2026-08-03 to 2026-08-09

Week of 2026-08-03

0 daily files

Summary

seylance2897

In #current-menu on Aug. 4, emphasized that several current profiles were among his personal favorites because they felt unusually distinctive, while noting that the individual lots were extremely small.
In #origins-and-producers, wondered what Ecuador's highest coffee farm actually is. He was confident there was no farm at 2,400 m and tentatively guessed the maximum was closer to 2,200 m, while admitting he did not know the answer.
On Aug. 5, reflected on an exceptional prior lot that SEY had tried to reproduce without success. Even when they attempted to replicate the lot, the profile did not return; he speculated fermentation temperatures might have contributed but stressed that the cause was unknown and used it as an example of coffee's ephemeral, non-repeatable nature.
Said the week was dominated by sample roasting and cupping for the Takesi invite-only auction and the ALO auction.
Explained a major producer-relationship change involving Mariana: after her father died, he had asked her to honor existing relationships and not sell to other roasters. This was the first year she was allowing a few additional roasters to potentially buy coffee, after what seylance2897 described as strict policy and extensive internal discussion.
On Aug. 6, commented that extremely tiny coffee seeds are very difficult to roast, while also saying one such tiny-seeded coffee tasted "crazy." He separately emphasized how different harvest passes can be: in his experience, no two passes from the same farm have ever tasted especially similar.
On Aug. 7, described Basha's Bensa honey lot as exceptionally well executed and unusually fruit-forward without crossing into a fermented-fruit character. He viewed it as a "true" honey expression: clearly fruitier than washed coffee but clearly less fruity than a natural, and particularly interesting beside ALO's Bombe washed lot as two high-level executions of different processes.
He did not know how much mucilage remained on Basha's honey lot and planned to investigate on his next Ethiopia trip. He had also sent the coffee to another knowledgeable participant for an opinion and thought Tim Hill would particularly appreciate its high fruit intensity, comparing that preference to Hill's reaction to Gerald's special-prep lot.
Discussed close work in Peru with Albino Ibias and especially Albino's son Saulo, a QC cupper for the Inkawasi cooperative. SEY may separate first and second harvest passes this year if logistics allow, and Saulo is producing a very small lot from a new farm. He also said he has been actively exploring Yellow Bourbon in Peru, especially Puno, while remaining curious about unusual genetics and noting one discussed coffee was definitively Gesha Inca.
On Aug. 8, explained difficulties working with Enrique's farm: Enrique had health problems, his nephew had taken over for several years, and although the coffees were very good, processing remained too heavy for seylance2897's taste and they could not consistently execute the clean profile SEY wanted. He framed it as a difficult situation rather than anyone's fault and left open the possibility of working together again.

lancehedrick

His Aug. 3 and Aug. 6 #Brew-Along contributions were mostly playful - repeatedly declaring "we are so back" and later describing brewing as "soup" - rather than substantive brewing guidance.
On Aug. 7, gave detailed coffee-storage advice: one-way valves are a weak point, so his long-standing practice is to tape them shut. He recommended leaving a small, consistent amount of headspace rather than squeezing all air from the bag, because some gas volume gives released CO2 room to accumulate.
Said he had recently been reading extensively about packaging and storage research and had discussed the subject in person with Aliquot and by text with Samo. His stated objective is packaging that is unambiguously as good as possible for coffee preservation.
Ranked packaging materials with some nuance: Mylar is acceptable, metallized PET is preferable, and from a pure storage perspective foil laminate - with an aluminum layer between other layers - is best. He nevertheless said the practical differences can be small.
Discussed LDPE as relatively porous and suggested that packaging systems using it may rely on secondary barriers such as a box and tightly wrapped information card. Conversely, he thought eliminating or taping the valve substantially improves bag performance.
For brewing water made from nominally 0-ppm water, recommended diluting Third Wave Water to roughly 33% concentration.
Treated vacuum sealing as mainly a deep-storage intervention, roughly for storage beyond six months. For shorter periods he preferred simply taping the valve and leaving a sound, unopened bag alone; even for long storage, he was not convinced vacuum sealing is necessary when the original package has excellent barrier properties and intact seals.
On Aug. 8, responded at length to criticism of SEY's Halo roast. He acknowledged that some coffees released about a month earlier had been pushed too light and that SEY had already recommended longer resting for those coffees, but argued the issue was being exaggerated into a claim that SEY had radically changed its roasting style. He rated Halo around 88 and considered it materially weaker than recent Ethiopias such as Danche, Banko, and Chorso.
Clarified that he did not personally perceive "grain" in the coffee and agreed that resting would not fix a grain flavor. What he had found longer rest could improve was a lack of structure. He also said packaging changes were in progress, though not imminent, and strongly endorsed cupping as a way to evaluate coffees.
On Aug. 9, said he had brewed a large set of SEY coffees - Rolando, Duber, Ndwiga, and ALO - for Doug Weber in Porto. Of the Kenya discussed afterward, he considered it a solid cup but not his preferred Kenyan expression because it leaned too heavily toward red fruit; he prefers darker-fruit Kenyan profiles.

