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TastyBox #9: competition edition
Red Tube – Drop
Coffee Name: Las Brumas
Taste Profile: A sweet aroma with juicy flavour notes of peach and a bright, acidic finish of lime juice. The mouthfeel is velvety with an exceptionally clear and light body.
Origin: Apaneca-Ilamatepec Mountain Range, Santa Ana, El Salvador
Producer: Ernesto Menéndez
Variety: Gesha
Process: Natural
Harvest date: 2024
Altitude: 1460 – 2000 meters above sea level
Why did you source this coffee?
Drop Coffee has a long-term coffee relationship with Ernesto Menéndez. We have been buying all coffee from his farm Los Andes exclusively for a decade. However, visiting his Las Brumas, which is a wild forest project, year on year, and slowly seeing coffee cherries grow, planted timid way in the very wild forest in Achupan, Santa Ana, is super interesting. It is a project building of a dream and “naive” philosophy of what coffee production can be and to see what happens to the quality as the coffee is left alone to harmonise fully with nature.
More of the tiny amount of coffee that is still produced in the wild in Ethiopia and Yemen. Of course, we were super eager to try the first coffees from here and have bought them ever since. The Gesha is one Ernesto has done very much undercover, as it is so precious and expressive in a very wild environment with no guards. As every Gesha, we find it opening up more and more year on year.
Brew Recipe
We love to brew this coffee using Kalita drippers. This recipe is for the smaller version, using 15 grams of coffee to 250ml of water. Grind size about 600–800 𝜇𝑚. Water temperature 97°C
1. Start with wetting all the coffee, using 40-50 grams of water. Let the coffee bloom for 25-30 seconds.
2. Add 50-60 grams of water when the coffee stops bubbling.
3. Keep adding 50 grams of water every 30 seconds until you reach 250 grams.
4. The total brewing time, when all the water has passed through the coffee, should be 2:45 – 3 minutes.
Just for fun: If your roastery could be any location in the world (real or fictional), where would it be?
I really feel our Scandinavian roots in terms of flavour and think about the Swedish forest in the bright summer, pinging tart and juicy lingonberries. So I guess a coffee cottage roastery is pretty far up north.
Orange Tube – Coffea Circulor
Coffee Name: Ethiopia Gatta NAX
Taste Profile: Apricot, Mango, Red currant
Origin: Ethiopia
Producer: Daye Bensa / Smallholders
Variety: Heirloom
Process: Natural, Anaerobic
Harvest date: 2025
Altitude: 2,100-2,200 masl
Learn more about Gatta NAX
Home of some of the renowned and rewarded Ethiopian selections, Daye Bensa presents annual consistent harvests.
Gatta Farm has been named after a waterfall which crosses the farm and is landed on a total of 52 hectars. The location of the farm is in the midst of a 100-year-old natural forest. The first coffee trees were planted in 2013 and the drying station was built in 2017. Except for the very coffee trees, it houses a cupping lab, training center, guest residence and drying station.
Daye Bensa works with various communities of out-growers from whom they receive cherries and work with multiple washing stations in the Bensa Sidamo area. Impressive staggering elevations of up to 2,300 meters, the beans are very dense, with heavy concentrations of the smaller screen sizes (the majority of the coffee screen sizes at 13-14). This enable the beans to inhibit a vast amount of powerful characteristics which are released during roasting.
The Gatta NAX consists of hand picked ripe cherries which are floated in buckets upon reception. This procedure removes over-ripe and under-ripe cherries. The cherries are put into sealed fermentation tanks and are then moved to African raised beds to be dried for between 14 and 18 days. The cherries are locally hulled into unsorted beans, and then transported to Addis for final sorting at Daye Bensa’s own dry-mill.
Simen’s preferred brewing method at the World Brewers Cup
Simen Andersen chose to use Gatta NAX with a formula tailored for Hario Switch Immersion with Sibarist FAST filters:
Coffee: 16.5g
Water: 250g @ 93°C, TDS: 78mg/l.
Hario Switch
Abaca filter
Grinding/particle size 800-1,000μ
1 pour, fully immerse, pour in spiral motion to cover all coffee grounds.
