First Brew with the La Minita Costa Rica by Oren's Coffee

Some Backstory:

Fourteen brews and twelve days later on the V60, I decided that today was the day I will try a new type of coffee. I did a little homework and found a handful of coffee shops near my workplace in Downtown Brooklyn that I could just walk in and check out the packaged coffee ready to be sold.

My first stop was at Compilation Coffee Roasters Fort Greene. I was disappointed by the selection. There were not that many bags of coffee available for sale (just two bags), and they were all blends. They had some gadgets, filters, and pins for sale, but that was about it.

My second stop was AvaBrew by Oren's Coffee. From my research, Oren has a lot of heritage in the NYC coffee space, so I was looking forward to the space and the brews that they offer. Their selection of beans on the shelf blew Compilation Coffee Roasters out of the water. However, after a handful of conversational questions with the baristas, I determined that they were more knowledgeable about operating the brewing machines rather than beans and brewing methods.

The Beans:

I chose the beans from La Minita Costa Rica by Oren's Coffee. I made my purchase decision solely based on packaging and what the label said. The pack that stood out to me had the highest elevation listed, so that's what I bought.

I chose these beans because they were:

• Single origin
• Came from a source that was at a higher altitude than all the other beans available

Preparing to Brew:

When measuring out the beans for the first time, I could not help but compare the color to the Kirkland Signature beans that I was using for my first fourteen brews.

I brewed my first cup with:

• 18g of beans ground at a slightly finer grind setting (80) on my Kingrinder K6
• 300g of water at 91°C
• Cafec Abaca Coffee Paper Filter, V60 02 Style

Lunch:

Before I started the brew, I needed to eat:

Lunch was a tasty hand pulled beef noodle soup spiced with chili crisps.

Brewing Time:

Something looks odd about the above picture. I got so excited to brew, I forgot to do one crucial thing: pre-wet the filter.

Afterthoughts:

The taste of freshly roasted and freshly ground coffee is amazing. This was the second type of bean that I ever brewed, so it is a million levels above the Kirkland Signature beans that I still have 1100g of as of time of writing. I can tell that there is a flavor to the brew compared to what I usually brew, but I am still pretty inexperienced in determining what the flavors actually are.

There are a few quirks that I still have to iron out. I forgot to pre-wet the filter in haste, and I'm still determining my preferred grind setting for V60 pour overs. For this brew, I ground the beans finer than what I normally grind them (as suggested by my grinder's manufacturer). My mountain fold for the Cafec filter is not perfect, and I'm sure that there is plenty of room for improvement when it comes to actual kettle pouring technique.

This coffee is making me feel so good that I'm going to make myself another 18g cup before I log out for the day.