Diedrich IR5 Analysis by Doris Garrido
Tasting the arrival of this coffee with the traders at the Emeryville office, I got so excited! I usually try not to read the labels beforehand, but when I caught those delicious florals on the dry grounds, I had to make sure this coffee was going to the Crown Jewel program. Sure thing I was about to taste the arrival from the Vohora Family in Tanzania, and everything arrived even better than expected, which was excellent.
I'm always a little nervous when a Gesha is in my hands, hoping I make the right decisions to bring out its aromatics and find the delicate flavors of this cultivar. So, I’ll explain how I approach this coffee.
This is natural Geshas, so during the drying phase I treat the beans delicately, gently adding heat for a soft start, and then pushing it with everything until the color changes before holding the heat as it reaches the last part of yellowing. I look to end with a low rate of rise so I can develop enough taking into consideration that because of the process the coffee may want to take over so I will try to avoid high temperatures to maintain the florals and fruitiness of the coffee.
On the roaster, I charged the coffee at 430°F and waited close to two minutes to turn the gas up to 100%. At 330°F, I dropped the gas to zero, opened the airflow at 360°F, and brought back the burners at 370°F, to maintain the roast going, since I got the full airflow going. The coffee cracked at 384°F and developed for 1:28 minutes, ending at 402.9°F.
The florals were there, hiding a bit, but definitely present during the cupping just a couple of hours after roasting, so I was happy and hoping the coffee would open up even better in a couple of days. Overall, the coffee was bright with flavors of nectarine, peach, and a lot of citruses. On the sweetness, I got a honeysuckle, a subtle tea-like body, and a touch of herbal notes.
