Getting the best result from your coffee is a fun process of trial and error. The flavours of the coffee are dependent, not only on the regional and varietal flavour profiles or growing conditions, it is also dependent on the roast type and brewing method. For this reason, the process of finding the methods that produce the best coffee from your beans, as fun and tasty as it is, can be quite lengthy.

To help you brew better and faster, we have provided information about the roast type, flavour profile and made some brewing recommendations!

 

Maria Sofia Milla – Natural Caturra & Bourbon Tasting Notes

The flavours we discovered in brewing with Honduras was interesting: some flavours were quite typical and others were a surprise! A typical Honduras cup profile is generally sweet, mildly acidic and commonly has caramel notes in the finish.

The Natural Caturra and Bourbon mix from Maria Sofia Milla produced expected caramel tones and citrus notes but also had some unexpected toast or cereal flavours come through, with more orange peel tones at different temperatures and plenty of caramel notes in both the flavours and aromas.

Honduran coffees are usually grown on small farms and processed by hand and is more consistently producing high-quality coffee than ever before.

 

Brewing Recommendations for Maria Sofia Milla – Natural Caturra & Bourbon

We recommend brewing this single origin as creamy mocha, Chemex and French Press. The range of different flavours you can get from these brew methods is impressive and gives you plenty of reasons to experiment with your brewing a bit more.

 

Espresso Mocha Recipe

We highly recommend making the Honduras single origin as a mocha. This is a little out of the ordinary for us, but the mix of chocolate and milk really brings out the best in the espresso, with plenty of rich sweet flavours.

Dose: 23g Time: 25 sec Shot Volume: 25-30ml Grind Level: Espresso / Fine                                                        Chocolate: ½ Scoop Flavour Rating: 8/10

French Press Recipe

The Honduras excelled in the French Press (or Plunger, either is correct). The French Press produces a full body that has hints of toast or cereal when it first hits the palate and a citrus sweet finish. The heaviness of the brew helps the flavours to pleasantly linger.

Dose: 20g Water Volume: 200ml Time: 3-4 mins Temperature: 92 C Bloom: 40g for 30 secs Grind Level: Plunger / Coarse                                                    Flavour Rating: 9/10

Chemex Recipe

The Chemex was an interesting experiment for us, as we tried brewing it at two different temperatures – 88 and then 90 degrees Celsius. Brewing at 90◦ produced more body in the brew with more syrupy flavours like caramel and dark chocolate with a lingering finish that developed a citrus zing as it cooled. The 88◦ Chemex brew had a much lighter mouthfeel and brought out more fruit-like flavours with hints of orange peel and still plenty of dark chocolate notes.

Dose: 20g Water Volume: 300ml Time: 3 mins Break: 180ml for 10secs Temperature: 90 Bloom: 30 secs Grind Level: Same as Cold Drip / Coarse                                  Flavour Rating: 8/10

Stovetop Recipe

This was probably our least favourite of the brew methods, but it’s still worth a mention here. The key to brewing the Honduras coffee in your stovetop is:

1) A low temperature on the stove to boil it and;

2) Only lightly pat down the coffee in the basket.

This means you will use a little less coffee than normal and you will need a little more time too. Once brewed, dilute with some milk (full cream would be best) to maximise the sweet caramel aroma. The flavour comes through very astringent on its own, but with milk, it has a strong roasted nut flavour and a heavy mouthfeel.

 

Dose: 18-20g Time: 5 mins Grind Level: Stovetop / Medium Flavour Rating: 7/10 For instructions on brewing with the Stovetop CLICK HERE.