Specialty Roast of the Month

Did you have a chance to try Tim’s entry to Golden Bean The Americas back in September? We called it Super G, a Natural Anaerobic Yeast Assist Gesha* from Nicaragua with notes of raspberry and rose hip brightness matched by brown sugar sweetness. (*Not sure what all that means? We’ve got an explanation below.)
For the last several years, Blind Coffee Roasters has competed at Golden Bean The Americas, a regional coffee roasting competition, and have come away with over 45 medals. Super G won won BRONZE in espresso and SILVER alternative milk (oat) at Golden Bean last fall. This is such a unique coffee, you’ll love it.

Basics

ORIGIN
Jinotega, Nicaragua
PRODUCER
La Bastilla Coffee Estates
VARIETY
100% Gesha
ALTITUDE (MASL)
1300-1500m

Processing

This coffee is a Natural Anaerobic Yeast Assist process. Let’s break that down.
First, the coffee cherry (with bean inside) is placed in a fermentation tank with just enough water to cover the cherries (sometimes the fruit is removed first, but this is a natural process so the fruit stays on). Next, coffee producers introduce yeast to the mix (that’s the yeast assist part). Then they seal the fermentation tank so that no oxygen can get in (this is the anaerobic part). The sugars in the fruit feed the yeast, and it ferments for up to 72 hours, depending on what the producer wants.

During the fermentation process, the yeast breaks down the fruit, nearly removing it from the bean. The yeast also produces CO2, which builds pressure inside the sealed tank. The pressure helps to force some of the fruity, fermenty flavors into the bean. Once fermentation is complete, producers lay the beans out on screens to dry and remove any remaining fruit pulp. When the beans are dry, they’re ready to be sold and roasted.
Yeast assist processes create a more consistent flavor from bean to bean, and the anaerobic and natural parts of the process give the bean its fruity flavors, like the raspberry and rose hip in Super G.

Roast Level

Super G is a City Roast. We pull our City Roasts from the roaster just as the bean turns a chocolatey color. At this stage, the coffee’s authentic flavors shine without any smokiness or oil. This Nicaraguan coffee is on the light side of medium which accentuates the sweetness and fruit.

Traceability

Super G is fully traceable to farm.

What is Gesha?

Gesha is a coffee varietal, and one of the rarest. It grows best at high altitudes, produces exceptional coffee, but has a relatively low yield compared to other coffee varietals. That’s part of what makes it the fancy stuff. Gesha originally came from Ethiopia, but when parts of Central and South America suffered from Coffee Leaf Rust, it was transplanted all over the region because of its resistance to that disease. Gesha often has a light, tea-like body and floral flavors. It frequently has very high cupping scores. Between that and its low yields, it tends to be more expensive than most varietals, but its unique flavors make it worth it.