The last time I reviewed a coffee from Cultivar, it landed in my Best of 2015 list. I happened to be visiting Emporium Pies in McKinney, Texas one weekend and they had fresh bags of this Colombia Henry Serrato on the shelves, so I decided that the time was right to give Cultivar another go.
Whole bean: The beans smelled fragrant like nectarines and caramelized sugar. Delicious!!
French press: When the hot water hit the grounds, a slight minty scent emerged, but the end product did not taste minty. The coffee was thick, rich, and creamy in texture, and it tasted like the top of a luscious creme brulee. Wow.
Chemex: Less sweet of a cup; this brew had a markedly thinner body (no surprise) and it was a bit bright and acidic.
AeroPress: Lemony flavor and full body. Adding a bit of water smoothed out some of the lemon/acidic flavor and made for a very pleasant cup.
V60: At a 3:00 extraction, the coffee was toasty but otherwise not that remarkable.
Summary: In my notes, I starred both the French press and AeroPress brews, which means that those were my favorites, but honestly, I can’t remember how the AeroPress version tastes now because all I can remember is the sublime, sugary, creme-brulee flavor of this coffee made in a french press. Do yourself a favor and get some!
From the roaster: Toasted sugar. Figs. Soft acidity.