Don Francisco's | Gavina Gourmet Coffee | Old Havana Espresso Coffee Pods | Coffee Notes

Good day sippers!
Today I will be sharing with you some coffee notes from a coffee company by the name of Don Francisco's. I will share with you my personal findings of their Gavina gourmet coffee line. These notes are specific to the ESE pods, also know as Easy Serving Espresso. The particular cafe we will report on is their own personal family blend "Old Havana" espresso.

This is what Gavina says about their espresso
Old Havana Espresso was created by our master roaster in the old country, following our family's 135 year tradition of roasting authentic Cuban espresso. Sip it rich, short and strong — add a cube of sugar to sip it Cuban style. Packed airtight for freshness

I tested this espresso over a three month span. Shows how rigorous and serious our test are here at #BODY bean development & @CushCoffee Labs. The purpose of these tests were for 1st and foremost,quality, then for consistency.Of course it would have been harder to test had the espresso been in regular bean packaging. Each espresso pod is packed individually for maximum freshness. That's what the product promises to deliver.

Inspection of the packaging
The packs are sealed airtight, no degas valve of any sort.The pack also has some play in it, where it's not completely flat there is gas from the ground coffee within the pod.There was no indication on their website that they packed the pods with other gas to stabilize or maximize the freshness or shelf life. Coffee can give off gases weeks after it has been roasted. Before I get too technical, let me get to my coffee notes. Let's talk delivery and taste.

Upon opening each pod pack I did an inspection for aroma consistency. I picked up light spice aroma, as well as citrus and heavy cherry on the fragrance. These notes were consistent throughout my three month testings. It's safe to say in the fragrance/aroma department the espresso delivery was consistent, time after time.

Appearance
Everyone in the coffee world says the perfect espresso should be a balance of creama and taste.
For those unfamiliar, creama is the actual top layer of foam created in the espresso brewing cycle. Also this is to be the mark of what espresso is, so no creama, no espresso or bad espresso. I'm no espresso expert, just saying what the professionals say. With that being said all of the shots I pulled delivered a smooth velvety well textured bronze creama. It is also safe to say that this espresso passed in the delivery of appearance.It looked like an espresso. Personally I'm about the taste. Let's get down to the sip!

Taste
The cup aroma mimicked the dry pod smell test, only a bit more intensified. The fragrance held that citrus smell, as well as the cherry and light spice, even got a bit of caramel in the nose.
The sip was very alive - a nice citrus zing that makes you get goose bumps upon sipping it. Not to mention it has a mouth watering element when combine with the cherry flavor. It really makes you think. Cherry, lemon yes a sweet, cherry, lemon, light spice with hidden caramel complexities. A nice balance of flavor contrasts that compliment the cup. This is not your "standard" dark roasted, burnt, smokey espresso. This one has character and is packed conveniently in an ESE pod for your travelling or just for an easy clean up at home.

Recommends
I would highly recommend this espresso for someone who is looking for something different,or change in taste profile from your "standard normal" espresso. You can't beat the quality and convenience of this espresso pod. Trust me, I know my stuff, take my word. I only mention this, because I know there are critics out there who challenge the science of ESE technology. It's as consistent as it gets - never over or under extract again. I also challenge anyone that has a home espresso machine that is ESE compliant to try them. I'll even send you a couple for free to try and comment back here with your results. Lastly, I would like to say I smoke a cigar occasionally and love pairing with a variety of coffees. I recommend this espresso blend to my cigar lovers. This pairs great with medium cigars, add a dash of sugar and you'll be transported back to "Old Havana" Best of all, it does come in whole bean form as well!

Anyone wishing to take the Gavina taste test challenge, leave a comment below indicating your interest or contact me via twitter @BaristaOnDutY. Espresso pod packs are limited, so its a 1st come 1st serve. Remember you must have a home or professional espresso machine that is ESE compliant to use these pods. Thanks guys! Until next time, stay sipping! Peace & Love Ur #BODY

Special Note: This review exercises the capabilities of #BODY. We offer roasted coffee, green coffee evaluations, equipment evaluations as well as consulting services. For product evaluations send products to contact info below or contact us directly for inquiry or other needs via website Thanks!


