Chris Hildebrand http://cjhildebrand.tumblr.com/ tried some of my Kona Strawn Estate and gave me some very constructive feedback! A little about Chris from what I’ve gleaned in twitting and e-mails is that he loves coffee and manages the Coffee Culture in Morden, Manitoba. Herein lies his review of the first sample I sent.

Using a french press at 20g coffee to 320g of water, he tasted both samples of Kona I sent him.

About his choice of a brewing method, he wrote: “For tasting I decided to use the press pot to eliminate any possible variables in brewing such as extraction time, funnelling or pouring inconsistency.”

His cupping form (read as intensity/subjective) reads:

Fragrance/Aroma: 6/6

Flavor: 5/5

Acidity: 7/7

Mouthfeel: 8/8

Finish: 5/5

The transcript from his notes read: “Opening the bag of beans, there was a strong smell of grass and peanuts, there was a lot of chaff still intact with the beans.

The appearance of the brewed coffee was a very light red amber with very little oils present.

The aroma of the brewed coffee was very sweet, with notes of honey, dried apricots and orange pekoe tea. The aroma didn’t have a lot of presence.

The flavour was very grassy and under-roasted. This coffee would do well in a light to medium roast, just before the appearance of surface oils. The most prominent flavour I can place is a mix of Red Rose tea and rooibos tea.

The coffee did have a pleasant mouthfeel, having a good whetting effect on the front of my tongue, while showing an astringency at the back of my tongue and throat.

The finish was clean, but it prominent grassiness lingered for a good while, which was not overly enjoyable. “

Chris noted the potential of the coffee whilst commenting to the under-roasted profile, and stated that at this time, he would not drink the coffee again.