{"id":1335,"date":"2015-09-10T09:30:37","date_gmt":"2015-09-10T14:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=1335"},"modified":"2016-02-14T22:42:06","modified_gmt":"2016-02-15T04:42:06","slug":"review-counter-culture-kenya-kamavindi-durham-north-carolina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=1335","title":{"rendered":"Review: Counter Culture Kenya Kamavindi (Durham, North Carolina)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the 6 months thus far that this blog has been around, the coffee review with the most page views has been the Counter Culture Hologram Espresso<\/a>. I figured it was high time I revisit Counter Culture’s offerings, but this time I opted to try a single-origin versus one of their blends.<\/p>\n

Kenyan coffee has a reputation as being coffee for coffee connoisseurs. It’s not a coffee that has mass appeal, or one that people are likely to appreciate without a certain level of knowledge and experience with coffee. Obviously, there is no Billboard Top 40 chart for coffee, but if there was such a chart, it’s unlikely that any of the top sellers would have much cachet among “coffee snobs.” Music that is marketed toward a mass audience will have a wide appeal and will translate to lots of sales, but may not inspire the same kind of vocal, passionate, devoted following the way that “indie” artists might. There is a Brian Eno quote about the lackluster sales of the Velvet Underground’s debut album, saying that it only sold 30,000 copies in the first five years after its release, but “everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band.” Now, I’m not necessarily saying this coffee tastes like “Venus in Furs,”<\/a> but it’s not easy listening\/easy drinking compared to some other coffees!<\/p>\n

My first experience with Kenyan coffee was this Victrola Kenya Nyeri Tambaya Peaberry<\/a>, which, frankly, I really didn’t like. It was too swampy and savory and off-putting for my taste. I certainly am used to “sweeter” coffees, so tasting something that had so much funk\/mushroom\/seaweed in it was a shock. However, I did actually rather enjoy the Kenya Kirinyaga from thirty-thirty Coffee<\/a>, and trying it made me resolved to research more Kenyans. I am not necessarily trying to make myself like Kenyan coffee because I should<\/em> — I more want to expand my horizons and discover what others see in it.<\/p>\n

I was a little surprised to find this Kenya Kamavindi sold in a box rather than a bag, but apparently Counter Culture recently started packaging their single-origin coffees this way. The bag inside the box still has a one-way valve to let air escape, but can’t be resealed; I ended up putting the remainder of the beans in an Airscape canister to keep them fresh.<\/p>\n

Whole bean: heady, rich aroma that smelled like molasses and red wine. Ground, it smelled just like blackberry cobbler.<\/p>\n

V60: Not too sweet – this cup had a savory, tangy character that reminded me of cherry tomatoes. The finish had some lovely meyer lemon notes.<\/p>\n

AeroPress: Sipped as a concentrate, it tasted like straight lemon juice (but thicker-bodied). Once I added water, it added enough sweetness to make the cup pleasantly tart. The lemon-custard flavor and body lingered pleasantly on the tongue.<\/p>\n

Chemex: Medium-bodied but surprisingly rich and sweet flavor of lemon and cream with a hint of berry. Delicious stuff! The finish tasted like brown sugar. This might be the “hit single” of the album – the most accessible track that hooks the new listener. Hey there, Sweet Jane.<\/p>\n

French press: Raisin aromas in the cup. This particular cup was thick and not very sweet. It most reminded me of red wine (probably something like a Shiraz); complex flavors with a dry finish.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/strong>: I am constantly evolving. If I revisit this coffee in a couple of years, maybe I’ll be all about cherry tomato and wine flavors! But at the moment, I like the Chemex itieration the best. I do appreciate the layers and the multi-dimensional character of this coffee. It’s a cup that reveals layers over time, for those who take the time to “peel slowly and see.” (Sorry, couldn’t resist! I’ll stop with the VU references now.)<\/p>\n

From the roaster: Blackberry, currants, citrus fruits<\/p>\n

Counter Culture Kenya Kamavindi<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the 6 months thus far that this blog has been around, the coffee review with the most page views has been the Counter Culture Hologram Espresso. I figured it was high time I revisit Counter Culture’s offerings, but this time I opted to try a single-origin versus one of their blends. Kenyan coffee has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[7,156,188,3,154],"tags":[165,164,32,147,74,121,240,166],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/tn_IMG_1394.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6123,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=6123","url_meta":{"origin":1335,"position":0},"title":"Review: Counter Culture Big Trouble Blend Single-Serve Bags (5 pack)","date":"November 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I had a spontaneous trip to Asheville, North Carolina at the end of September. Since I didn't have a rental car on this trip, I wasn't anticipating having much access to craft coffee, but serendipitously, my hotel was around the corner from an Earth Fare market (natural foods grocery store),\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blends"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG-8766-e1574314503777.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":102,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=102","url_meta":{"origin":1335,"position":1},"title":"Review: Klatch Coffee Panama Elida Honey (Upland, California)","date":"March 12, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I have been looking forward to trying Klatch Coffee ever since I started reading up on specialty coffee roasters. Klatch is a name I saw mentioned\u00a0repeatedly, along with Intelligentsia, Verve, Counter Culture, Madcap, and Stumptown (especially in an espresso context). The Klatch Belle Espresso review will be happening in a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Central America"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/IMG_0782-e1430540451847.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1656,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=1656","url_meta":{"origin":1335,"position":2},"title":"Review: Counter Culture Ethiopia Kochere Birhanu Zerihun Organic (Durham, North Carolina)","date":"November 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This coffee's name sure is a mouthful! It thankfully is a lot easier to drink than it is to pronounce. I picked this box up in a mad rush at Houndstooth Coffee in Dallas, which has become one of my go-to places when I want to grab something great to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Africa"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/tn_IMG_1812.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1616,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=1616","url_meta":{"origin":1335,"position":3},"title":"Review: Origen Coffee Roasters Tanzania Tarime (Escondido, California)","date":"October 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks again to my friend Erin for these beans! If you read my review of Origen's Mexico Oaxaca\u00a0beans, you'll remember I noted that this roaster seems to roast on the darker side, as the beans were pretty dark and shiny. The roast level is definitely darker than what seems to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Africa"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/tn_IMG_1780.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":216,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=216","url_meta":{"origin":1335,"position":4},"title":"Review: Counter Culture Hologram Espresso (Durham, North Carolina)","date":"April 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm excited to check another roaster off of my coffee bucket list. Counter Culture is a major player in the specialty coffee world. Unlike Stumptown, Blue Bottle, Intelligentsia, etc., they do not seem to run their own cafes;\u00a0they instead seem to focus their efforts on the roasting and on their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AeroPress"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/IMG_0869-e1430540623304.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1735,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=1735","url_meta":{"origin":1335,"position":5},"title":"The Best of 2015","date":"December 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This time of year, indie-music snobs the world over take great pleasure in making and criticizing each others' year-end best-of lists. 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