It seems to be that time of year when there is an influx of exceedingly delicious coffee here in Melbourne! More Kenyans are starting to surface after a bit of a dry period, and there's plenty of Rwandans around too.  I wanted to briefly highlight a few of my favourites which are currently available.

First up, I was truely "wowed" by a new Kenyan coffee sourced by Campos in Dec 2011 / Jan 2012 when they made a trip to origin, and now in their Roburs and on their web store. The Yadina AA lot currently on offer has a distinctly strong aniseed and blackcurrant flavour. I was a little surprised at the roast level used here (albeit only a small amount of oils) but in the cup it is just extraordinary, so kudos to their roasters! Many Kenyans have that blackcurrant flavour but this lot takes it to a new level for me, and I've tasted a lot of different kenyan coffees. None of them have had the depth of blackcurrant / aniseed pastilles flavour that this lot has.

The Rwanda Coko coop filter roast I picked up on the weekend from Small Batch Roasters is also a stunner through aeropress at work. Think sweet mandarines. We just can't get enough of it! For those interested in Small Batch, I've found them to be a great source of filter roasts locally here in Melbourne. While many roasters are still pushing their espresso roasts as "suitable for espresso", I actually prefer the slightly lighter roast profile on offer from roasters such as Small Batch. It really brings out the sweetness and acidity when using a filter brew method such as Aeropress or Hario V60.

I'm also expecting a shipment of the El Salvador Ernesto Mendez natural process coffee from Ministry Grounds, roasted for espresso. I have high hopes for this one too, and will report back with a few tasting notes.

Ministry Grounds have also just announced their roasted coffees on offer for next week. Rwanda Kayumbu Lot #7 from the most recent Cup of Excellence is up for grabs (filter roast), along with an Indonesian Gayo Bukit Aceh that sounds like a full-bodied cup of spicey goodness and a Kenyan Nyeri Kijiji.

Yep, the coffee is good. There's a lot of top shelf baristas, roasters, importers and coffee folk in general here, no doubt about it. I've been in Melbourne now for two months. We moved here for a bit of a lifestyle change, and it's been super refreshing i must say. There's nothing better than riding around in this glorious Autumn weather between cafes on the weekend. I've had some great brews at my local, Ora. And also not too far away at three bags full, proud mary, campos, axil, and movida.  I love the variety of coffee brew options and coffee origins available. There's just always something new and exciting to try, or something interesting to look at, whether it be the old churches or the hot air balloons floating around in the mornings.

But it's not just the coffee we're enjoying. The food trucks (hello Gumbo Kitchen & Taco Truck) are outstanding examples of fast food done right. And I love how everyone sits around these food trucks with the music going and just chills out and eats their delicious wares.

I'm also quite fond of the local Goat Beer brewery for a wednesday night pizza & ale. Excellent saison and summer ale on there at the moment!

There is a lot you can see and do in Melbourne, and most of it is bike friendly, which i really like. You see, getting around Brisbane by bike is do-able, but i don't believe it's as safe. There seem to be more bike lanes here, and bikes in general are more accepted as a legitimate mode of transport as our population grows in the inner-city.

Now that we've settled in, i hope to find more time to update this little place on the web with all the new and interesting things happening in my new home town.

The Esmeralda coffee farm in Panama has consistently been one of the most sought-after coffees of recent years. Esmeralda coffee is sold at auction and can reach some pretty lofty prices, but only in coffe terms! Panama Esmeralda is without doubt one of the best coffees in the world, and I still think it's amazing that we can buy a 250g bag for less than half the price of a cheap French champagne.

To my taste, Esmeralda offers a more complex, even more intense sweetness than a good Kenyan but without the acidic Kenyan bite. Even finding Esmerelda coffee in Australian cafes, especially the floral Geisha variety, is quite a challenge! I've had aeropresses of the Geisha variety at One Drop, but never had the chance to try an espresso roast! That's something I had always wanted to try.

Campos Coffee recently won some at auction, so you can now buy esmeralda geisha in their web store and in their cafes as roasted beans for espresso. I love the fact that Campos unashamedly roasts such high quality beans for espresso - while i agree that such quality coffees can also be enjoyed using pour-over or syphon brew methods, i see no reason the best coffee in the world shouldn't be enjoyed as an espresso beverage! But only if roasted well, and if the espresso recipe is right.

