Pact limited edition - Agua Clara

- strong fruity aroma
-  creamy flat white with a fruity orange taste and some blackberry.
- quite light crema
- slight caramel / brown sugar

After the first order, I was quite impressed with Pact Coffee - The customer service, ease of use and packaging were all great, and the coffee was also nice and chocolatey - So I thought I'd try the limited edition Agua Clara 'Blackcurrant Sorbet'.  As always, it arrived very quickly in the clever packaging described in my last post, which fits through the post box.  This bag was a nicer one to the usual paper looking bag, and also came with a card telling you about the coffee.

It is a bean originated in Huila, Colombia at an altitude of 1732m, produced by Jaiber Joven Murcia by a washed process.  It also gives all of the flavours you should get (which I thought I would see if I could taste too).  When opened, it has a very fruity, berry aroma which is quite strong.  It is very different to the usual cocoa aroma that coffee generally has.  The roast is medium I would say, and quite an even roast.

The flat white was quite creamy with a definite blackcurrant flavour balanced with a nice orange citrus.  The crema was quite light, but a little golden too. There was a brown sugar and caramel sweetness in the coffee which went great with the citrus.  I drank it all way too quick, so didn't get a chance to try it with filter! (Still need to get a syphon...) 

Exeter Fun!

Since my best friend goes to uni here, and had a job interview,  I thought I would drive us both up and make a day of it! (Also been doing my bathroom up for a couple weeks, so an escape was needed!!). We were only there for the afternoon. so the post is quite short and only really visited two places. (Both great places!).

The first stop was Candos Deli, on Roman Walk.  This had a really nice feel inside - It is also a deli as well as a coffee shop.  It felt almost like a bit of a market where you can also sit down.  Everything used for the coffee is also local - Cornish milk and Bristol coffee.  They also sell plenty of wine, cheeses etc - with bottles of wine which look like they are great quality!

The coffee knowledge was great, with locations of all the ingredients on a board inside.  They use a Mazzer grinder and a Rancilio espresso machine - both great brands!  The flat white which I ordered came in a small glass, which I haven't seen before for a flat white.  These are pretty difficult to pour into well, especially one that small!  The crema looked quite dark, with a flavour or cocoa and berry for the first sip.  At points, it was a tiny bit sour - but not overpowering, and also faded as it went along.  You could then taste blackberry and cherry, with not much sweetness.

Overall, I loved this place!

Later on, we went to Artigiano on High Street.  This place has a really friendly inside - having been to this one in the past, as well as one of the Cardiff stores.  It has a modern, retro feel inside.  It also has a nice amount of space inside, with also wine deals (which are needed a lot!).  The people inside are always extremely friendly - One of which was chatting to me about download festival (Which I went to).  These places make you feel welcome, which helps you have a nice night out if you like one.

The coffee had great definition, with a multi layer tulip and pretty decent symmetry! It has a smooth and nutty crema and first sip. and tastes like freshly roasted coffee.  After this, there was a little cocoa and berry, which was well needed before my night drive back home (100 miles...).  But found some great places, and I will probably be back, so may well update or write a couple more posts! 

Cold Brew attempts part 1!

This post is about my attempts to make a cold brew - some were good, some were okay, some were absolutely horrible! But that's just because I've never made it before, so had to experiment plenty! I thought I would try to make cold brews after trying an amazing one in The Plan, after a pretty decent one in Caravan, Kings Cross branch.  They were all brewed by French Press first, with cold water and then put through filter paper to make it nice and smooth.

Best cold brew I have had, from The Plan

Department of Coffee, Stargazer blend
This was my first attempt actually, and had some nice results!  It had a nice citrus lemon flavour, mixed with hints of orange as well as a slight caramel flavour.  It did also have a slight dirty cocoa flavour, but partially probably because the grind was very inconsistent (as my grinder was acting up a bit).  This was made using around a 4:1 or 5:1 water to coffee ratio, and brewed it for around 12 hours with quite a coarse grind.  After it finished brewing, I did also put it in a Fanta fruit twist bottle as it was the only empty bottle I had - though I think this gave it a little extra fruity taste!

I then tried another coarse grind (slightly less so than the last), but brewed for about 16 hours with around a 5:1 water:coffee ratio.  It had a little bit of an earthy taste, but then there were also slight hints of lemon and green apple citrus, then with a bit of a brown sugar taste.  It was a little acidic, but still think I have a long way to go!

Moka D'or Espresso Blend (Drury) 
This is an espresso blend, but on the website it also says it goes well as filter so thought I'd give it a try!  Trying as a flat white, it was nice and fruity, suggesting it could be great as cold brew.  It was a reasonably coarse grind, which was brewed for around 12 hours in the french press, followed by filtering.

Caravan Market Blend
This blend is a much lighter blend, but I possibly rested it a little too long (in hope that it would bring out more flavours).  I brewed this for 16 hours about with a coarse grind.  This gave a bit of an earthy base, but then had a slight orange citrus and brown sugar or caramel hint.  However, all I have tried so far have had this earthy taste (and have been a little bitter), which I need to try to remove.

Since writing this, I have tried a couple other coffees - Pact Coffee and a couple other Columbian ones, but can't seem to get that great sweet flavour with no bitterness that I got in The Plan.  Most that I have managed to get have been orange or lemon citrus flavour with an earthy or cocoa base.  If anyone can help with this, that would be awesome!

(Also, Been decorating my bathroom, hence why there haven't been posts for a while!)

Lastly, saw this when I was in London and it amused me, so why not put it on here!