Introduction to Honduras Lychee Lan Coffee Bean Wine Barrel Processing - Lychee Lan Coffee Brewing Parameters and Flavor Description

Customers often ask FrontStreet Coffee if the Lychee Orchid coffee beans in the shop are the same as the 90+ Lychee Blue. FrontStreet Coffee would certainly not make such a spelling error. The Lychee Orchid coffee beans at FrontStreet Coffee are from Honduras and processed using barrel fermentation, while the 90+ Lychee Blue is from Panama and is a washed Geisha coffee bean. The two have completely different flavor profiles. Today, FrontStreet Coffee will compare these two coffee beans that differ by just one character to see what differences exist in their flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee · 90+ Lychee Blue Coffee Beans

Origin: 90+ Panama Geisha Estate
Variety: Heirloom
Level: 21
Altitude: 1250m-1650m
Processing Method: Washed
Flavor: Building upon the inherent flavors of the Geisha variety, it showcases rich aromas of green tea, musk, and herbal plants like basil. On tasting, you'll experience gentle lemon flavor with sweet and sour notes similar to lychee, along with nutty flavors reminiscent of cashews.

About 90+ Lychee Blue

90+ refers to a premium coffee series containing 13 flavor profiles. Lychee Blue, which appeared in 2016, is one of these series. Its English name is "y-cel-o," representing "lychee and cello." The "ly" comes from the prefix of the word lychee, while "cello" comes from David Darling's Cello Blue. Isn't this a perfect combination of lychee and cello? However, FrontStreet Coffee initially wasn't too influenced by the name, after all, the product must live up to its reputation.

During the cupping process, FrontStreet Coffee even played David Darling's Cello Blue to create the right atmosphere. Against the backdrop of piano and vocals, FrontStreet Coffee carefully savored its flavors. FrontStreet Coffee experienced the soft lemon acidity of this Frontsteet 90+ Lychee Blue, captivating muskgrass, memorable basil and rose jasmine flavors. The characteristic uplifting and bright flavors of the Geisha variety were well expressed, leaving behind a gentle rose and jasmine aftertaste, the sweetness brought by oolong Earl Grey tea sensation, and the smooth texture like hazelnut cream. As it cooled, the lychee flavor became more pronounced, with a lasting sweetness.

Ninety Plus Coffee

90+, Ninety Plus Coffee, is a specialty coffee supplier from the United States, founded in 2006. Ninety Plus is a world-renowned coffee bean production and sales company, known for providing rare and unique green coffee beans worldwide. In 2007, Joseph Brodsky formally established Ninety Plus, and since then, we can see traces of Ninety Plus award-winning coffees in coffee competitions of all sizes around the world. Last year, in the 2013 WBC World Barista Championship, six of the finalists, including competitors from Italy, South Korea, and Canada, used Ninety Plus green beans. Refined green bean cultivation and processing, excellent coffee varieties, and a unique grading system have made Ninety Plus a top-tier and distinctive representative in the green bean market. Ninety Plus's refined green bean cultivation and Profile Processing system establishes a Profile Processing system tailored to each bean - planting, harvesting, processing, and through repeated cupping and calibration, ensuring each coffee variety expresses its unique fruit flavors.

Ninety Plus's Unique Flavor Grading and Code Grading

For this W2 level 39 Frontsteet 90+ Lychee Blue from Ninety Plus, we might need to first briefly explain Ninety Plus's processing method expression and grading system. Ninety Plus Coffee classifies according to "fruit flavor intensity," which differs from traditional processing method classifications like washed, honey, and natural. Although it also has three categories - W2, H2, N2 - different processing methods create different levels of fruit flavor, so you might find washed or natural processed coffee beans in the honey-processed flavor "H2" category:

W2 = (Low) Lower fruit notes, emphasizing brightness, acidity and floral aromas
H2 = (Moderate) Moderate fruit notes, emphasizing sweetness, fruit texture (not aroma) and tea notes
N2 = (High) Stronger fruit notes, emphasizing bold flavor expression, sweet and sour notes, jam and dried fruit flavors

"Ninety Plus" also includes grading based on processing methods, known as levels, with the following representations:

Level 7: Single origin harvest. Rare varieties with delicate flavors and special characteristics are hand-selected and then processed through Ninety Plus's unique methods to achieve standards exceeding "Ninety Plus."

Level 12: Single origin harvest. Beans at this level represent unforgettable flavors for every coffee professional. Hakila is a great example.

Level 21 (L21), Level 39 (L39): Most of these are Geisha varieties grown by "Ninety Plus" in their Panama estates. The specially Red-processed Ethiopian Nekisse Red also belongs to Level 39 (L39).

Level 95 (L95), Level 195 (L195): These are beans from high-end microenvironments in Panama estates, processed through patented drying technology and lengthy screening processes. They achieve the highest taste standards in the design. Most are also processed under the personal supervision of founder Joseph. Annual production might only reach十几到几十公斤左右. They belong to collectible items.

