Day 6: Costa Rica Las Lajas Black Honey

• 

  Onyx Staff member

  11/16/23, 4:27 PM

  This is a deeply complex honey processed coffee produced by our friends at Las Lajas. The result of this type of fermentation and drying practice creates intense sweetness and clean, silky textures in the cup. With flavor notes of malty fruits and floral honey, this coffee conflates progressive experimentation with traditional cultivation, making it a great offering to feature within the Advent lineup this season.

  Tasting Notes:
  Cherry, Dark Chocolate, Baked Apple, Vanilla

   

  ADVENT OVERVIEW

  BREW GUIDE

  ORIGAMI W/ KALITA 185 FLAT FILTER

  COFFEE: 25G

  WATER: 400G AT 205°F

  GRIND

  7.1 EK43
  490 Microns
  10 Baratza Encore
  4s Baratza Vario+
  16 Comandante C40
  3 Fellow Ode Gen 2

  BREW

  Bloom to 50g
  0:30 - Heavy center pour to 200g
  1:30 - Spiral pour to 300g
  2:00 - Spiral pour to 400g
  ~2:45 drain

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• MP

  Monique Pressley

  12/5/23, 8:50 PM

  I have a question about grind settings for the Fellow Opus...is there anyway you could give those of us who have it a general guide on how the grind setting would change from the Ode to the Opus? I know that they can have two sets of burrs but any advice would help! 

   

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• 

  Jordan Sadler

  12/6/23, 1:10 AM

  @Monique Pressley I don't have that particular grinder but someone directed me to this:

  https://honestcoffeeguide.com/coffee-grind-size-chart/

  You could compare both using that I expect.

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• 

  Jordan Sadler

  12/6/23, 1:58 AM

  Deep smell of cocoa when grinding this one. On the lower end of the spectrum for grind size of the clever dripper I'm using but had no issues with extraction.

  A slightly bitter dark chocolate hit that descends into something more malty and then 20 seconds later it sweetens on the tongue to something a bit more tart in flavour.

  It's a really complex coffee this one. I like it.

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• NV

  Nick Valaitis

  12/6/23, 5:05 AM

  The second i opened the bag of coffee I knew it’s gonna be a good day as the aroma from the coffee beans hit my nose. i’ve been trying not to read the tasting notes until after I’ve had my first few sips try to figure out what flavors I was tasting.

   

  To me, this is a pretty complex coffee, but not overly complex on the pallet . There is a very pronounced honey smell as well as taste. The floral notes of the coffee started to really be pronounced as the coffee cooled down. Also, there's a flavor i cant really make out what it is, but i dont think ive ever had it before. It might be the malty fruits i'm tasting. But this is definitely top 3 favorite of mine

   

  -Brewed on v60

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• MB

  Matthew Barnes

  12/6/23, 9:31 AM

  Fermented coffees have ruined me. It is all I desire anymore. Basking in glory atm. 

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• 

  Danny Lovell

  12/6/23, 9:37 AM

  Although the washed Ethiopian's (Framily, Hambela Bishan Fugu) better align with my taste preferences and were stellar, this may be objectively the most interesting, delicious, and my favorite coffee on the Advent so far! I hesitated using such a low grind size, but followed posted recipe w/ V60 + Ode Gen 2. Draw time was longer, but no stalling. 

  Thinking it's the honey process, but the aromas were intoxicating from the getgo! Opening the bag felt like unboxing fancy chocolates: dark, rich, and candied fruit. Throughout brewing, more subtle baked, spiced Apple. The first sip was silkier than any coffee I have ever had, and the deep cocoa and ripe fruit flavor matched the intensity of the aroma. Aftertaste is consistent with the prior notes, sweet, and not long lasting.

  Interestingly, excluding the nuttiness, this Costa Rica seemingly took the tasting notes that I thought yesterday's Mexico Puebla Zapotitlan #2 failed to deliver on (Dried Cherry, Clove, Silky), and knocked them out of the park. @Nick Valaitis said it well: "...complex, but not overly complex on the pallet". They were very on the nose, I didn't feel the need to read the blog before collecting my thoughts, but in a good way.

  This tastes like it would hold up well in Espresso drinks, so I plan to try an unflavored, fake Flat White with my Moka pot.

  Edit: The milk in the Moka pot beverage drowned out the flavor, but the coffee straight from the Moka pot was delicious, and brought out more vibrant fruit notes I didn't get from filter.

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• ML

  Matt Luniewski

  12/6/23, 9:45 AM

  @Matthew Barnes - As a fellow member of the Concil of Matthews, I agree.

  I also agree with the others, this one was special as soon as I opened the bag. I couldn't place the note of the bean, but it was deep and delightful. After ground- even more so.

  I brewed in the Pulsar, using Scott Rao's recipe. I think I went a little course on the grind- I'm getting pure sweetness in the cup, with a delightful, slightly fermenty fruit notes, almost citrus. I can immagine Pineapple right when it start to get too ripe. Then at the end, I get a lingering complexity of maybe dark chocolate. I'll go courser on my next brew, but this coffee is a delight!

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• MA

  Matthew Abernathy

  12/6/23, 9:46 AM

  @Matt Luniewski @Matthew Barnes   As the third inaugural member of the Council of Matthews, I also agree.

  The initial post-brew smell threw me off, but the coffee was DELICIOUS. I followed the brew guide above. 8/10

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• 

  Craig Collins

  12/6/23, 10:03 AM

  It's like the best dark chocolate hot chocolate ever 

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• CS

  Christian Sanders

  12/6/23, 10:08 AM

  Brewed on Fellow Ode Gen 2 with Stagg X. I slightly altered the recipe and used 20 grams of coffee to 300 mils of water and ground at 2.2 but everything finished at 3 minutes with no issues.

