the back of the bag. 18.5g in, 49g out, in 29 seconds. I was able to get exactly that, but I continuously struggled with puck prep and channeling and uneven shots that just tasted _bad_. I was trying to get the flavors on the bag - dark chocolate, caramel, Nutella, Snickers bar. The bitterness of the "dark chocolate" was very present. I could not taste any of the other notes as espresso no matter how hard I tried. However, in Craig's official description, he says that it is "even better with milk."

So I gave up on my pursuit of tasty espresso, and resigned myself to milk drinks. At first, I felt myself too proper to drink such a barbarous quantity of milk. If I wanted milk, I'd pour it into a bottle, lie on my back, and nurse as if I were 6 months old. So I limited myself to a Gibraltar. That tasted horrible. The enormity of the shot left just 3/4 of an inch for milk, and I could hardly even pour any decently steamed milk in.

I relieved myself of the burden of tiny drinks and let myself have a cappuccino. I justified it by picturing what an old Italian man in his mountain village would do. Would he have a cappuccino? Yes, he may, if it is before 11 am. So I did - and Craig was right. The coffee was better with milk! So I let myself have several cappuccinos.

I actually started to like the coffee. I let go of myself so far I permitted myself to (gasp) have a latte, a milk drink so far detached from Italian coffee culture we do not even know where the name came from. Here's my little secret - it was quite tasty.

Without milk, this blend was fine at best, finicky at the regular. With milk, the notes were all there. It was pleasant, sweet, and entertaining.