One of the most remarkable whiskies I have ever tasted came from Tasmania... from an independent bottler Heartwood Malt Whisky. The spirit was named "Conviction Redemption II", contained a remarkable 72% ABV (it took a number of weeks for me to tolerate the mouthfeel of such a high alcohol bottling), and its most startling flavour note was that of popcorn.
I mention this whisky because I am constantly looking for things which push the edges of the flavour spectrum I'm used to.
Earlier this week Cata Export held a cupping at Beta café in Surry Hills. I had never heard of Cata before this and was only aware because one of my old green bean dealers has recently moved to work with Cata. This Colombian coffee house specialises in high quality microlots and features the most bespoke coffee import model I've ever experienced. One of their key differentiators is that they get to know the roaster's palate well and can therefore specifically suggest microlots that they hold at origin.
Two coffees stood out to me in this cupping. One from Pitalito, Huila featuring mult-stage controlled fermentation, progressive washing and slow controlled drying - this coffee featured the most delicate red fruits I've experienced in quite a long time. The second was from Acevedo, Huila utilising cherry oxidation, yeaast and blackberry must, double fermentation and thermal shock processing - this was a really robust and yet elegant coffee which had the most amazing flavour note of Thai red curry!!!
We now have strong relationships with quite a few importers of beans that stray towards the wild side in terms of flavour profile. If this floats your boat then stay tuned... your best source of early access will be the monthly release of our Coffee Prototypers product.
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To understand cross modal effects on perception click here