Prodigal / Kenya Krush

My wife got me a bag of Prodigal's Kenya Krush, one of their blends they always keep stocked. It is something like 80% Kenya, 10% Colombia, 10% Ethiopia. 

We all love Kenyan coffee, and our new Kenya Krush is a nod to the Kenyan coffees of yesteryear. 

I do like Kenyan coffee, and I have been trying to let myself get over preconceived notions like blends are not as good and I don't like East African coffee (not true). I also have wondered what makes expensive coffee so expensive. Now that I have a good grinder and a gooseneck kettle, I should be able to defeat any coffee and find its peak flavor. 

I'm really grateful for her getting this bag because it is about $0.50 per brewed cup in beans. When it came in the mail, the first thing we did was wait. Prodigal says resting your coffee improves the flavor. I am inclined to agree. On my first brews, there was so much CO2 coming out in the bloom. 

I learned a lot brewing this coffee. First off, AeroPress definitely muddies the flavor. When you bloom coffee, you can burn it by hitting it with too much super-hot water right away. It is probably better to bloom with colder water. You can also have a lot of variance when brewing a hand pour – this is the biggest flaw of hand pour coffee. Also, I don't know what mango flavor or notes is. In my opinion, mangoes are just meant to be super sweet. I think that the mango notes in this coffee are more like the scent of a Mexican mango than the flavor of a fantastic mango. Mango is a misleading note. Don't put it on coffee, please.

I was very impressed by my best brews. Some of the brews I made felt like they were dripping with juice, as if there was literally grapefruit juice in my cup. Quite frequently, brews had a rough, dirty characteristic, which I think is my fault. I do not know how to get those flavors out of my coffee - I tried many different ways. Prodigal says the flavors are meant to be clean. I am not an incredibly talented barista. 

When it peaked, though, this coffee peaked high. Grapefruit, juice, plumpness, nectar, all words you could use to describe this coffee. It stands up as Japanese cold brew as well. It is a great coffee, and I am glad I got to try some pinnacle coffee. 

Unfortunately, this coffee is not worth the money for me. The flavor profile is very grapefruit, and while I like that from time to time, it is not my top choice for a luxury coffee. It definitely has a summery character, though.

Now that the bag is gone and I am drinking other coffees, I do miss it. It is an exciting profile that is not my typical purchase.