opp4004

On Aug. 3, jokingly suggested "pray" before advising that, for the brewing situation under discussion, he would probably pre-grind the coffee.
When asked about standout Ethiopian coffees, chose SEY's Chorso Bule for the current year, while naming SEY's Danche Lot 8 from roughly five or six years earlier as his overall benchmark. He had not yet revisited Boneya Robe after changing grinders, so withheld judgment there.
Found Big Sur's Ethiopian coffees appealing but generally too traditional for his buying preferences: good coffees, but often reminiscent of profiles he had already tasted. Masincho was an exception that kept tempting him.
Gave a detailed map of his Guji preferences. Uraga remained his favorite region, with Yabitu Koba and Layo Teraga as reference points. For Hambela he sought peach, raspberry, red-toned florals, bergamot, and especially a hop-like aroma, citing Coffee Collective's Buku as a classic example. More generally he likes peach, black tea, lactic and yogurt-like characteristics.
Considered Basha and Mate Matiwos unusually strong Sidama producers and was surprised that they were only recently becoming prominent in the U.S. through roasters such as SEY. He expected SEY's continuing relationship with Teddy/Keramo Coffee to yield even better lots in future seasons.
Spent much of the week dialing in an A4Z grinder for filter-style brewing with the Orb. His initial 105-115-click range produced something between espresso and "soup," so he moved coarser and increased temperature. With David Berrio's coffee he tasted Chinese black tea, passion fruit, mixed berries, and rose-like florals and initially suspected roughly 140 clicks might be ideal.
By Aug. 6 he thought he was nearing the A4Z sweet spot, testing around 120-125 clicks on at least one brew. He was extremely satisfied with the grinder and said he saw little reason to upgrade beyond something like an EK43, although he cautioned Comandante owners that the A4Z might not feel dramatically different. Servio Botina produced hibiscus, black tea, honey sweetness, orange, and slight grapefruit even while he had a cold.
After dialing in, reviewed Acacia Hills AA from Tanzania as reminiscent of a classic Peruvian Bourbon but with more aromatic lift and fruit. He found cotton-like perfume, pear, acacia blossom, lychee/mangosteen-like tropical fruit, savory umami, some mid-palate loss of definition, and a lingering lemon/tropical/floral finish.
Tested a March 18 roast of Yessica Parra PB at nearly five months old and concluded it did not hold up that long: a little flavor remained, but the coffee was essentially faded.
Went deep on Peruvian variety identification. He argued that coffees labeled Bourbon can be genetically or sensorially ambiguous - sometimes potentially Catimor, SL9, or mixed material - and cited Bourbon de Colasay reportedly turning out to be Catimor as an example. He remains skeptical of Peruvian variety labels because of prior misidentifications, including a purported Gesha later identified as Costa Rica 95, while still hunting Bourbon because some examples can be exceptional.
On the Halo dispute, agreed that Halo was weaker than SEY's best recent coffees, specifically in intensity, structure, and clarity, and disliked a raw-bergamot-like citrus quality. However, he explicitly rejected the inference that those defects proved a roasting problem; his view was that Halo may simply taste that way. While sick, he switched mostly to Yunnan "Dashu Baicha" white tea because he could perceive tea aromatics better than coffee aromatics during the cold.

