The last time I had tried an espresso from Square Mile Coffee Roasters, it was their excellent Red Brick Espresso Blend, so this time I opted to try this single-origin Guatemalan espresso.
Whole bean: Sweet, tangy aroma reminiscent of peach and amaretto.
Espresso: Sometimes I really enjoy single-origin espressos and sometimes I just can’t find my way with them. Unfortunately for me, this blend fell into the latter category. Despite my best efforts at home experimenting with grind size and temperature variation, I just could not dial in these beans to get a shot I enjoyed. All the shots I pulled, even at the highest temperatures, were just too sour and bright for my taste.
With milk: When I added milk to one of the shots, the cup took on an almond flavor, but the resulting drink still wasn’t really to my taste.
Since I was having such a struggle with these beans pulled as espresso, I decided to try them brewed as coffee.
V60: First impression: Much more pleasant. Almond cookie and peach flavor dominated this slightly tangy yet sweet cup.
Chemex: Same as V60 cup.
French press: This was a sugary peach-flavored cup, nice bright flavor but with a rich mouthfeel. Very nice.
AeroPress: As with the espresso, this was unbalanced and too strong; even with additional water added, it was not my favorite way to consume these beans.
Summary: Just because coffee might be designated for espresso doesn’t mean you need to limit yourself to that one method. I thought this particular coffee was the most enjoyable when made with a french press, but it was also delicious made in pourover methods.
From the roaster: Peach cobbler, vanilla, almond
Square Mile Coffee Roasters Guatemala Los Suspiros
Review conducted 13-14 days post-roast.