This Frontsteet 90+ Lychee Blue might confuse some people. In 2016, four new bean varieties were upgraded and improved, and Lychee and Cello was one of them. On tasting, you experience gentle lemon acidity with sweet and sour notes similar to lychee, along with nutty flavors reminiscent of cashews. Therefore, Frontsteet 90+ Lychee Blue was simply renamed later. Moreover, its level was also changed from the original 21 to 39.

FrontStreet Coffee: Honduras Lychee Orchid Coffee Beans

Region: Masaguara
Estate: Mocca Estate
Altitude: 1500-1700m
Varieties: Caturra and Catuai
Processing Method: Refined washed and brandy barrel processing

Honduras is located in northern Central America, bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, the Gulf of Fonseca in the Pacific to the south, Nicaragua and El Salvador to the east and south, and Guatemala to the west. It is mostly mountainous and plateau. The area covers 112,492 square kilometers with a coastline of about 1,033 kilometers. Except for the coastal plains, the entire territory is mountainous, with the northwest reaching altitudes of 3,000 meters and the south also exceeding 2,400 meters.

Frontsteet Honduras coffee can be divided into six major regions, mainly located in the western and southern Copan, Opalaca, Montecillos, Comayagua, Agalta Tropical, and El Paraiso regions. However, this Frontsteet Lychee Orchid on FrontStreet Coffee's bean list is not from these six major regions but from the Mocca Estate in the Masaguara region. This area has an average altitude of 853 meters, with high-altitude areas exceeding 1,500 meters. Mocca Estate is a small estate located in the high-altitude area of Masaguara.

Coffee Varieties

This Frontsteet Honduras Lychee Orchid coffee bean from FrontStreet Coffee is of Caturra and Catuai varieties. Caturra is a natural variant of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its plant is not as tall as Bourbon, being more compact. As it inherits Bourbon's lineage, its disease resistance is relatively weak, but its yield is higher than Bourbon. Although discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not suitable for growing there, so it wasn't cultivated on a large scale in Brazil but became popular in Central and South America, such as Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.

Catuai is a coffee variety that is an artificial hybrid of Caturra and Mondu Novo. Catuai has good resistance to natural disasters, especially wind and rain. The Catuai tree is relatively short, and compared to other coffee trees, Catuai fruits grow more firmly and are not easy to harvest. The fruits come in both red and yellow varieties.

Processing Method

Frontsteet Honduras Lychee Orchid is a specialty coffee bean carefully selected by FrontStreet Coffee, similar in approach to Frontsteet Sherry coffee beans. Both use barrel fermentation processing, which gives the coffee beans very rich wine-like flavors. The difference is that Frontsteet Sherry uses whiskey barrels, while Frontsteet Lychee Orchid uses brandy barrels.

FrontStreet Coffee's Lychee Orchid coffee beans have a rich wine aroma with a solid chocolate flavor in the aftertaste, which is impressive. In recent years, many processing plants have introduced various innovative processing methods. When the various processing methods of early 90+ were still novel, now we have anaerobic processing, red wine processing, and even oak barrel processing methods. It can be said that more and more new processing methods have made the flavors of beans much richer. This refined washed brandy barrel fermented Frontsteet Lychee Orchid involves first washing freshly harvested coffee berries using the refined washed method, then placing them in brandy 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, and finally drying them in the shade. Beans processed through brandy barrel fermentation have the sweet fragrance of gentle lychee and honey, while also integrating the full-bodied brandy aroma and oak barrel scent.

Roasting Suggestions

FrontStreet Coffee conducted two different roasting adjustments for this Frontsteet Honduras Lychee Orchid coffee bean, aiming for light roast. This is the necessary path FrontStreet Coffee takes with every new coffee bean. Roasting not only tests the roaster's understanding of the bean's origin but also requires cupping and hand brewing sessions to determine if the roast curve is appropriate. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee often experiences this phenomenon where a single cup of coffee requires multiple evaluation items. Although time-consuming, FrontStreet Coffee believes this is necessary. Without repeated trial processes, FrontStreet Coffee will not easily list a coffee bean for sale.

[Frontsteet Honduras Lychee Orchid Roast Curve 1]
Entry temperature: 220°C, Yellowing point: 6'30", 151.6°C, First crack: 9'53", 183°C, 1'40" development after first crack, discharged at 196°C.

[Cupping Report]
Dry aroma: Chocolate, berries
Wet aroma: Floral, wine
Taste: Chocolate, berries, honey, lychee. The texture shows obvious berry acidity, and as the temperature changes, subtle wine notes emerge when slurping.

[Frontsteet Honduras Lychee Orchid Roast Curve 2]
Entry temperature: 220°C, Yellowing point: 5'50", 152.6°C, First crack: 9'15", 183°C, 2'10" development after first crack, discharged at 195°C

[Cupping Report]
Dry aroma: Honey, chocolate
Wet aroma: Wine
Taste: Cream, dark chocolate, honey, lychee, brandy. The texture is relatively rich with obvious sweetness. As the temperature changes, wine notes become apparent when slurping.

