My quest for the God shot, as a fellow WordPress blogger put it, continues. I didn’t get down to Porto Rico Importing Co. on Bleecker Street again yet, so it’s back to my regular supplier in Chelsea.
I bought some more Heartbreaker, and decided to try this bag of beans from Ethiopia too.
Name: Kurimi
Description: Direct trade. “Floral Shining Citrus.” Indigenous grown at 1700-1900 meters in Ethiopia.
Source: Café Grumpy, 224 W. 20th St., between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.
Geographic origin: Yirgacheffe region, Ethiopia.
Date Roasted: Nov. 18, 2008 by Intelligentsia.
Date Purchased: Nov. 24, 2008.
The Pour: “What’s that? Smells good,” said my wife from across the room. She does not drink anything but decaf, and that, rarely. The flavor is mellow, not overpowering, not bitter or sour, either. I’m not sure I am a fan of coffee that calls to mind fruit flavors, but this one does and pulls it off. It’s subdued.
Intelligentsia says, “Charming the palate with its citrus fruit acidity, the Kurimi sparkles and shines as it brings forth flavors of orange, lime and lemongrass. Notes of jasmine and honeysuckle carry a delicate sweetness that gives the cup a juicy, refreshing character. A subtle and clean finish leaves notes of sweet spice and cocoa. Truly an elegant cup.”
I caught the hint of orange, missed the notes of jasmine and honeysuckle, and did get a whiff of cocoa when the shot of espresso was brewing. I think I prefer something deeper and richer in a coffee, but this bean was a unique experience.
Effects: My first shot was made mild, in the early evening Wednesday, and I was still drowsing an hour later. That was probably a sign of my exhaustion from cramming a week’s worth of work into three days before the holiday. I eventually perked up and roughed out this post while catching up on some podcasts and following the dire news from Mumbai. I didn’t dare try another shot, or I would have been up all night.
This morning, I made a strong shot to wake up for the holiday. Feeling like a bit of a sluggard. Jane is cooking vegetarian stuffing in the kitchen to take down to our communal Thanksgiving feast with friends. CNN is chattering in the other room. The crowd are trapping us at home for a while. Our daughter is upstairs with Indian neighbors, who are watching the Macy’s parade out their window a block away, big balloons passing through buildings on Broadway in the distance. I’ll have to go up and get their take on the news. This shot of Kurimi was a brief moment for reflection. Does it shine? Maybe it does. We shall see how the rest of the day goes. I may need a third.
Peace.
December 4, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Thanks for the ping!
I mostly took the “God shot” concept from this CoffeeGeek post: Waiting for God Shot but it came from the alt.coffee Usenet group and has been discussed elsewhere (including in other CG posts).
Nice tasting notes. Mine tend to be less structured.
In terms of the “God Shot” quest… My perspective tends to be kind of the reverse. I seek a diversity of coffee experiences. Occasionally, I get a shot of espresso which is a deep aesthetic experience in and of itself. But I mostly get those coffee-enhanced experiences which are somewhat more subtle but almost as enjoyable. This is especially true of coffee I make in a stove top moka pot at home, since I get to know my blends over a matter of days. In a way, tasting and thinking about each coffee I drink is as life-changing as that elusive “one espresso shot to rule them all.”
But that’s just me.
Thanks again!
December 13, 2008 at 3:36 pm
[...] A Shot of ‘Floral Shining Citrus’ Kurimi [...]
December 20, 2008 at 1:52 pm
[...] A Shot of ‘Floral Shining Citrus’ Kurimi [...]
December 28, 2008 at 5:08 pm
[...] bitter aftertaste (I may have made it too strong). It had a full, smooth body, quite pleasant. No citrus or hints of berry and so forth, as promised. I added a bit of soy milk to take the edge [...]
February 1, 2009 at 2:09 pm
[...] and strong but far too bitter. I have tried a number of beans that claimed to have floral or citrus flavors. It is certainly adequate, and probably better in a cappuccino or a regular cup with [...]
May 31, 2009 at 11:08 am
[...] reportedly grown in the Sidamo province of the southern Yirgacheffe region of Ethiopia, like this “floral shining citrus” bean that I tried in this ongoing coffee-blogging [...]