Sunday, June 22, 2014

Mugged: Ethiopia Sidamo and Cat's Pajamas [Compelling and Rich]

Subject: Compelling and Rich Specialty Coffee
Coffees Mugged and Rating [see key]:
- Cat's Pajamas Blend 5+
- Ethiopia Sidamo Bokasso Coop 5+

It's refreshing to see folks with drive, passion AND delicious results. Some people throw around some great rhetoric, but unless it's paired with stellar outcomes (or at least some hardy efforts at those outcomes), it's hard to take a company seriously. 

Such was the case with Compelling and Rich, a small coffee roaster located in the Los Angeles area that's been around for about 2.5 years. At first glance I can't say I was awed with anything in particular, but after some conversing and research, I noticed a zeal paired with knowledge that smacked of likely excellent beans. When they recently offered to send out two of their coffees, I gleefully agreed so to see the pudding's proof. Upon their arrival I opened each fantastically-designed resealable bag and took each coffee to town via pourover, french press and siphon. 

The first coffee was Cat's Pajamas Blend, a fusion of beans from Antioquia, Colombia and Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. The pourover displayed Honey Nut Cheerios, watercress, pear, nougat, peanuts, dandelion greens, Dr. Pepper and nutmeg, making for a flavor-packed coffee with a light/medium body. The french press still rang out with the honey, nuts and slight dandelion greens, but proved a tad different, with more notes of cocoa, fig and cream (still great though). The siphon sang out still different notes, this time more of cola and honeysuckle, but still consistent in the dandelion greens, cream and sweet nuttiness. All in all, a delicious coffee, a networks of flavors and sweetness. 

The second batch was their Ethiopia Sidamo Bokasso Coop, a wet-processed coffee known for its bright sweetness. Oddly, the pourover didn't have a tremendous amount of the usual acidity I had expected, but instead had a delicious array of rich milk chocolate, heavy cream, graham cracker, a touch of dill and t-bone, making for a seductively luscious brew. The french press delivered on the bright expectations, with notes of raspberry accompanying the chocolate, heavy cream, birch and slight spring mix. The siphon rang out lemon, chocolate, honey, hefeweizen, dill and spring mix, making for a sultry mix of bright notes, rich dessert-esque flavors and slight leafy wafts. Again, a tremendous coffee. 

In a day and age when every single coffeehouse is turning into a coffee roaster, it's always nice to interact with a roaster that offers stunning craft to their beans. Definitely give Compelling and Rich a go next time you're looking to try someone new. 


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