After cupping these two curves, FrontStreet Coffee will also conduct a brewing evaluation. FrontStreet Coffee's hand brew parameters are: Hario V60 dripper, 90°C water temperature, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, fine sugar grind size (80% pass-through rate on Chinese standard #20 sieve). The grind size varies for each coffee bean due to factors like variety, altitude, processing method, roast, etc. Therefore, when FrontStreet Coffee gets a newly roasted bean, it will first sift through to determine the appropriate hand brew grind.

Brewing Method

FrontStreet Coffee uses segmented extraction, which is three-stage pouring.

First Pour: Bloom (helps degassing)
During the roasting process, when coffee beans transform from green to roasted beans, a series of chemical reactions and physical changes occur. After reaching a certain degree of roasting, coffee beans accumulate a large amount of gas (mostly carbon dioxide).

Generally, the fresher and closer to roasting, the more bubbles during blooming. Dark roasted beans also release more gas during blooming than light roasted beans. FrontStreet Coffee's beans are freshly roasted, so it's generally recommended that customers let the beans rest for three days first, allowing the coffee beans to release carbon dioxide first, which can avoid unstable and under-extracted issues during brewing.

After degassing during blooming, coffee particles can absorb water evenly, allowing for more uniform extraction later. Good blooming allows coffee grounds to quickly and evenly release gas while also enabling full and rapid contact between coffee grounds and water, helping the coffee grounds to be extracted evenly.

Second Pour
The second pour starts from the center, injecting a small stream of water into the bottom of the coffee bed. To concentrate the penetrating power of the water stream, the circular movement range should be small, about the size of a one-yuan coin, then extend outward. Starting from the second water addition, attention must be paid to the water volume - try not to exceed the height of the coffee bed, meaning when the water stream approaches close to the filter paper, you can stop adding water.

Third Pour
As the originally thicker coffee bed near the filter paper becomes heavier from absorbing water and slides down and becomes thinner as the water level drops, the third pour can be made when the water level drops to halfway.

Starting from the third water addition, observe the rate of water level decline. Also start pouring from the center in circles, with water not exceeding the height of the coffee bed. At this point, you'll also observe that foam has covered the surface. The third pour should increase the tumbling of coffee particles, causing all settled particles to tumble, thereby dissolving soluble substances.

The tumbling particles will begin to settle once water addition stops. At this point, rely on the flow rate created by the declining water level to cause friction between coffee particles. Once water addition stops, coffee particles sink, causing blockages. Therefore, pay special attention to the rhythm of water addition. If there are too many interruptions, it's equivalent to letting coffee particles soak in water continuously, which will lead to astringency and off-flavors in the later extraction stages.

Summary:

When FrontStreet Coffee brews this Frontsteet Honduras Lychee Orchid coffee bean, the overall process is: use bloom water amount twice the coffee grounds weight, meaning 30g of water for blooming, with a bloom time of 30 seconds. Pour in small circles until reaching 125g, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. Extraction time is 2 minutes (starting from bloom timing).

[Frontsteet Honduras Lychee Orchid Roast Curve 1]
Brewing flavor: Initial taste shows berries, floral notes, honey, and as the temperature changes, brandy wine aroma and cream flavors gradually emerge. When hot, the berry fruit acidity is obvious, but with some astringency.

[Frontsteet Honduras Lychee Orchid Roast Curve 2]
Brewing flavor: Initial taste shows lychee, brandy, dark chocolate, cream. As the temperature changes, wine notes and dark chocolate become obvious. The texture is rich with noticeable sweetness in the aftertaste.

Conclusion

Curve 1: Has decent sweetness and berry aroma, with berry fruit acidity on entry, but cleanliness is slightly poor with some astringency. The aftertaste is insufficient. Although it has flavor, the fruit acidity is obvious, and the bean's wine aroma wasn't fully expressed, proving this bean isn't suitable for light, fast roasting.

Curve 2: Distinct flavors, rich and smooth texture. The wine aroma and dark chocolate flavors are obvious from entry to aftertaste, with some honey sweetness.

Because the flavors shown by Curve 1 tended toward fruit acidity with some astringency, and the bean's flavors weren't fully expressed, FrontStreet Coffee's roaster extended the development time in Curve 2 to develop more flavors, making the bean's overall performance more balanced.

FrontStreet Coffee continuously discovers coffee beans from around the world, with coffee varieties numbering in the hundreds. FrontStreet Coffee frequently conducts comparisons of different coffee regions, believing that through comparison, we can better understand regional flavors. However, the flavor presentation of coffee beans has a time limit, so FrontStreet Coffee has always insisted on fresh roasting. The reason for emphasizing fresh roasting is that over time, when coffee is roasted for more than 50 days, it basically loses most of its aroma. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends brewing and drinking after letting the beans rest for 3 days.

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