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.
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