So here we have a photo of the Panama Esmerelda roast from Campos.

Reportedly, Campos went through 7 different roast profiles before settling on the final roast profile. Seven test roasts would really allow for a good amount of fine-tuning, and i'm pleased to report that the sweetness and florality of the Geisha roasted for espresso is all that it should be!

There's an incredible array of tasting descriptors one could use for the sweetness in this coffee - honey, orange peel, ripe citrus fruits, brown sugar... so many unique flavours fill the mouth it's almost impossible to pinpoint even a subset of the usual sweet flavours tasting notes. 

It's not the high-acidic bitey sweetness of a Kenyan coffee, and it's not the jasmine-like florality of an ethiopian yirgacheffe either. It's got a balanced body similar to a great costa rican, but with boat loads of sweetness that the Geisha is renowned for.  The sweetness has great length, too - half an hour after your drink, it still lingers. I love that in a coffee.

Instead of listening to me waffling on, i'd recommend snapping some up. Chances are the opportunity to try this special coffee roasted for espresso won't come up too often! The lot size is relatively small, too. Head to campos or order via their web store linked below:

Esmerelda Geisha roasted for espresso

There has been a lot going on in the Brisbane specialty coffee scene over the past few weeks. Here's a brief wrap-up from the cafes i've visited. It seems there is no shortage of amazing single origins on offer at the moment.

Campos have opened their new cupping room, located at the cafe in fortitude valley. The roastery has been moved to a new site, and the cafe in general looks better than ever. Everything is always so spotless, and organised. It's great to see the guys there going from strength to strength.

Campos cupping

I attended a cupping session in the new Campos cupping room. The session ran smoothly, and is well thought-out, being an educational sensory experience anyone would enjoy!  Booking details at the link.  A great way to introduce people to different flavours in coffee, or just to enjoy some cupping!

In the Campos Roburs

Campos have received their Columbian Cup of Excellence lot #14 El Tiestero, and are running it as an espresso option along side the usual Superior blend. Sweet, juicy with notes of caramel and choc. Get in and try some while it's available.

Campos are also selling beans from the 2010 Rwanda cup of excellence, and it's lot #8 Nyabumera, a wet processed bourbon variety.

I am really enjoying this one - it's everything a good Rwandan should be.  So creamy, sweet and with a lovely green grape acidity - my favourite kind!  It reminded me a little of the Bolivian Montano but with less caramel and more fruit.

Slayer is back at Cup Coffee, VST filters are in, new coffees on offer, new pour over filters

West Enders are walking with a little extra spring in their step now that the Slayer is back on deck at Cup Coffee.  Rwanda Musasa, which debuted at Cup in their opening year is back for a second round. It's being roasted for filter and you might also find some for espresso. Expect a clean, and again, creamy, sweet cup of yum! Versatile and balanced coffee. 

Josh Russell has got his hands on the VST filter baskets before many of us, and is testing them out at Cup, as well as a really interesting pour over paper filter design. Think bigger ridges than a Hario v60.

Also just in at Cup, Tanzania Blackburn estate's "Clouds of August" lot. I initially tried this one at Pourboy Espresso and found loads of red fruit in the cup, almost raspberry like.

Great choice of origins at Dandelion & Driftwood

Dandelion & Driftwood continue to offer two espresso blends as well as rotating two single origins. Recent appearances from the Honduras cup of excellence Pino di Oro lot left a great impression on me. If they happen to have this one on when you visit next, try it! The most distinct notes of lime / green fruit, and so delicious. This weekend they had the Rwanda BUF cafe, which tastes similar to the Musasa.

Testing a mesh pour over filter this week

In other news i'm testing a re-usable mesh pour over filter from Wine of the Bean and will be blogging about that later this week.

Apologies to all the other specialty coffee cafes in Brisbane who i haven't mentioned, i wish i had time to visit everywhere! No doubt there are many other great coffees on offer elsewhere. Feel free to leave details in the comments.