At 200g of water, pour more aggressively to agitate.
Finalize with a roundabout to ensure all grounds are covered by the water.
Rest for 3 minutes to ensure consistency and full saturation is uphold.
Tap the brewer gently 3 times before releasing the valve at 03:10.
The contents will drain through the filter to provide clarity.
Rest in decanter for 1 minute, evaluate the aromatics.
Coffea Circulor World Brewers Cup Brewing Method: 1:1:1 “One”.
V60, VCF-01 filters, Comandante 28 click from zero, 10-50 TDS water
20g of coffee + 300g of water
Infusion of 100g of water for 20 seconds, concentric circle pouring.
At 1:00 infuse with additional 100g of water for 20 seconds, concentric circle pouring.
At 2:00 infusion with additional 100g of water for 20 seconds, concentric circle pouring.
Target 3:00 ending time.
Just for fun: If your roastery could be any location in the world (real or fictional), where would it be?
Will tell you when we are there.
Yellow Tube – The Barn
Coffee Name: HIMALAYA MARSELLESA
Taste Profile: Expect sweet tropical fruit and gentle funky character, with notes of mango, strawberry, and grape soda. The fermentation is perfectly judged, with balanced, fruity acidity. The finish brings hints of caramel and vanilla.
Origin: El Salvador
Producer: Mauricio Salaverria
Variety: Marsellesa
Process: Anaerobic
Harvest date: March 25
Altitude: 1550 masl
Why did you source this coffee?
It is fantastic and tastes like tropical juice. In the cooling, it opens up massively and flavours keeps changing in a complex but easy way.
We have been working with Moe (Mauricio) for years. He is a champion in winning Cup of Excellence in El Salvador, but most of all: he listens and he wants to progress. Over the past 15 years or so, he has been working with global leaders both in the barista competition scene but also in processing styles.
Brew recipe
FILTER: 23 clicks on Commandante, medium
WATER TEMP: 92.5 degrees celsius
18 g coffee / 300 ml water
Just for fun: If your roastery could be any location in the world (real or fictional), where would it be?
In Berlin. Coolest city in Europe. 🙂
Green Tube – Quo Coffee
Coffee Name: Finca la Fuente Pink Bourbon
Taste Profile: Green tea, Butterscotch, Fresh Figs
Origin: Tarqui, Colombia
Producer: Yaved Guarnizo & Yobani Ramos
Variety: Gesha
Process: Washed
Harvest date: October, 2025
Altitude: 2100MaSL
Why did you source this coffee?
We’ve worked with Yobani and Yaved for a decade now, and have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them, being guests on their homestead, and drinking their coffees. They operate a small farm in the mountains of Huila which is primarily populated by Pink Bourbon and Colombia trees, interplanted with the natural forest and landscape. This new harvest of Gesha is incredibly sweet, creamy, and berry-forward.
Recipe for Aeropress
15g Coffee / 200g Water
Ratio 1:13,5
Grind: Medium fine, ~24 clicks on Comandante
Microns: ~700
Temp: 97C
1.Brew the Aeropress inverted on a scale, with plunger drawn to the 4 cup mark.
2.Add your ground coffee, start timer and add all 200g of water straight away.
3.Allow to brew for 2 minutes. While waiting, rinse your filter in filter cap on side.
4.At 2 mins give the coffee a stir with a spoon or paddle to “break” the surface.
5.Screw on filter cap, remove from scale and push down to remove excess air.
6.Place caraffe upside down over the aeropress and flip aeropress and server right way up.
7. Plunge out the coffee until all brewed coffee is extracted. If all excess air was removed in step 5, there should be no “hiss”, and therefore minimal aeration.
Just for fun, If your roastery could be any location in the world (real or fictional), where would it be?
This question deserves an essay-long answer if we were to discuss the different difficulties of working with coffee in different markets. Sweden is a highly price-sensitive and industrialized country with a strong coffee culture which often disregards quality over quantity. Interest is growing, but we have a long way to go to reach the market levels of our Scandinavian neighbours. Working in a larger city in Australia would be ideal, which benefits from a high regard for quality, dedication to service, values hospitality as a career, and benefits from strong local support for independent business.
