As were slowly catching up on Dog and Hat, we are skipping ahead to the November box! (Don't worry I'll be back with the rest of the October box back in a few days!)
This box included 3 great roasters, and the first up is Crankhouse Coffee!
This is the second feature of Crankhouse via Dog and Hat - you can read the first feature here!
If you've never heard of Crankhouse Coffee, I'll start by introducing them:
"Crankhouse Coffee are an artisan micro-roaster focusing on purchasing amazing coffees from around the world. Our coffees are selected from specialty importers who support and care about the farmers and cooperatives through ethical and sustainable practises.
As a roaster, my job is to develop the potential that exists in the green coffee as the farmer intended, coaxing out the natural flavours determined by the terroir and then the processing techniques adopted. My tools are a lovely Italian 1995 Petroncini TT7.5, my senses and a little science.
Crankhouse Coffee was launched in 2014 and is based in Exeter in the South West of England"
Roaster - Petroncini
Look how pretty the bag is!!!!
The Coffee
From smallholders around Santo Domingo Teojomulco in the Oaxaca region of Mexico.
This fully washed lot is made up of a whole range of smallholder famers. Unlike in many other Central American countries, Mexico is full of very small coffee producers - some producing as little as 5-10kg per year. The limited quantities do not mean quality is low, often quite the opposite is true.
What makes Oaxaca an especially unique area of Mexico for coffee is that the internal market is also very willing to buy Oaxacan coffees. So the importer, Osito and their partners on the ground in Mexico have had to work hard and compete to be able to source these tiny lots, then spend considerable time and effort to put together the lots of similar screen size, moisture and water activity. For all the time and effort it takes to secure these lots, it is always worth the pay off - these coffees are exciting and showcase a side of Mexican coffee often unexplored and under appreciated.
The Beans
Mexico Santo Domingo
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1300-1500MASL
Varietal: Typica, Bourbon, Mundo Novo
Taste Notes: Green grape, macadamia, milk chocolate
Lets Brew!
Brewer: V60
Recipe: 15g/225g
Ratio: 1:15
This coffee came through with some sweet biscuit notes, and a hint of chocolate in the aftertaste, as it cooled down you definitely get hit with a delightful grape acidity, and a smooth sweetness with a hint of melon. I got some really biscuitty notes from this coffee, which is ironic seeing as the taste notes are completely different - but that is one thing I love about coffee tasting, you can taste something completely different to what the taste notes get you to expect.
When it was completely cooled (lets be honest, who gets to drink an entire hot coffee now adays?!) it gave me proper digestive biscuit vibes, with a subtle sweet syrup taste. I haven't tasted a lot of Mexican coffees, but after this one I think I'll definitely be researching into more!
Find Crankhouse Coffee
Website - here
Instagram - here