  This is a very beautiful coffee. As it cools down it's opening up a bit more but initial notes for me are raspberry, and dark chocolate. The coffee has a really nice finish. I agree with whoever said the coffee smelled crazy even when opening the bag. This one was really fun.

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• JC

  Josh Campbell

  12/6/23, 10:15 AM

  could tell this was a honey process from the moment i opened the bag. BAM!! punched with aroma.

  1st brew: Espresso for Americano
  I got a lot of juicy peach/nectarine and a little blueberry. Smoothed out while cooling and picked up more vanilla

  2nd brew: V60
  More balanced and smoother but still a good bit of fruit but more like rainier cherry and cola. As it cooled it got pretty dry and more tart.

  Pretty fun coffee, would be fun to blend with the Mexican from yesterday to give it a nutty base to stand on... hmm I wonder if I have any of that left 🤔

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• AC

  Alan Carpenter

  12/6/23, 10:21 AM

  Breville Smart Grinder Pro- Grind size 44

  Chemex

  Today is another good one! I'm getting the initial sweet dark honey smell which is very different than what I expected based on how the beans themselves smelled.

  The taste is as dark as it smells, but in a good way. Definitely bitter chocolate and a finish with some dried fruits. Its also very smooth, not too bitter or acidic

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• 

  Matt Garrett

  12/6/23, 10:47 AM

  @Matthew Abernathy @Matt Luniewski @Matthew Barnes I am in full support of this movement. May the Council of Matthews continue to thrive with your insightful contributions to this forum. As a proud member of the Onyx team, I'm thrilled to say that your voices are not only heard but also valued within our walls. Consider me your ally and inside representative in the wonderful world of Onyx coffee.

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• SU

  Stefan Unertl

  12/6/23, 11:17 AM

  Similar to what others have said, once you open the bag, you know it's gonna be a great coffee to start your day. I initially smelled honey and baked apple, but once I finished brewing, the cherry notes came through and the profile got even more interesting once it cooled down.

  Framily and this one have been my favorites so far!

  ~ brewed with my 1st gen Ode on 3, V60, followed the recipe

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• MJ

  Malcom Jones

  12/6/23, 11:24 AM

  This one was my favorite so far! The cherry notes come through perfectly. It's like having a dark chocolate bar with little pieces of cherry in it.  I've been making these with my Niche (not ideal) and so just scooped a 1Zpresso K-Ultra to use going forward!

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• SSH

  Samuel Seth Hanon

  12/6/23, 11:25 AM

  I pretty much followed the brew guide on this roast with the exception that I used a V60 #1 filter instead of a flat bottom filter and.......I picked up on some citrus notes (like....Navel orange sweetness) and citrus acidity.  Anyone else get this?  Excellent, excellent coffee and possibly my favorite so far.

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• SSH

  Samuel Seth Hanon

  12/6/23, 11:28 AM

  @Matt Luniewski tasted those citrus notes as well!  I was just commenting on this.  Definnitely picked up on a little cocoa and honey, but the citrus notes were really shining through. 

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• CS

  Chris Sully

  12/6/23, 12:24 PM

  @Matthew Abernathy Would you say you were in the general range of the recommended microns size? I was a little hesitant when I saw the range and found it very interesting that they were in that range and were hitting a 2:45 brew time! Curious to know what your results were.

   

  I decided to give the grind size a shot (though hesitant because rarely find myself in this range) but I let go, and let Onyx...

  3.1 on 1zpresso ZP6s
  Orea v3(mk2) w/Orea type G filter
  Followed the Onyx recommended recipe
  ~3:30 brew time

  Though I feel like I could've gone a click coarser, I have to say...I am NOT disappointed!

  the citrus notes I think are spot on, though I would almost describe it as a delicate citrus where the acidity isn't puckering. Reminds me of Mango Tangerine Sorbet from Double Rainbow 🤤 

  CS

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• MP

  Monique Pressley

  12/6/23, 12:36 PM

  @Jordan Sadler thanks for the link!!

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• MA

  Matthew Abernathy

  12/6/23, 1:33 PM

  @Chris Sully I use a Baratza Oncore and hit 2:45 with the recommend grind size (10)

  I typically brew espresso, but purchased a V60 for the calendar and have been loving it. Such a clean cup.

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• DG

  Dakota Graff

  12/6/23, 3:28 PM

  I'm glad to hear everyone is enjoying this coffee. As green buyer, I can always see the people behind the cup, and the folks behind this coffee are truly special. Each time I visit Oscar and Francesca Chacon they are the most gracious and generous host, doing so while running what I consider to be one of the most technologically advanced mills in Central America. 

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• CB

  Chuck Benemerito

  12/7/23, 11:41 AM

  Just found this forum. I've been going through the Advent Calendar too, and this one was my favorite so far as well. Brewed it on a Kalita with Ode Gen 2 @ 3, following the standard recipe. Got the best fruity dark chocolate flavors that I can recall getting in a coffee in years. The mouthfeel raised this one up a level for me - enough body to feel creamy to me. Called this one a stone cold stunner.

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• SS

  Stephen Sallas

  12/12/23, 2:41 PM

  Found this forum a little late as well, but this one is one of the best the calendar has had to offer so far. Intense cherry flavor upon first sip with a semi-sweet chocolate finish to balance everything out perfectly. Great cup!

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