With that said, we’re quite happy with where we’re currently located, as it’s a beautiful area of the country.
Pink Tube – Kissed by Liz
Coffee Name: Bocadillo Veleño
Taste Profile: Strawberry, buttercream and orange
Origin: Narino
Producer: Liz Escobar
Variety: Colombia variety
Process: Double Anaerobic + Mosto / Washed
Harvest date: Sep – Dec 2025
Altitude: 2100 – 2300 MASL
Why do you love this coffee?
I produced this coffee to express my vision of controlled experimental processing at high altitude. The Colombia variety, combined with a carefully managed double anaerobic + mosto washed process, creates aromatic intensity while preserving clarity, structure, and elegance in the cup.
Brew Recipe for V60 02
Brewer: V60 02
Dose: 18 g
Grind size: 750 microns (medium, similar to table salt)
Water: 270 g
Ratio: 1:15
Temperature: 92–93°C
Method:
Bloom with 50 g of water for 35 seconds.
Second pour up to 150 g.
Final pour up to 270 g at 2:00.
Target total brew time: 2:40–3:00.
This recipe highlights juicy strawberry notes, a buttercream-like texture, and a sweet citrus orange finish.
Just for fun, if your roastery could be any location in the world (real or fictional), where would it be?
If my roastery could exist anywhere in the world, it would be in the Nordic north, a cosy structure in the middle of snow and pine trees. From the outside, it would look restrained and architectural, something between a Scandinavian cabin and a contemporary museum.
Inside, it would unfold like a refined version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, not whimsical, but experimental. Stainless steel fermentation tanks at different heights, glass corridors connecting temperature-controlled rooms, slow-moving pumps carrying coffee. Colorfull instalations, soft industrial lighting, polished floors, lab benches covered with refractometers and cupping glasses.
A place where structure meets imagination. Minimal on the surface, radically inventive underneath.
Blue Tube – Europa Kaffe & Te
Coffee name: Mbizi
Taste profile: Berries, stone fruit & floral, the coffee’s flavor profile is fresh and lively, with bright berry notes and a tea-like floral character, balanced by sweetness from stone fruit and an exceptional mouthfeel. We roast Mbizi to a medium roast level to preserve its clear berry notes—such as blackcurrant and red currant—and extend the roast to a medium-long duration of 10–12 minutes to develop the deeper, sweet nuances of cherry and fruit compote.
Origin: Kamonyi, Rwanda
Producer: Womens Coffee Extension
Variety: Red Bourbon
Process: Washed
Harvest date: March to June 2025
Altitude: 1550 – 1800 MASL
Why did you source this coffee?
We truly love this coffee. Building strong, long-term relationships with producers is central to what we do, and 2025 marked our fifth year of collaboration with Women Coffee Extension and their washing station Mbizi—a 100% women-led organization that brings together female coffee farmers and creates new economic opportunities through the production and sale of organic, shade-grown coffee. Many of the women are widows or were orphaned as a result of the 1994 genocide and carry the sole responsibility of supporting their families.
Mbizi initially became part of our range by coincidence, but over time it has grown into an indispensable coffee in our lineup. The story of Mbizi shows that it is possible to produce high-quality coffee without compromising social or environmental responsibility. One cannot speak about Rwanda without acknowledging 1994 and the devastating genocide that claimed the lives of more than one million people and profoundly impacted the country’s coffee sector. Today, coffee has become a symbol of hope and resilience as Rwanda continues its journey of rebuilding and renewal.
Brew Recipe
Brewer: Kinto brewer with rinsed filter
Grind size: A bit finer than filter, try to adjust the grind setting to hit 3:10 min in brewtime.
Water temperature: 95 °
Brewtime: 3:10 min – pour water in 5 intervals incl bloom
Ratio: 1:16 (15 gr coffee to 250 gr water)
Just for fun, if your roastery could be any location in the world (real or fictional), where would it be?
Aarhus is not that bad.