Today I’m looking at the second coffee in my monthly subscription service from Japan, Glitch Coffee & Roasters Rwanda Coko. I reviewed Glitch’s Yirgacheffe last week and I liked it, so I was excited to try out this Rwandan. This was the first shipment of coffee from the Kurasu X Good Coffee subscription that I am paying about $20/month for. With that subscription level I get two 100-gram packets of coffee from that month’s roaster. There is also a 400-g total option for about $35/month. The coffee roasted on 9/26 and was in Kansas City on 10/2, so no worries about the speed of shipping and the freshness of the coffee!
Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this coffee as much as I did the Yirgacheffe. I think it is a bit too light for my tastes, which is not something I say often, but applies in this case. The Coko had an almost “cinnamon roast” appearance in the bag and when I inhaled the fragrance all I got back was grass, often a sign of underdevelopment. But, dry fragrance only tells you so much, so the proof is in the brewing. The tasting notes offered by Glitch for this coffee are, “apple, cinnamon, green tea.” There is definitely some apple-like acidity in the flavor that with some sips leveled up to a soft lemon character. I did gets notes of something spice-like, and I think it would fit that cinnamon note. I also, unfortunately, got a fair amount of what I consider grassiness in the flavor. It certainly could be described as being similar to “green tea” with an emphasis on the green because the two aren’t totally dissimilar, but it left me feeling a bit sour and with a dry, almost astringent feeling on my tongue. The green tea notes are very apparent once the coffee cools to close to room temperature and I think I liked the coffee best at this temp, actually.
I’ve had my share of truly under-roasted coffees and I don’t think that’s what’s going on here. Glitch is owned and operated by a seasoned coffee professional and I can only assume that this is the coffee he liked in his profiling roasts, so like many things it comes down to personal taste. Where his palate is finding delicious, clean and light elements of green tea and apple, mine is finding something a little less pleasant.
Based on these two coffees, it is evident that Glitch is aiming for the “Nordic” style of roasting, going as light as you can safely go without forgetting to roast the beans! In the case of the Yirgacheffe, this worked great for my palate and I enjoyed the results, but the Coko just didn’t land for me. No worries, that’s really what a subscription like this is all about. Would it be nice to absolutely LOVE every single coffee that comes my way? Of course, but that can’t always happen. Another taster may have this same coffee and tell me I’m crazy, that it’s perfect, and that’s the subjective nature of coffee!