Aside from offering material for a semi-regular writing exercise, subscribing to Fellow Drops has turned out to be quite the treat for the coffee aficionado side of me. I’ve acquired several bags of unique coffees the past few weeks and have been continually pleased. I happened to purchase two bags of this particular coffee simply because I like the color blue…and am I ever glad I did. KILONOVA, by BIGFACE coffee roaster, is one of the greatest coffees to ever bless my senses.
The packaging imparts a great first impression right away. It gives a sense of substantiveness, almost like holding an unopened Macbook. Upon opening the box, you’ll be greeted with an olfactory sensation akin to entering a room containing a freshly baked pie.
The dry grounds offer the next layer of the experience: a rich burst of ripe peach, delivering an intense yet gentle sweetness with a hint of enticing acidity.
I loosely followed the James Hoffmann Aeropress recipe, as I so often do: 1:18 ratio, steep two and a half minutes. He suggests 11g coffee to 200g water; I tend to prefer 15g to 270g, though if I’m in one place all day, I may opt for 11g and more brews through the day. The dose is driver’s preference.
I somewhat regret that I didn’t immediately write my first impression of the flavor notes, as I’ve now been nursing this bag of coffee for over a month and the explosively potent vortex of flavor has begun to wane slightly. Even so, the quality of this coffee still warrants risking an afternoon cup.
KILONOVA is a blend of washed coffees from Colombia and Ethiopia, with suggested tasting notes of stone fruit, blackberry, and honeysuckle. I do recall more robust fruitiness when the bag was newer. Now that it’s several weeks rested, I perceive the peanut husk note I love from a lot of Ethiopian coffees. There is an aromatic note that leaves behind a mouth-watering acidity, similar to what I experience when I bite blackberry seeds. There is also a texture and sweetness of brown butter. These flavors mellow out and become more balanced as the cup cools.
Hoffmann’s recipe calls specifically for boiling water. I couldn’t help but brew a second cup, this time at 210 F. Increasing brew temperature and steep time does help to pull out more of the label’s tasting notes from this roast.
KILONOVA is a 10/10 roast that handily earns its place in my personal top 10 (possibly top 5) favorite coffees of all time.
A link to this amazing coffee (but please do leave some for me!!):
BIGFACE KILONOVA