Welcome to the second installment of the BEAN OF THE MONTH. A short, espresso sized nugget of fun where I get to recommend a great coffee I think you’ll love.
There’s a competition for those who want to win this coffee! Listen to the audio and check out the end of the post to learn how to enter. Entries close 31 July 2022.
July’s Bean of the month is Chilled Out Coffee Roaster's’ Los Azacuances
This month’s BEAN OF THE MONTH is the Los Azacuanes, grown in El Salvador and roasted by Jo from Chilled Out Coffee Roasters.
This coffee has something for everyone, from the everyday coffee drinker who just wants an easy coffee, to the hard core coffee enthusiast.
The Los Azacuanes is well rounded. By that I mean in most brew methods, it has a bit of everything you want from a coffee – a bit of sweetness, a bit of bitterness, a bit of acid – all working in harmony to make a really pleasant and easy to drink coffee.
The great thing about this coffee is that through different brew methods, you can really bring out different characteristics.
In the AeroPress the sweetness shone through. In the stovetop moka pot a pleasant acidity came out. In the plunger, it was juicy and light.
That’s what I really love about this coffee – it’s like three coffees in one, and depending on your mood, you can play with it to taste like nothing else.
My brew recipes
I tried this coffee in a range of brewers, so anyone at home could find a great way to brew it.
So, in no particular order, here’s my brew recipes for this coffee.
AeroPress
20g of coffee - fine/medium grind size
230g of water at 95 degrees
1:45 minute total brew time
Inverted
Do a 70g bloom pour and let that hang for 30 seconds. Then give it a swirl for 15 seconds. At 45 seconds put in the rest of the water so you get a total of 230g of water. Let it rest until 1:45 minutes, put on your cup and press for 30 seconds.
Stovetop Mokapot
28g of coffee - fine-ish grind. No where near an espresso grind. Slightly (slightly) finer than a V60. Don’t go too fine.
280g of water
I have previously written about my Mokapot method. Put boiling water in the bottom chamber, put it all together and let it sit on a low heat on the stove with the lid open. Don’t brew too fast otherwise you’ll burn the coffee. Let it brew and as soon as it starts to splutter everywhere, cool down the chamber. Serve.
Plunger/French press
30g of coffee - medium grind. Shoot for like a Chemex grind. No where near a coarse grind. A solid medium.
500g of water at 95 degrees.
8:00 total brew time.
I used the James Hoffman method. Basically, water onto the coffee, stir, scoop of the scunge, then let it sit for up to 8 minutes. A long time, but worth it. Then plunge down only a small way - the filter is there to keep the big bits out. Serve.
Remember, if you don’t own a French press, you can use an old boot.
Download the brew methods for this month’s BEAN OF THE MONTH
Chilled Out Coffee Roasters
Chilled Out Coffee Roasters is an awesome little roastery, doing small batches of really interesting coffee. Jo launched it during the beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic and its really taking off.
I spoke to Jo back in 2021. He’s a great guy!
Sean, The Drumming Barista, more recently spoke to Jo on the Home Barista Podcast. It’s worth a listen.
Head over to Chilled Out Coffee Roasters, where you can spin the wheel to get some discounts or swag, and pick up a bag of this amazing coffee while you can.
Competition time
If you listen carefully to the audio for this month’s BEAN OF THE MONTH, you’ll hear me butcher a great bass line. If you can pick what that is, you’ll win a 3D printed WDT, and a bag of this month’s coffee. Entries close 31 July.
Comment below with your answer, or drop me a DM on Instagram. It’s hard, so I’ll drop some hints over on Instagram this month.
Thanks for tuning in to this months BEAN OF THE MONTH. I’ve got some great coffees ready to taste and I’m looking forward to sharing some more great coffee!
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