Day 2: Brainwave Finca El Paraiso Rose Tea
Brainwave
About the Beans
| Coffee: | Finca El Paraiso Rose Tea |
|---|---|
| Roaster: | Brainwave |
| Location: | Roxborough, PA |
| Instagram: | @brainwaveroasters |
| Region: | Cauca, Colombia |
| Producers: | Finca el Paraiso |
| Cultivator: | Diego Bermudez |
| Process: | Thermal Shock Semi-Washed |
| Varietal: | Castillo |
| Tasting Notes: | Caramel, berries, rose, grapefruit |
| Price: | $21.00/8oz |
Brainwave is currently on break! Their site is down and so is the link to this coffee, but the details speak for themselves. This is a Thermal Shock Semi-washed Colombian.
From Brainwave’s instagram:
We’re taking a little time off and will be putting the store on pause for a few weeks starting December 15, planning to return mid January. Holiday boxes are being prepared and there might be a couple extra we can list. We’ll still work on fulfilling subscriptions during this time.
To be fully transparent, we’ve been growing at a pace that hasn’t fully allowed us to optimize our process. There’s just two of us running this and we’re learning so much along the way. We often have new ideas, but aren’t really able to try them out while we play catch up on orders. It’s been truly amazing to have so many new friends here and we want to bring our absolute best to the table when getting coffees out.
During our time off, we’re going to be thinking about packaging options, refreshing some stock with some new and crazy coffees, and figuring out how to best optimize our subscriptions to allow us to provide the absolute best experience we can. We’ve been lucky to work with a couple new producers and have some really special coffees from them coming in that we’re delighted to share. It’s also maybe time to start thinking about what a space of our own might look like.
The second reason for this break… our cat has been dealing with some medical issues and has truthfully taken a toll on my mental health. It’s left me in a bit of a fog and it’s a struggle to focus on coffee while his time with us might be limited. It’s been a tough reminder to spend all the time you can with your family, friends, and pets.
The reminder to spend time with family, friends, and pets is resonating pretty strongly this year.
The Story
This is one of a few this year that I haven’t personally visited. It was recommended by a friend (maybe another roaster, hint), but they were awesome to work with. They are also based just outside of Philly and I will make sure I visit the next time I’m down to visit my alma mater. Very excited to have them on the list this year!
Reviews
Seth
Brew:
- No real notes - it ground well, bloomed nicely and laid a really nice bed. Pretty much an ideal pour. Anything better would have required more from me, not the beans.
Drink:
- I didn’t get to taste this one fresh from the pour over due to dealing with a sick kid. Went straight to a stabilized temp in cup, at 55ºC
- This one is much “darker” tasting than Day 1, I get chocolate and caramel notes right up front but it’s clear that it’s still a light roast as there are basically no bitter notes that aren’t accents of the flavors instead of the main show
- No real floral or fruit notes directly, tho I am getting a back-note of dried fruit. Not quite raisin, but in the family
- Looking forward to trying this on second pour
Zack
Strong and sudden flavor off this one. It’s a little harder for me to place. As an espresso it is complex. With milk is where I think this one really shines. It has enough flavor to really stand out. It somehow tastes sweeter with the milk. It’s almost as if the coffee by itself is too much for my taste buds, but adding the milk allows me to fully appreciate it. My latte art is coming up a little in the mini-cortado here, but I think I’m going down to a macchiato tomorrow.
