KaffeBox December 17 Box – The Barn Nguguini AB

Part 1 for KaffeBox December 17 Box, in this post I’ll only write about the Kenyan coffee Nguguini AB from the coffee roastery The Barn. In yesterday’s post you’ve been able to read about the coffee and also what I expect from the coffee. In this part, I’ll share my recipe for an awesome pour-over and Espro travel press as usual.

In my cupping of The Barn – Nguguini AB, it was similar to the flavors of what the coffee roastery  The Barn themselves noted. They mentioned blueberry, bergamot and rich. I can definitely say that I feel citrus and sweet berry flavor. As usual, I would also like to know how good this coffee would be with dark chocolate, I always use chocolate with sea salt because it’s quite natural and captures the flavors better with salt to sweet, acidic and bitterness. This was an amazing compliment to the Nguguini coffee.

When I do a cupping I do the following:

1) Grind 11 g coffee in medium-coarse grind, I’ll remember the coffee’s fragrances now when it is dry to compare with the let grounds later.
2) Pour 180 g of water with temperature of 93 degrees Celsius.
3) Let it sit for 4 minutes.
4) Stir 3 times and try to find as many scents.
5) Remove all foam that’s formed on the top, as shown in the picture below.
6) Wait for 6 minutes so the coffee cool down and to let the coffee grounds fall down to the bottom, then I’ll take my first slurp with a deep spoon. The idea is that you will spray the coffee inside your mouth. That way you will be able to easily recognize the tones contained in the coffee.
7) Wait for 6 minutes and do the same procedure, the reason behind step 7 is that it’s the most optimal time for tasting coffee. If the coffe is still good after 12-15 minutes, then it is a high-quality coffee!

Cupping notes:
Sweet American blueberries, yuzu fruit, and a very rich coffee despite it’s light roast.

Information and recipe for the coffee:

Origin: Kenya
Variety:  Arabica SL 28 SL 34
Farm: Kibirigwi FCS
Region: Kirinyaga
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1 635 meters above sea level.

Pour Over:

17g coffee (grind setting on 19D Baratza Sette 270, medium)
225g of filtered water
40g bloom 30 seconds
90 degrees Celsius

1) 40g bloom for 30 seconds, stir with a bamboo stirrer to get all coffee moistened.
2) 225g water in a circular flow (this includes 40g water blooming). This including 30 second blooming, your timing should be on 1 minute and 50 seconds.

Espro Travel Press:

19g coffee (grind setting on 26B Baratza Sette 270)
284g of filtered water
94 degrees Celsius

1) After pouring both the coffee and the water, stir the coffee 10 times. I suggest you use a bamboo stirrer. Avoid sharp objects.
2) Screw the press and let steep for 4 minutes
3) Press slowly, if the press gets stuck, just lift the press and try again. It is normal.
4) Serve or seal the lid.

Review: KaffeBox sure does deliver, I must say that it was extremely fun to start KaffeBox with a Wild Card! The Barn from Berlin has a nice roast profile much like us in Scandinavia. That’s actually one of the reasons why KaffeBox chose them as this year’s Wild Card.

The coffee almost has a jam feel when it cooled down a bit. The coffee roastery mentioned bergamot as citrus fruit, but I would almost dare to say that it rather has tones of yuzu fruit.

A great coffee that was deliciously brewed with the Hario V60 and Espro travel press. It’s way too hard to decide which one suited the coffee for the best. I liked both as much and I’ll let that question be unanswered.

The chocolate I ate was dark chocolate with sea salt.

Rating: 6.5/10

The rating is only based on taste and quality and is not based on price.

If you want to buy your very own KaffeBox and go through my recipes and reflections, be sure to order it so you can be ready for next month’s KaffeBox. Click here to order from their website.

Do you want to read all of the reviews on KaffeBox monthly boxes? Click here!