Wine-Aroma Coffee: Flavor Characteristics of Honduras Barrel-Fermented Coffee and Colombia San José Coffee Beans

Professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

Coffee flavors are incredibly diverse, ranging from floral and fruity aromas to fermented notes and more. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will explore coffees with wine-like aromas. Beyond the well-known Honduran Sherry and Lychee Orchid coffee beans, Colombian San Jose Estate coffee beans also exhibit different wine-like characteristics.

Whiskey-Aroma Coffee Beans & Brandy-Aroma Coffee Beans

The whiskey-aroma and brandy-aroma coffee beans that FrontStreet Coffee acquired come from Finca Moca in Masaguara, Honduras. Masaguara is a municipality located in the Intibucá province of Honduras, situated in the southern part of the Jesús de Otoro valley, surrounded by mountains and hills. It is primarily dedicated to coffee growers, serving as the main economic driver for the local economy. The corresponding areas in the valley are devoted to growing basic grains and livestock. The origin of its name: according to Mr. Alberto Membreo's "Indigenous Place Names," Masaguara means "place of deer." Finca Moca is just a small estate in the high-altitude region of Masaguara.

FrontStreet Coffee's two Honduran wine-aroma coffee beans both undergo barrel-aging processing, with the difference being the use of different wine barrels for fermentation. FrontStreet Coffee's Sherry and Lychee Orchid beans use refined washing + whiskey sherry barrels/rum barrels for fermentation. Freshly picked coffee cherries are first refined washed, then placed in sherry-aged barrels/rum barrels for low-temperature fermentation for 30-40 days (temperature approximately 15-20°C), followed by shade drying.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Recommendations & Cupping Reports

Sherry Coffee Bean Roasting

Using Yangjia 800N roaster (300g batch size), drum temperature at 190°C, heat at 140, damper at 3; turnaround point at 1'42", damper opened to 4 when drum temperature reaches 140°C, heat unchanged; drum temperature at 151.8°C when bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, entering dehydration phase. When drum temperature reaches 150°C, adjust heat to 120, damper unchanged; at 8'38", bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black spots, toast aroma clearly transitions to coffee aroma, can be defined as prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the first crack sound, which starts at 9'07", damper opened to 4, develop for 2'10 after first crack, discharge at 195°C.

Through cupping, FrontStreet Coffee found that Sherry coffee beans have rich whiskey aroma in the dry fragrance, vanilla aroma in the wet fragrance, with notes of whiskey, smooth vanilla cream, berry acidity, and lingering flavors of dark chocolate and honey.

Lychee Orchid Coffee Bean Roasting

Using Yangjia 800N roaster (300g batch size), drum temperature at 120°C, heat at 140, damper at 3; turnaround point at 1'32", damper opened to 4 when drum temperature reaches 140°C, heat unchanged; drum temperature at 152.6°C when bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, entering dehydration phase. When drum temperature reaches 151°C, adjust heat to 120, damper unchanged; at 8'00", bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black spots, toast aroma clearly transitions to coffee aroma, can be defined as prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the first crack sound, which starts at 9'17", damper opened to 5, develop for 2'10 after first crack, discharge at 195°C.

Through cupping, FrontStreet Coffee found that Lychee Orchid coffee beans have vanilla cream in the dry fragrance, lychee in the wet fragrance, with notes of brandy, the sweet and sour taste of lychee flesh, and lingering flavors of dark chocolate and honey.

Rum-Aroma Coffee Beans

The rum-aroma coffee beans that FrontStreet Coffee acquired come from Finca San Jose Estate in the Caldas region of Colombia. Caldas is located in central-western Colombia, situated in the Central Cordillera of the Andes Mountains, with the Magdalena River to the east and the Cauca River to the west. Finca San Jose Estate is a long-established estate located in Caldas province in central Colombia, with abundant sunshine and an average annual temperature between 21°C-25°C. One day, the estate's owner Monsalve Botero, while accompanying her husband (who makes rum oak barrels and brews rum) in filling rum distillate for fermentation, suddenly had an idea: what if green coffee beans were placed in oak barrels for fermentation, could they develop different flavors? For this reason, starting in 2013, owner Monsalve Botero began experimenting with winemaking-style low-temperature fermentation using Colombian oak barrels of different aging lengths and varying fermentation times.

FrontStreet Coffee's San Jose Estate beans use refined washing with brandy barrel fermentation. Freshly picked coffee cherries are first refined washed, then placed in rum oak barrels for low-temperature fermentation for 30-40 days (temperature approximately 15-20°C), allowing the green coffee beans to absorb the barrel's flavors, followed by shade drying.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Recommendations & Coffee Cupping Report

San Jose Coffee Bean Roasting

Drum temperature at 190°C, heat at 140, damper at 3; turnaround point at 1'42", damper opened to 4 when drum temperature reaches 140°C, heat unchanged; drum temperature at 151.8°C when bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, entering dehydration phase. When drum temperature reaches 150°C, adjust heat to 120, damper unchanged. At 8'38", bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black spots, toast aroma clearly transitions to coffee aroma, can be defined as prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the first crack sound, which starts at 9'07", damper opened to 4, develop for 2'10 after first crack, discharge at 195°C.

Through cupping, FrontStreet Coffee found that San Jose Estate coffee beans have rum in the dry fragrance, dark chocolate in the wet fragrance, with flavors of liqueur-filled chocolates, rum, tropical fruits, and maple syrup.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Comparison of Three Wine-Aroma Coffee Beans

Dripper: Hario V60

Dose: 15g

Ratio: 1:15

Water temperature: 90°C

Grind: BG #6S

FrontStreet Coffee uses staged extraction: bloom with 30g water for 30 seconds, then pour with small water flow in center circles to 125g for the first stage, when water level is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring with slightly larger flow to 225g, remove the dripper when water level is about to expose the coffee bed (timing starts from bloom), total extraction time is 2'00".

Sherry coffee smells of vanilla and cream, with flavors of whiskey, berries, almonds, and dark chocolate, with a maple-sweet aftertaste.

Lychee Orchid coffee has flavors of lychee and brandy, with cream. As the temperature changes, the wine flavor and dark chocolate become more pronounced, with a rich mouthfeel and noticeable honey sweetness in the aftertaste.

San Jose coffee has a rich fermented wine aroma in the fragrance, with flavors of rum, nuts, tropical fruits, dark berries, cream, and oolong tea notes, with noticeable sweetness and overall balance.

Although the three coffees have somewhat similar flavors, each has its unique characteristics. If you want prominent wine aromas, choose Sherry. If you prefer the sweet and sour taste of lychee flesh, choose Lychee Orchid. If you want richer acidity, choose San Jose.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat, WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473