dougssg

On Aug. 3, clarified that SEY does not have an in-house cafe water "recipe": the cafe uses charcoal-filtered water. Lance had separately created a Lotus Water recipe for "SEY House" that people were enjoying. Doug was waiting for results from a new full water test before sharing updated analytical details.
Mentioned a lemongrass-infused Gesha from Moonwake that he found particularly interesting.
Said Danche WH had fallen down his personal ranking because the current Ethiopia season had been so strong overall.
On Aug. 4, described Basha as extremely intense and said its scale reminded him of Gerald, specifically because of the intensity rather than necessarily an identical flavor profile.
On Aug. 6, announced a Motors pop-up at the cafe for Sept. 19-20 and expected some retail coffee to appear online as well. He said the Sophia retail quantity would be very limited - well under 5 kg - and identified it as a Lost Origins coffee.
On Aug. 7, said SEY had a Fellow collaboration/drop coming the following week featuring Harmufo. After cupping it alongside other excellent Ethiopias and ALO auction lots, Harmufo still stood out; he separately called the ALO auction lots "absolutely spectacular."
During the Aug. 8 discussion about an unsatisfying coffee, emphasized that a customer who had bought more than 300 SEY coffees and found one major outlier was evidence of a very high historical alignment in taste. Rather than dismiss the complaint, he asked how the coffee was being brewed, recommended trying a finer grind based on the reported symptoms, and invited the person to contact him directly if a similar issue happened again.
Stressed that tasting-note correspondence is inherently approximate: one drinker may call a note peach and another apricot without either being wrong. Sometimes a coffee produces an unmistakably specific flavor, while other times the correspondence is much less exact.
Returned repeatedly to Basha, calling it "insane" and comparing its heavily fruited character to Gerald special prep. He thought Basha was about as "hot" or heavily processed as he personally wants coffee to be, but judged it clean enough that the rest of the profile still worked exceptionally well.
Participated in the joking "iced soup" thread around Basha - including a mock 40 g/200 mL brew - and referenced an "all ratios work" brewer, while also joking about his tendency to accumulate brewing gadgets despite needing fewer of them.

naomi (car7iern)

On Aug. 3, described the Better Vessel as "Doug's gadget" because Doug had brought it in for the cafe team to test. Early trials suggested it increased espresso clarity, more noticeably with fresh doses than frozen ones, but she wanted substantially more testing before deciding whether the cafe should implement it.
On Aug. 4, said she did not consider herself knowledgeable about grinders but supplied practical cafe reference points: cupping was ground around 6 on an EK43, Aeropress around 8-ish on the cafe's 01 grinder, and when the cafe previously used an EK for filter they were around 10. She cautioned that calibration differences make direct translation uncertain.
On Aug. 7, when apparently choosing between coffees or producers, suggested either Marta and Jose Florez or Duber Mejia; the surrounding text is too limited to establish the exact comparison.
On Aug. 8, joined the Basha "iced soup" discussion and said Jose had made a very good iced Basha before jokingly retracting the compliment after he threw a pillow at her. She then suggested Basha would likely work well in that style and joked that Doug would make a good version.
Her other Aug. 8 messages were largely social jokes, including calling something "Hall of fame" and reminding others that she had personally packed 21 bags of candy for schoolchildren; the supplied text does not give enough context to say more confidently what those remarks referred to.
On Aug. 9, argued that the E80 grinder is clearly better than the 01 for milk drinks, especially lattes. Even when espresso strength is matched, she finds the E80 produces a nicer drink, possibly because more fines create a more velvety mouthfeel; she noted that the cafe's use of 8%-fat milk may also contribute.

Cross-thread takeaways

Basha was the week's clearest consensus excitement. seylance2897 characterized it as an unusually successful Bensa honey - highly fruity but still clean and recognizably between washed and natural - while Doug found it nearly as aggressively fruited as Gerald special prep and Naomi thought it worked well iced. opp4004 had already singled Basha out as an outstanding Sidama producer.
The Halo discussion separated cup quality from roast causality. Lance conceded that SEY had taken some recent coffees too light and that Halo was weaker than recent standouts, but resisted treating that as evidence of a sweeping roast change. opp4004 independently disliked Halo's clarity, intensity, structure, and citrus character yet also concluded that the coffee itself, rather than the roast, was probably responsible.
Storage became unusually technical. Lance's central recommendation was simple despite the material-science discussion: tape the valve, leave some CO2 headspace, keep the bag sealed, and reserve vacuum sealing mainly for genuinely long-term storage. opp4004's nearly five-month-old Yessica Parra PB provided an anecdotal counterpoint showing that at least one ordinary stored coffee had faded badly by that point.
Grinder discussion emphasized both equipment and dialing-in dependence. opp4004 moved substantially through the A4Z range before finding a filter-oriented setting he liked; Naomi supplied cafe EK43/01 reference settings but warned calibration makes numerical comparison weak. Doug's brewing troubleshooting likewise started with changing grind - specifically going finer - rather than assuming a coffee or roast defect.
Ethiopia dominated quality discussion. Doug said the season had pushed previous favorite Danche WH down his list and highlighted Harmufo plus spectacular ALO auction lots; seylance2897 was busy cupping Takesi and ALO auction samples; opp4004 ranked Chorso Bule as his current-year Ethiopian favorite and provided fine-grained regional preferences within Guji.
Producer and process distinctions mattered more than broad origin labels. seylance2897 contrasted Basha honey with ALO Bombe washed, discussed harvest-pass variability and difficulties reproducing past fermentation outcomes, while opp4004 differentiated Uraga, Hambela, Shakiso, and specific producers rather than treating "Ethiopia" or "Guji" as a single profile.
Peruvian genetics remained notably uncertain. opp4004 described a history of mislabeled Bourbon, Gesha, Catimor, SL9, and other material, while seylance2897 was actively exploring Yellow Bourbon in Puno and was himself curious about genetic results. Both threads point toward treating variety names in Peru as hypotheses requiring genetic confirmation rather than reliable sensory categories.

