Honduras Single Malt Scotch & Bourbon Barrel Aged
Limited Edition - Batch 001! We've been experimenting with barrel aging fully washed coffee from our family farm, Finca La Esmeralda, and we're excited to share out results! For this limited run, we added a 12 year Highland Single Malt Scotch to up the ante even more. The result is an indulgent cup with huge notes of caramel, boozy oak, vanilla and dark chocolate.
Limited Edition – Batch 001. Welcome to our Limited Edition Barrel Aged coffee! We are actively trying new methods and iterations with these short runs, so join in the fun and try something different with us. From here on, we will be numbering each batch so we can track our iterations and develop new techniques. For this run, we added a new element – 12 year Highland Single Malt Scotch. We purchased one of the finest single malts (we can’t share which one for licensing reasons, but it starts with an M) and infused it into the wood of a bourbon barrel. Once the scotch fully absorbed into the wood, we added our Honduras La Esmeralda to the barrel for aging.
The coffee we chose for this experiment comes to us direct trade - straight from one of De La Finca’s family farms, Finca La Esmeralda. We’ve processed this coffee in several different ways (all featured here on our site) but for this experiment we chose our fully washed version. It’s clean yet flavorful with lots of body, so it seemed like the perfect candidate to see how the barrel aging process impacted the cup. Before aging, we got sweet and clean notes of peach, pear, florals and cocoa powder.
After aging, it definitely took on some of the flavors you’d expect from the wood as well as the scotch and bourbon flavors that soaked into the wood. The cup is still sweet but now it’s a more caramel character along with that sweet and boozy oak tone. There’s a dark chocolate to bittersweet chocolate tone depending on your roast level along with a touch of vanilla. It’s exactly what you’d imagine: a tasty coffee with scotch and bourbon notes but without the alcohol! So give it a try and let us know what you think - This is a very limited run, but we plan to keep iterating this process and trying new things so tell us what you think of this batch!
Reminder! This coffee is raw, you must roast it before brewing
Arrival Date: November 9th, 2024. Harvest year: 2024, Packed in GrainPro then aged in a Bourbon Barrel that had been infused with 12 year Highland Single Malt Scotch.
Acidity & Brightness: Slightly bright and slightly sweet
Balance & Finish: Complex with a lingering finish
Body & Texture: Rich body and creamy texture
Flavors: Dark chocolate, caramel, oak and vanilla
Grade: SHG-EP, grown at 1750 masl
Certifications: Direct trade & Bird friendly
Processing: Fully washed and sun dried on raised African beds. Once dried and hulled, aged in a charred oak barrel previously used to age bourbon.
Grower: De La Finca Coffee | Finca la Esmeralda
Region: La Sampedrana, Comayagua, Honduras
Varietals: Caturra & Typica
Recommended Roast Range: City+ to Full City+ (Light-Medium to Medium-Dark)
We like this coffee best at medium, but feel free to experiment! You can take it darker if you want to focus on the combination of roasty flavors inherent to oak and bourbon or you can contrast those barrel aged flavors with more origin flavors by keeping the roast on the lighter side of medium. Consider easing back on your typical heat application in order to slow down the roast for a more rounded cup.
LINK USERS: this coffee will be tough to get a usable density reading on due to its unusual properties inherit to the aging process. I recommend using the TCC Profile Pack since you don’t need a density reading to get reliable results from the power curves. I found I liked the Filter B profile best for this coffee, but you might also try the Filter D profile as well and see which you prefer. For espresso, I suggest Espresso D or E. Expect a late 1C – between 410 and 420F depending on your profile – but stick with it. Start at 15-20% DTR and increase for a darker, more rounded roast if you prefer. I found DTR of less than 15% unpleasantly boozy, but to each their own!
De La Finca Coffee - "La Esmeralda is a new DLF Project Farm in the Comayagua region. We bought this farm in 2021 in order to continue experimental processing in the area. La Sampedrama is an under-promoted area in the Comayagua region with high altitude, volcanic soil, and is rich in culture. We wanted a farm in the area where we could have more control over the quality and consistency on larger experimental specialty lots including varietals like geisha, pink bourbon, parainema which we've planted and will be coming in the next few years.”
