Processing methods & blends (Part 3)

El Salvador Finca Argentina – Three Processing Methods

Following on from the last blog post, here's how they tasted to me in comparison with each other.  

There's also a bag of Cascara from the same beans.
More on this another time!

Washed – French Press

Whilst waiting for the French Press to brew I decided to knock out a quick shot of espresso with the Washed beans.  The result? It’s quite simply like no other shot I have ever tasted!  (I usually only drink blends rather than single origin espresso, so there’s one reason right there.)  The predominant flavour is definitely some sort of fruit.  The tasting notes on the bag mention sweet “oranges and pomegranate”... dunno... could be those. Damn my brain – it doesn’t seem to be on speaking terms with my taste receptors! But the colour in my head is a soft yellow, maybe pink, so maybe it’s apricot.  There’s almost a fizz in my mouth and on my lips too... like that popping candy/space dust.  A complete absence of bitterness, ‘creamy’ as the bag says, and actually my mouth feels somehow clean, but not in an astringent way... more like after you’ve eaten a granny smiths apple, but less acidic than that.  Good God, I won’t be getting any invitations to judge the Cup Of Excellence any time soon, will I?!

OK, now for the French Press.  Again not bitter but not what I’d call sweet.  Immediately I think I need to work on the extraction a little more next time. Very bright – tea-like.  It’s cooling now and I think that fruitiness is starting to come out, along with the same ‘zing’ as the espresso, but more subdued.  Now the colour in the old noggin is green, like limes, which might be because of the combination of fruit and nice acidity. Not tart. Looking at the Tasting Wheel I’d pick out the word Nippy.  Souring a bit as it cools though, and maybe nuttiness towards the end.  Yep - fruity, clean and nippy, like an octopus salad or thai crabcakes with sweet chilli sauce!!

Natural – French Press

It’s about 10 days later now and it’s maybe it’s just me but I think it’s becoming more difficult to pick out the differences between the different bags/processes. But the natural beans definitely have more body, less acidity and less clarity than the washed. Mental colours are dark, which matches the “liquorice and black grapes” mentioned on HasBean’s tasting notes.  There is some astringency in the mouthfeel, but it’s not unpleasant.  Sweet grapefruit.  “Chewy” – yes, that’s true too.  Shoelaces! (In a good way.)  Erm... banana skins, if that makes sense.

I’m currently drinking both the natural and the washed, for comparison. As they cool it is becoming clear that the washed beans have lost some of their brightness since roasting but the natural bag has not. Maybe I’ve had the bag of washed beans open to the air more.  Anyway, the natural now has more body AND more brightness/acidity than the washed currently does.  It’s a good balance.

Pulped – French Press

A few days later now and I’m having the pulped alongside the natural.  A few sips of each to season my mouth first, and then I went from the pulped... a light mouthfeel... to the natural... and felt like a half-kilo weight had landed on my tongue.  Slight exaggeration, but the difference between the two is huge.  The pulped is quite stunning.  I’m struggling to type because I just want my hand free to drink!  If this was a meal, the natural would be a lovely beef Sunday dinner with gravy, and the pulped would be a warm pidgeon rocket salad with small lardons, walnuts.  I do get the “sweet, chololate, smooth and creamy” tasting notes. Also, all three bags share a common fruity aroma that isn’t quite tart enough to be called citrus but is in that area. Maybe apple.  No sugar necessary, whatsoever.  It’s like having the walls of your mouth massaged by a small Thai lady!  As it cools it becomes even tastier, as is usual, but the good thing is it doesn’t seem to go sour at all.  Amazing.  I feel uplifted by it, like some sort of fresh juice or tonic.  My favourite of the three.

Next up, blending them.  With the rich depth of the natural and the brightness of the washed and pulped, this might just work!