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2026-08-03 to 2026-08-09

seylance2897

2026-08-04

10:15 PM #current-menu: these profiles are some of my personal favorite... so unique in coffee IMO
10:16 PM #current-menu: the lots are just so, so small
10:16 PM #origins-and-producers: what is the highest farm in Ecuador <@952039663680512030>
10:17 PM #origins-and-producers: yeah, same actually, but i'm finding it very strange that i on't know the answer to that ha
10:22 PM #origins-and-producers: there is definitely no farm at 2400 in ecuador
10:22 PM #origins-and-producers: i'd guess closer to 2200
10:32 PM #origins-and-producers: lets go

2026-08-05

3:53 PM #current-menu: ha its been a very crazy couple of weeks
3:54 PM #current-menu: haha you and me both! not sure we'll ever taste a coffee like that again if i'm being honest.
3:57 PM #current-menu: honestly, i think something magic just happened that year... we've tried to like replicate that lot completely... and the profile just didn't hit. Could be temperatures during fermentation that we just cant get completely right..but, honeslty who knows ... kinda the beauty and tragedy of coffee ha. As pepe likes to say, coffee is ephemeral can't put it in a bottle or make the same thing twice
4:00 PM #current-menu: This week though is the Takesi invite only auction and the ALO auction, so lots of sample roasting / cupping
4:05 PM #current-menu: ha we'll see
4:16 PM #current-menu: When Mariana's father died he asked that she honor the existing relationships and not sell to other roasters. this is the first year she is letting a few other roasters potentially buy some
4:51 PM #current-menu: yeah its been super strict.. and this wasn't done lightly. lots of internal conversations about
4:51 PM #current-menu: we'll see how it goes!

2026-08-06

12:43 AM #what-are-you-brewing: 🫣
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12:46 AM #what-are-you-brewing: these tiny tiny tiny seeds are so so hard ot roast ha
12:54 AM #what-are-you-brewing: yeah, that coffee is super tiny too
12:54 AM #what-are-you-brewing: taste crazy though
6:27 AM #current-menu: correct
2:47 PM #current-menu: Without trying to influence people's experiences too much, I can comfortably say that no two harvest passes from any farm have ever tasted that similar to me. which i find to be infinitely fascinating

2026-08-07

2:43 PM #current-menu: we'll be releasing more coffees from the Jijon family this year for sure
6:28 PM #origins-and-producers: hard question to answer because it's such a different preparation. I think Basha produced an properly exceptional coffee, its definitely more fruit forward but it some how really walks the line of not being fermented fruit... But, its also more fruit than I normally see on honey preps in bensa
6:28 PM #origins-and-producers: hard to compare because I rarely see this kind of execution on a honey prep in Bensa
6:29 PM #origins-and-producers: we have a few more coming, so that will be when things get a little more interesting, as far as, comparison goes
6:30 PM #origins-and-producers: yeah it pops
6:31 PM #origins-and-producers: and realy presents as what i would consider a 'true' honey... as in it certainly has more fruit than the washed profiles but also definitely not as much a natural
6:32 PM #origins-and-producers: I'm honestly not sure what how much mucilage was left on
6:32 PM #origins-and-producers: i'll definitely be finding out more during my next trip to Ethiopia
6:32 PM #origins-and-producers: <@421132246536159232> might have more information, i know he was apart of the beginning of these lots, not sure how involved he was this year.
6:33 PM #origins-and-producers: I also sent him a box of the coffee this week as i was curious to hear his opinion on the level of fruit and how it presents
6:34 PM #origins-and-producers: Tim Hill would fucking love this coffee.. mabye I'll send one to him to see what he scores it ha
6:34 PM #origins-and-producers: he loves this much fruit on coffee though
6:35 PM #origins-and-producers: ha yeah he lost it for the Geralds special prep lot
6:38 PM #what-are-you-brewing: There are literally 1000s farms in colombia called El Jardin so its extremely challenigng to know if they are the same farm. I'd have to know where they got theirs from
6:39 PM #origins-and-producers: i really like tasting basha's lot next to ALOs bombe lot
6:39 PM #origins-and-producers: they are really really cool expressions of properly high high executions of washed and honey
6:40 PM #what-are-you-brewing: a producer name would be very helpful ha
6:40 PM #what-are-you-brewing: oh nm
6:40 PM #what-are-you-brewing: hahaha
6:42 PM #what-are-you-brewing: i'll have to check once i'm back on my computer
6:43 PM #origins-and-producers: 🙏
6:44 PM #origins-and-producers: that pulper is sick AF
6:57 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Amazing! thanks so much, i can't wait to taste it
7:15 PM #origins-and-producers: Just Albino Ibias, we're working very closly with them, specifically his son Saulo who is a badass. Saulo is also one of the QC cuppers for the inkawasi Coop
7:16 PM #origins-and-producers: we'll potentially do first and second harvest passes this year as I'm going to try to get coffees here faster this year... but is logistically extremely challenging and building something from the ground up does take time
7:17 PM #origins-and-producers: Saulo has a new farm and he is going to make us a very small lot this year, I'm extremely excited to taste it
7:17 PM #origins-and-producers: its very exciting
7:20 PM #origins-and-producers: not sure!
7:25 PM #origins-and-producers: I've never tasted a washed one.. so pretty hard to say
7:26 PM #origins-and-producers: I am very curious about the variety that that won the BOP this year... the genetics show that its a yellow bourbon, which has me very curiosu
7:27 PM #origins-and-producers: yellow bourbon is something i've really been exploring in Peru
7:42 PM #origins-and-producers: lots, especially in puno
7:44 PM #origins-and-producers: definitely something, but way to early to know for sure
7:52 PM #origins-and-producers: this is 100% gesha inca
7:52 PM #origins-and-producers: of course! they can be very good
7:58 PM #origins-and-producers: i know a couple people tasting coffees from Venezuela, sounds like the quality can get up in the mid 80s I'm sure with better varietes the quality potential would go up
7:58 PM #origins-and-producers: i personally haven't tasted much

2026-08-08

4:13 PM #current-menu: definitely never again
4:24 PM #origins-and-producers: This is super interesting! Thanks so much for sharing
5:04 PM #origins-and-producers: Enrique has been having health issues his nephew was taking over for a few years and that was working okay, but the processing was still something we couldn't get under control. the coffees were very good but just over processed for me.... and we couldn't get them to execute a clean coffee for us. It was more just very challenging than anyones actual fault and, some health issues
6:30 PM #origins-and-producers: who knows! maybe we'll find another way to work with them soon. It is a really wonderful farm

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lancehedrick

2026-08-03

3:49 PM #Brew-Along: We are so back
4:36 PM #Brew-Along: We are so back

2026-08-06

6:28 PM #Brew-Along: brewing soup
7:17 PM #Brew-Along: brewing soup

2026-08-07

7:55 PM #filter-focused: Valves are a v weak point. Tape em up has been my goto for years. Also, consistent head space. Dont squeeze all the air out. Leave a little buffer. Less is better than more, but in the beginning, nice to give co2 buffer room
7:57 PM #filter-focused: I'm saying you want gas there. Let co2 do its thing
8:10 PM #filter-focused: Yep. Loads of papers and studies on bag efficacy online
8:58 PM #filter-focused: Yes. Also loads of papers on storage. Been on a bender lately.
8:59 PM #filter-focused: Also, spoke with aliquot in person about all this just 9 or so days ago in Philippines lol
9:00 PM #filter-focused: And been texting Samo about it all.
Goal is to have without question best packaging for coffee imaginable.
9:00 PM #filter-focused: Mylar is fine. If you can find metalized PET on amazon or elsewhere, better.
9:01 PM #filter-focused: Best from storage POV is foil laminate. Something with a layer of aluminum foil between two walls.
9:01 PM #filter-focused: But diffs are minimal.
9:02 PM #filter-focused: Feran is in here if you wanna ask him directly lololol
I think they use LPDE and the box/card combo is a necessary addition to aide in storage. From what I understand, pretty porous, hence the extra protection from box and intentionally wrapped info card.
9:03 PM #filter-focused: Don't be!
9:03 PM #filter-focused: Chris makes tasty stuff.
9:08 PM #filter-focused: I believe he says it himself in his site. But yeah. lpde is pretty porous.
9:08 PM #filter-focused: [attachment only]
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9:08 PM #filter-focused: But the no valve does wonders
9:09 PM #filter-focused: Secret sauce I have been tryna spread for years. Taping is the way. I thought more people were already doing it ha!
9:09 PM #filter-focused: Dilute the TWW to 33% or so
9:09 PM #filter-focused: If going with 0ppm water.
9:10 PM #filter-focused: No worries. The bag becomes way more effective once taped
9:18 PM #filter-focused: Vacuum sealing is for deep storage imo.
9:18 PM #filter-focused: Over 6 months. Otherwise, tape valve and do not touch/open.
9:19 PM #filter-focused: Even with deep storage, I'm not convinced if the bag is in super good shape and made out of something resilient that it is necessary asusming it is not been open and all seals are sound.

2026-08-08

8:57 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Ok everyone. Let's pause and take a chill pill.
Halo was released one month ago. There were some coffees that some find too light there. We also found some were pushed a little far.
We have been very vocal about this. With these, we have been recommending to rest longer.

I understand frustration, but it is quite easy to begin piling on to an already addressed situation.

That coffee is a solid 88 and definitely Pales in comparison to other Ethiopias we released this year, so in comparison, it already is not swinging at the same level as others like danche and banko and chorso. Etc.

The consistent harking back to our publicly discussing our roasting approaches lately can get a bit exhausting, having it thrown in our face when the intention here is constantly trying to improve.

There has been a fixation on this and it has been blown out of proportion as if we are doing insanely different profiles. We are not.

Also, please be aware Lance (Rodney) has QCd all of these. Sadly, i have not had the Halo but that is from around a month ago and I have stated we went a bit light.

I understand not everyone can constantly monitor this discord to see what has been said, but I do feel this could have been handled a little more gracefully.

We encourage chatting and talking and want all the feedback, just ideally with a bit less hostility haha!

Thank you all sincerely for the support and enjoying the coffees, especially when it is 300 over the years. That is awesome.
9:01 PM #what-are-you-brewing: I don't personally find grain
9:01 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Resting for grain doesnt help. You are right!
9:01 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Resting i have found helps the lack of structure those have.
9:04 PM #what-are-you-brewing: This will be addressed with bag change, which i am working on and have been. Lots of processes to go thru
9:05 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Nothing imminent. And I announced early when I started this discord that was a mission I was on
9:23 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Yes need to
9:35 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Cupping is money in the mouth
9:35 PM #what-are-you-brewing: There is a reason Timmy dubs says it is his favorite way to imbibe
10:00 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Chill. Duhhhhhh
10:02 PM #filter-focused: Several months? News to me haha!

2026-08-09

7:20 PM #filter-focused: Ok let's put a lid on this and move on. Very good!
Filter coffee. Go!
7:25 PM #filter-focused: Heck yeah! I brewed a torrent of SEY coffees for Doug Weber who happened to be in Porto with family in tow the last two days
7:25 PM #filter-focused: Rolando, Duber, Ndwiga, Alo
7:33 PM #filter-focused: Solid kenya. Not my favorite expression. Leaned too far into reds and I prefer darker fruits in a kenya. But good cup.
7:35 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Salas can have some stickniness

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opp4004

2026-08-03

1:18 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Pray
1:19 AM #what-are-you-brewing: 😂 Just kidding… I’d probably just pre-grind it
4:19 PM #Brew-Along: I kidnapped him. I’m planning to trade him for every single Kama Gesha

2026-08-04

3:30 AM #what-are-you-brewing: This year, or overall?
3:35 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I haven't had Boneya Robe since switching grinders yet, so I can't say for sure. But for this year, I'd probably go with SEY's Chorso Bule. Overall... I'd have to say SEY's Danche Lot 8 from about five or six years ago.
3:44 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Big Sur has some really appealing Ethiopian coffees, but they feel a little too traditional for me. They're great, but I usually end up thinking, "I've tasted something like this before," which makes it hard for me to justify buying them
3:46 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Masincho is one of the few that really catches my attention. I've been going back and forth on whether I should buy it or not
3:50 AM #what-are-you-brewing: When it comes to Guji coffees, I tend to prefer profiles like this month's SEY subscription coffee, Yabitu Koba. Uraga is still my favorite region, and to be honest, most washed coffees from Shakiso end up tasting pretty similar to me (naturals are a different story). As for Gara Agena – Hayissa Olocho, I've already had SEY version, so I'm not really tempted by it anymore
3:51 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Besides, SEY has been working with Teddy (Keramo Coffee) consistently, so I'm sure we'll get to taste even better versions in the future
3:54 AM #what-are-you-brewing: It's a bit hard to explain. Generally, the profiles I'm looking for are things like peach, black tea, lactic notes, and yogurt. That said, even within Guji, what I expect from Uraga is different from what I expect from Hambela.

From Hambela, I'm usually looking for peach, raspberry, red-toned florals, bergamot, and especially that distinctive hop-like aroma
3:55 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Have you tried Coffee Collective's Buku? To me, that's a classic example of what Hambela tastes like. For Uraga, I'd say coffees like Layo Teraga and Yabitu Koba are great references
4:24 AM #what-are-you-brewing: BASHA
4:25 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Honestly, I'm surprised that well-known Sidama producers like Basha and Mate Matiwos are only now starting to appear in the U.S. market—especially through roasters like SEY. They're truly outstanding producers

2026-08-05

2:01 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Ever since switching to the A4Z, I've been spending a lot of time dialing it in. I originally thought 105–115 clicks would be the sweet spot, but the cup ended up somewhere between espresso and soup—not really the style I'm after. I like using the orb to brew something that tastes more like a filter coffee. So I opened up the grind a bit more and increased the water temperature. The color of the brew is absolutely beautiful now, although I think I still need to adjust the grind further.

The coffee itself is excellent. This is the first season I've brewed from David Berrio, and I'm getting notes of Chinese black tea, passion fruit, mixed berries, and rose-like florals. I have a feeling that around 140 clicks might end up being the sweet spot
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2:04 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Yeah, that's actually the first thing I tried adjusting
4:43 PM #current-menu: Wow, that’s honestly surprising. 😂 Their sales policy has always been incredibly strict

2026-08-06

1:45 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I think I'm finally getting close to dialing in the A4Z. Luckily, I've built up a ridiculous stash of subscription coffees over the past few months, so it's been the perfect excuse to keep tweaking the grind. 😂

Today's coffee is Servio Botina. Lots of hibiscus, black tea, honey sweetness, orange, and just a hint of grapefruit. I'm dealing with a cold at the moment, so my palate definitely isn't at 100%, but the coffee still comes through remarkably well.
3:38 AM #equipment: This was the A4Z grind from my test this morning. I think it was around 120 clicks... or maybe 125. I don't quite remember
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3:43 AM #equipment: I really respect Coffee Chronicler, and I tend to agree with his takes most of the time, so I feel the same way about the A4Z. That said, if you already have a Comandante, you might end up thinking, "Eh... it's not that different"

Personally, though, I'm extremely satisfied with it. I honestly don't see myself upgrading my grinder again—unless someone wants to gift me an EK43
5:27 AM #current-menu: I'm also pretty curious about Héctor Londoño. From the description, it seems like it leans toward a brighter, more vibrant profile
5:33 AM #current-menu: Compared to Boneya and Chorso, I don't think there's an Ethiopian coffee that can really compete 🫠
6:29 AM #current-menu: Wow, I've never seen Lance talking at this hour before. He must be insanely busy

2026-08-07

2:22 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I think I've finally dialed in the A4Z, so it's time to start reviewing coffees again. Today's coffee is Acacia Hills AA from Tanzania, roasted by <@393710626385559554> . It reminds me of a classic Peruvian Bourbon, but with a brighter aromatic lift and a more expressive fruit profile.

There's a cotton-like perfume, juicy pear, elegant acacia blossom, tropical fruit reminiscent of lychee and mangosteen, and a rich, savory umami running through the cup. The structure loses a little definition through the mid-palate, but the finish lingers beautifully with lemon, tropical fruit, and delicate acacia florals.

