Here's how we brewed this International Coffee Day exclusive drop: a uniquely processed Colombia by Berkeley’s Hydrangea.
Berkeley-based Hydrangea specialize in sourcing unusual fruit-forward coffees. This lot went through a unique wine-inspired “bio innovation” process. The cherries were placed in clay pots buried in the forest floor and anaerobically fermented with an organic microbial-rich compost that was created to enhance the coffee’s flavor profile, before being washed and dried. We tasted a zesty cup of citrus, blueberry, and orange rind.
🌎 Origin: Cundinamarca, Colombia
⚗️ Process: Bio Innovation Washed
🔬 Variety: Castillo
⛰️ Elevation: 1,450 MASL
🔥 Roast: Light
Brew Recipe for Hydrangea Alvaro Rodriguez LPET
Using Stagg X Dripper
Ingredients:
25g of Alvaro Rodriguez LPET
420g of water
200°F
Steps
1. Measure and grind coffee at a medium-coarse setting
Measure out 25g of coffee beans and grind them on a medium-coarse setting. We used setting 7 on Ode with SSP Burr / 6 on Ode with Gen 2 Burrs, which is about 5 on Ode with Gen 1 Burrs. Suggested setting on Opus is between 8.1 and 9.1 - and note that the inner ring was set to 0 at 8.1 for us!
2. Heat water and rinse the filter
Heat water to 200°F and rinse your filter before putting your coffee grounds in.
3. Pour 50g water for the bloom
Fully saturate your coffee grounds with 50g of water, and allow 35 seconds for the bloom.
4. Continue pouring in four stages
After the bloom, pour to 220g; then when the water is approximately 0.5 in above the bed of grounds, pour to 320g; once water drains halfway, pour to 420g. The total brew time varies, but we’re aiming for around 3:00 minutes.
5. Decant into your favorite mug and enjoy!
Look out for the incredible flavors of kiwi, tart apple, and chamomile.
Espresso
Ingredients:
20g of the same coffee
40g of water at 200°F
1:2 ratio
28-32 second pull time
Steps
1. Measure and grind coffee
Measure out 20g of coffee beans.
2. Make sure your espresso machine is at temp.
Water should ideally be at 200°F.
4. Grind your coffee
We suggest a brew time of 28-32 seconds.
4. Pull shot at 9 bars!
Pull your shot at 9 bars with around a 28-32 second pull time.
5. Decant into your favorite demitasse cup and enjoy!
Let us know what flavors pop out in your espresso. We suggest stirring with a small spoon before tasting to integrate all layers of the ‘spro
Aiden
Single serve:
Ratio: 1:16
Bloom ratio: 1:2 / Bloom time: 35s
Bloom temp: 210°F
Pulse 1 temp: 200°F
Pulse 2 temp: 200°F
Pulse 3 temp: 200°F
Time between pulses: 20s
Number of pulses: 3
Batch:
Ratio: 1:16
Bloom ratio: 1:2 / Bloom time: 35 s
Bloom temp: 210°F
Pulse 1 temp: 200°F
Pulse 2 temp: 200°F
Pulse 2 temp: 200°F
Time between pulses: 20s
Number of pulses: 3
Steps
1. Measure and grind coffee
Measure out the weight of beans (dry dose) that Aiden recommends once you enter in the amount of water volume you want out. For single serve at 150ml out, grind around 6 on Ode + SSP, 5 Ode Gen 2 - a coarser grind setting. Grind setting will need to be incrementally coarser as the amount of coffee increases.
For batch, we’d recommend grinding around 9 on Ode + SSP, which is 8 on Ode Gen 2 - a coarser setting. Grind setting will need to be incrementally finer if using less coffee.
2. Make sure your Aiden is programmed to the parameters above.
You can enter in your own custom Brew Profile in the “Edit Profiles” menu! You can edit single serve and batch settings under “advanced” at the bottom of the profile editor screen.
4. Rinse your filter
We suggest rinsing your paper filter in the Aiden basket prior to brewing (and if you rinse when the basket is in your Aiden machine, be sure to dump out the excess water from the carafe!)
4. Start your brew!
Once you have your Brew Profile setup in the “Edit Profiles” menu, go back to the main menu, and into “Guided Brew”. You should see your custom Brew Profile if you scroll down!
5. Wait for the chime, swirl, and pour!
Aiden will chime when the coffee is ready to go! Simply swirl your carafe to get all of the good stuff in the coffee mixed evenly, and pour!