Thursday, August 06, 2015

Mugged: 3fe



Subject: 3fe Coffee
Coffee Mugged and Rating [see key]:
- Nicaragua Finca La Escondida: Perla Negra Red Catuai 5+
- Bolivia Finca David Vilca: Yellow Honey Caturra 6+

Long have I yearned to visit the ancient streets of Dublin. Possessing both rich Irish ancestry and an ardent love of European history, a visit to the Emerald Isle has remained out of my grasp. In the meantime while I plan my foray across the pond, I was recently able to experience the next best thing: fresh, whole bean coffee from one of Ireland's better roasters, 3fe Coffee.

While European-roasted coffee on the North American continent is becoming more accessible, it's still a rare treat to see such coffee on my table. I had received two promising offerings from 3fe: Nicaragua Finca La Escondida: Perla Negra Red Catuai, and their Bolivia Finca David Vilca: Yellow Honey Caturra. Each I sampled by pourover, french press and siphon.

The Nicaragua stepped up first. The pourover whispered sweet chocolate, pear, butter, corn muffin and wheat grass within a medium body, proving sweet and hearty. Similarly delicious, the french press cranked out chocolate, corn muffin, fig, hefeweizen, butterscotch and slight cashew. The siphon capped off the series with notes of honey, corn muffin, fig, butterscotch, strong walnut and wheat in a medium body. All together, this was a coffee full of sweet, grain-esque notes that resonated smoothly and swiftly. 

The Bolivian represented second in order, but first in my heart, as it was definitely the the smoother and more bombastic of the two lots. The pourover sang of raw honey, corn flakes, caramel, nougat, fig and slight romaine in a light/medium body. The french press went in a slightly different direction, though equally sumptuous, relaying honey, fig, roasted tomato, milk, nougat, slight romaine and pie crust. The siphon sealed the trifecta, with sweet notes of honey, chocolate, milk, roasted almond and fluffy angel cake in a medium body.  

Much like all great coffee, these beans did not last long. I can say that having had a taste of Dublin coffee, my urge to land on Irish shores has only amplified. Thus, if you're fortunate enough to visit Dublin or to have access to 3fe's wares, make a bee line for some of their great coffee.


note: coffee was provided somewhat free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.

No comments: