Roast #32: Coffee Club V5

Orange (Awesome) Blossom, Peaches, and Funk.

Last edited: 01/13/2023

• Removed presale link

I'll be editing this post as I figure out things for general release. If you're here to buy into the presale, read on.

V5.

This one feels special.

Many changes are happening in the background, and V5 feels like it could be an inflection point that propels this project forward (or backward 🥲).

It's just a gut feeling — regardless, this one feels important.

Some big changes with this one:

• I will not be roasting V5 in my kitchen with my Aillio Bullet but rather on a rented Diedrich IR-5 over at Multimodal.

• This will be the first time in 5 years, since moving to NYC, that I’ve found a reason to rent a car (pick up coffee from NJ warehouse, lug stuff to/from Multimodal).

• I will create and execute a wholesale strategy now that I can roast more.

  • But “pretty” packaging is still lacking, so I won't put too much pressure on myself here.

• I will be shoring up the business components of this project (insurance, business bank account, etc.)

• The beans for V6 have been picked out, so we'll see how that affects things.

Paolo showing me how the Diedrich IR-5 works

In my V4 reflection survey post, I mentioned decreasing fulfillment times. I intend to keep this for the general release of V5. But separate from general release, I plan to offer a presale opportunity to buy in now (at a discount) with the tradeoff of not receiving it until I have more things finalized.

I'm opening a "presale" because I'm honestly nervous about how this version will go. I've put down a good chunk of money for it, and I would find it helpful to have some indication of how this might turn out.

One of my future goals is to offer a subscription. But that can only seriously happen once I can guarantee delivery at a set cadence. To help ensure that, I've decided to buy coffee for future coffee box versions (V6, etc.) ahead of time so once I finish one, I can immediately start on the next one. At the moment, I have committed to buying six different coffees (V5 + V6) and intend to pay for 5 of them upfront.

Why not buy them closer to when you need them?

The main reasons are that I want to avoid the coffee being out of stock when I do need it (which happened twice in V4) and to save on shipping.

What’s in these two boxes is probably the most valuable thing in my apartment right now.

But buying close to 300 pounds of high-quality coffee isn't cheap, and the amount I've shelled out feels scary. I guess this will be my "maxed out my credit card"-like (haven't yet) story I'll get to share if I ever make it. 🥲

V5 Presale:

The presale is over as of 01/13/2024. We will be setting up a popup for south brooklyn!

(Link to buy coffee club V5) — note, you’ll need the `PRESALE_V5_15` discount code to get the 15% off. It will get applied at checkout.

What the discount should come out to

The pricing model is the same as V4 with some changes:

• the 240g option has a 15% discount (instead of 10%) against the 120g option.

  • (120g_price * 2 * 0.85)

• the total for both boxes has a 15% presale discount

  • At general release, they'll be priced at $34.50 and $58

If, for whatever reason, you want to back out and get a refund, just DM me and I’ll refund you no questions asked. The purpose of this presale isn’t to lock you in.

Pricing for V5

V5 is the most expensive box I've assembled. High-quality coffee is expensive, and it should be, considering the care, thought, and work farmers put into their craft.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to DM on ig (@thoughtfulcoffeenyc) me or e-mail me at thoughtfulcoffeenyc[at]gmail.com.

Now for what you all are here for:

High Ferment Natural Catimor:

Photo of Mr. Dong // credit to @rvchelkeen

Origin: China
Region: Menglian County, Yunnan
Farm: Bai Ma
Farmer: Laicheng Dong
Varietal: Catimor
Processing: High Ferment Natural
Elevation: 1350 masl
Profile: Heavy funk
Ease to brew: Easy (would go well with a percolation-style brewer)
Cost for us per lb (including transport): ~$8.21

(shipping is an estimate at the moment, since I'll need to rent a car to drive to NJ to pick up)

About the coffee:

High-ferment to Yunnan Coffee Traders (YCT) is a double fermentation. The cherries sit in ecotact bags for 2-3 days, then are spread out to dry until they reach 40% moisture. The cherries are then bagged again for 4-5 days and do final drying on raised beds in a parabolic dryer for 28 days.

My thoughts:

I spent close to two hours trying to write my thoughts on this section. To explain why this coffee means a lot to me, I'd have to get pretty personal, and I'm not entirely comfortable with that here 🥲.

So, I'll just say, I'm excited that China is coming into the coffee-growing scene, and I'm happy I can share a bit of my culture with you all.

Double Anaerobic Washed Orange Bourbon

Wilton Benitez

Origin: Colombia
Region: Cauca
Farm: Granja El Paraiso 92
Farmer: Wilton Benitez
Varietal: Orange Bourbon
Processing: Double Anaerobic Washed Fermentation w/Thermalshock.
Elevation: 1900masl
Profile: Floral, Lightly Sweet, Orange Blossom-like
Ease to brew: Medium (likely will need an immersion-style brewer)
Cost for us per lb (including transport): $14.11

About the coffee:

The coffee was first carefully screened by its density and size. The qualifying coffee underwent sterilization under UV, then cleaned and washed. The first fermentation phase was for 52 hours in bioreactors, adding a specific strain of yeast (Saccharomyces pastorianus) to bring out the fruity notes. The cherries were then de-pulped and put under a second fermentation for 42 hours. The coffee then underwent a thermal shock process where the coffees were immersed in 40C water, then removed and placed into 12C water. This drop in temperature helped minimize oxidation by "shocking" the bean and closing the pores of the parchment. The cherries were dried in a mechanical dryer until ideal moisture content was achieved.

My thoughts:

I don't think I've ever tasted the flower "orange blossom," but if I were to guess, this coffee would have hints of it. This coffee has delicate qualities; it's not as punchy and citrus-forward as typical oranges (think the honey pink bourbon w/orange peels) but more floral and light tea-like in sweetness.

Black Honey Peach Co-ferment Caturra

Photo of Sebastian Ramirez

Origin: Colombia
Region: Quindío
Farm: Fincas El Placer
Farmer: Sebastian Ramirez
Varietal: Caturra
Processing: Black Honey w/Peach Co-ferment
Elevation: 1744masl
Profile: Sweet Peach
Ease to brew: Easy (would go well with a percolation-style brewer)
Cost for us per lb (including transport): ~$16.25

About the coffee:

Ramirez explains that this coffee was produced using a co-fermentation process that involved wine yeast, dehydrated fruit, and fruit glucose, resulting in a distinct peach flavor profile. First, the cherries were collected and classified, then they underwent anaerobic fermentation using wine yeast for 120 hours. Next, the de-pulped cherries were subjected to a 72-hour anaerobic fermentation with CO2 injection and the addition of dehydrated fruit and fruit glucose.

Throughout the process, pH levels were continuously monitored, and the coffee was dried slowly and carefully in marquesinas at 40 degrees Celsius.

My thoughts:

This is a well-done co-ferment. I sometimes get skeptical about the co-ferment hype (looking at you mr. banana co-ferment...), but this one is well-done. I suggest going coarse to get more toned-down sweetness while still expressing the "peach" note.

Thank you's:

• I want to dedicate this time’s thank you to my buyers:

  • To those of you who buy because you enjoy my coffee, thank you — it means a lot that you view the quality of my coffee as so. Your support validates my work and what I'm doing and keeps me going.

  • To those of you who buy not for the coffee but to support me and this dream, thank you — you probably hate light-roast coffee, but you still buy it because you want to support me. Thank you, and know that I treasure your support.