MiltonMade #BODY-CushCoffee
158 Milton St
Folkston, GA 31537

Kohana Coffee | Slow Roasted Coffee | Waialua Estate Select Reserve | Coffee Notes

Good day happy sippers!

Today I bring to you a coffee from a well known coffee region known for having some of the highest priced coffees, as well as top rated in taste tests. Today I bring to you Waialua Estate - Select Reserve from none other than the coffee gurus at Kohana Coffee . The same guys that are known for their exclusive Hawaiian coffee lots as well as putting the "slow down" in a cup of coffee.

I received my coffee a few days before Christmas, so I had the perfect coffee gift. However, I have been so busy with farming and coffee life in general, I hadn't had a chance to "slow down" and sip the coffee until today. What a perfect 'Friday unwind and relax' coffee to do it with. Before I go any further, I would like to thank the whole Kohana Coffee Team for sending me this great coffee.  Also for all the hard work they are putting into their products and the efforts with farming sustainability. Thank you, Nate For your motivation and grind time hustle. To Piper, thanks for your inspiration, words of encouragement, and believing in me, you are appreciated.

Tasting time! I'll start now with my method of madness, so that you can better understand my notes. I started with about 14grams of coffee. I used my Virtuoso Baratza grinder set on 30 to get a coarse grind. I used my small 10 ounce french press as my brewer of choice. I also used hot water temperature of 200 degrees with a steep time of 4 1/2 minutes. Also to note - a little stir at the end of the hot water pour to ensure all grounds are properly wet. Some stir at the end of the steeping cycle, neither method is right or wrong. It's all about you and your taste preferences, and what yields you your "best" extraction.

Waialua Estate Select Reserve

The first thing I noticed was the sweet, toasty, & nutty aroma. I found it to be very enticing - a 'take a deep breath' kind of moment. I then noticed the color of the beans. My eyes detected a medium roast, with very slight oil in the appearance.

After grinding the coffee I noticed a heavy cherry fragrance with a slight citrus smell, accompanied by the toasted nuttiness. The cherry fragrance stood out the most. I'm thinking because this was a dry/natural processed coffee. Meaning that the beans had more contact with the fruit of the bean. In this case the beans are sun-dried on the plant, then processed.

Stirred French Press Of Kohana Coffee

My initial tastes of this coffee, was a nice bright cup! Not overwhelmingly bright, but the acidity play was alive, very vibrant. This coffee had a nice balance of cherry flavors, rustic toasted nuts, and a subtle back end of chocolate, with the citrus remaining on the tongue. This coffee had a nice clean finish, almost as if it's requesting sip after sip, to remain in the moment.

As this coffee cooled, it became sweeter. I also noticed more fruity play. I picked up some date nuances, as well as some light cinnamon. This coffee truly tells the story of an Island coffee, provided you have the time to slow down and listen. I took this coffee one  step further and put just a little sugar in to see how it would change. All I can say is wow! I then got some extra notes of sugar cane, which I know a lot about sugar cane, having growing up on a farm, and harvesting it. I did some research and found that, this coffee was grown on lands that was used to grow sugar cane years ago. I thought that was a great find in my coffee cup. I wont speculate whether the coffee picked up those notes from the grounds or the way it was processed. I will say this, it's not everyday you find a coffee, even after adding sugar with sugar cane notes.

Overall, this was an excellent coffee. I would recommend having it in the evening time. I only say this because, you want to be able to enjoy the coffee. This is a limited coffee, I highly recommend it. For $15.73 a 12oz bag of great tasting Hawaiian coffee, You cant go wrong!



Kohana Coffee Cup Notes: Dried fruit fragrance, smooth, full body chocolate character and strong pleasant finish.


Additional BODY Drip Coffee Notes: Dark deep fruit, more berry than fruity, chocolate, with mild acidity finish. A well balanced cup, straight forward complexity.




Special Note: I received this coffee from Kohana Coffee, as a gift. I was not paid or asked to do a coffee review. I use this review as a "Thank You" & to exercise the capabilities of #BODY. We offer roasted coffee, green coffee evaluations, equipment evaluations as well as consulting services. For product evaluations send products to contact info below or contacts us directly for inquiry or other needs via email Thanks!




#BODY CushCoffee     Or     MiltonMade Reviews
P.O Box 4                              158 Milton St
Folkston, GA 31537              Folkston, GA 31537