It’s no secret that Theodore’s Coffee Roasters is one of my favorites. I’ve reviewed a ton of their coffee and not had a mediocre one in the bunch and that means a lot! Darwin sent me a thank you bag of Wush Wush recently (thank YOU!) and also included a little tiny sample packet of their current coffee from Burundi. Let’s check it out!
Purchase this coffee directly for $19/12oz
THEODORE’S COFFEE ROASTERS BUKEYE BUHORWA (BURUNDI)
Theodore’s Coffee Roasters is one of those roasters who seem to have the Midaxs touch with the coffees they roast. They simply rock, regardless of where the coffee is from. Hit the links above to learn more about Theodore’s Coffee Roasters and make sure you take advantage of their complimentary shipping!
Today’s coffee is from the Buhorwa washing station in the Bukeye area of Burundi. Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world and currently some 800,000 smallholder (very) farmers produce over 90% of the nation’s GDP in what are essentially backyard gardens with an average of 200 or fewer coffee trees. The interest in the fantastic coffees that can come out of Burundi, exported at specialty coffee prices, can literally change this nation for the better, so I take great interest in the work people are doing in coffee there. The Buhorwa station collects coffee from about 630 farmers, mostly growing Bourbon varieties at around 1780-1890masl. Theodore’s gives us tasting notes of, “apples, sweet cocoa and molasses aromas with notes of sweet apples, milk chocolate, sweet strawberry, sweet cocoa, lemon and caramel.”
This sample packet was just enough to make my standard pourover, so I had one shot with this coffee! I used my standard 1:16 ratio of 28g of coffee to 450g of water. I bloomed about 30 seconds and this one brewed fast, finishing in about 2:35 not including the bloom. I am using a notNeutral Gino dripper with Kalita 185 filter, a Handground grinder set to 3 and Third Wave Water for all my coffee needs.
This is a nice cup. It has so many “warm” flavors and notes. It’s one of those cups of coffee that is so inviting and familiar, but also complex and interesting to drink, too. Despite its fast extraction, I was left with a medium-bodied coffee with a substantial, almost milky mouthfeel. I get a lot of cocoa/semisweet chocolate and baking spices in this coffee. There is an apple juice sweetness and hint of acidity from this coffee, too. Lots of caramel notes in the sweetness, especially as the cup cools. I’m also getting some subtle hints of strawberry in the second half of this sip. This one really is like a liquid cookie for me, though! The “baking spices” are so prevalent… it’s like a sugar cookie with some hints of ginger and nutmeg and cinnamon. There is a little pecan nuttiness in here, too. Man, what a great coffee! It’s very complex, there’s a lot to suss out and try to get a handle, but for coffee drinkers who just want a coffee they don’t have to think about, this fits the bill there, too. The flavors are super familiar and cohesive and inviting and it’s a very easy-drinking coffee despite its underlying complexity. So, if you want to dig in and find all the different things to taste, you can do that, but you can also just enjoy this coffee at its base level of being sweet, clean, warm and delicious. Now are you understanding why I’m a Theodore’s fanboy? LOL
Addendum: as I’m finishing up this review and drinking what is left over of a now cold cup of this coffee, it’s amazing how freaking good it tastes! This is a killer cup of coffee and I really suggest getting on it before it’s gone. It’s reminding me of all the things I like in a darker roast except it’s not a darker roast… there is minimal roastiness with it, but it has that same warmth, comfort, sweetness, etc as I would want from a second-cracked coffee. In the room temp cup I’m getting lots of cinnamon stewed apple flavors. It’s so good!