2026-08-08

5:36 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I found a bag of Yessica Parra’s PB tucked away in the corner of my coffee shelf, roasted on March 18th. I brewed it, and... yeah, it really doesn't make it to five months. 😂 There’s still a subtle flavor there, but it’s definitely gone
7:02 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Yeah, I’d only had that coffee three or four times, so it’s a shame. 😂
1:00 PM #origins-and-producers: Peru bourbon is actually pretty special. It could simply be bourbon, but I think it could also be catimor, or even SL9. There are definitely coffees where you taste them and think, “This is really Bourbon? Not Gesha?”
1:03 PM #origins-and-producers: So before SL9 became popular, I was always on the lookout for bourbon
1:59 PM #origins-and-producers: It’s a bit of a long story... I think it was in Cajamarca? Not long ago, the variety called “Bourbon de Colasay” from the Colasay area was found to actually be Catimor. This “wild Bourbon” had spread quite widely throughout Peru in the meantime, which caused all sorts of problems. It’s pretty hard to find 100% Bourbon these days, but you can still come across it every year
2:00 PM #origins-and-producers: Compared to that, there are quite a few other “unusual Bourbons” showing up in Peru as well. At first, I thought it was simply a terroir thing, but the more I taste them, the more convinced I am that they aren’t actually Bourbon. Their cup profiles honestly fit SL9 better, or maybe they have some Gesha mixed in
2:05 PM #origins-and-producers: And recently, Sey sent a Bourbon from Puno as part of the subscription. Familia Quilla, I think? It wasn’t really the kind of flavor profile I was looking for, but it definitely had that “this doesn’t taste like Bourbon” kind of character. 😂 That’s probably why I keep hunting for Bourbons. If you’re lucky, you can find some truly amazing coffees
2:09 PM #origins-and-producers: On top of that, there have been quite a few cases of variety misidentification in Peruvian coffee. Before SL9, there was even a coffee entered as Gesha that was later found to actually be Costa Rica 95. So I tend to be a little skeptical about the variety whenever I buy Peruvian coffee... But when it comes to Bourbon, I feel like I've definitely had a lot of good experiences.
2:28 PM #origins-and-producers: I heard L1 or L2 is Timor Hybrid, or maybe Catimor, but that’s actually a pretty interesting result
2:37 PM #origins-and-producers: I knew L1 was an F1 hybrid through the CoE, while I heard about L2 from someone who had worked with Lugmapata. It’s not official, though. I’m guessing Dr. Shao is probably right
2:43 PM #origins-and-producers: I’m not sure if it was Sidra or L2, actually. Anyway, I heard it was roughly a mix with Catimor or something like that. L1 turned out to be a pretty interesting result too. Thanks for sharing!
2:59 PM #origins-and-producers: Yeah... Colasay has a really unique flavor profile
3:11 PM #origins-and-producers: Team Java 🫡
3:13 PM #origins-and-producers: I tried both the Sidra and the Mejo recently. They’re not what they used to be
3:17 PM #origins-and-producers: Actually, the coffee from Las Palmas – Miguel Villa, one of the “Lugmapata Amigo Project” producers, tasted more like the old Lugmapata

2026-08-09

1:39 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Why do all the interesting conversations always happen when I’m not around…
2:07 AM #what-are-you-brewing: I sometimes want to say, “What do you mean? I think it tastes great!” when someone doesn’t enjoy a coffee, but at that point I feel like I’d just be picking a fight, so I usually just watch from the sidelines.

Lately, though, I’ve seen people complain about the roasting on coffees like Halo and Alo, so I’ve been thinking about it a bit more. In Halo’s case, I do think it deserves a lower score compared to the fantastic coffees SEY sent before. I mean things like intensity and structure.

When I drank Halo, I thought it had two clear weaknesses. One was a lack of clarity, and the other was that the citrus acidity tasted like “bergamot in its raw form.” What I mean is, actual bergamot has a pretty unpleasant kind of citrus acidity. 😂

I don’t think it’s a roasting issue, though. I think that’s simply what this coffee tastes like.
2:09 AM #what-are-you-brewing: If someone says, “Halo tastes bad” I can totally accept that. It’s a matter of personal taste, after all. But I find it harder to agree with the idea that it tastes bad because there was something wrong with the roasting
2:15 AM #what-are-you-brewing: And I... have a pretty nasty cold right now, so I’ve been drinking tea instead of coffee. It’s a type of white tea from Yunnan, China called “Dashu Baicha,” which basically means white tea harvested from old tea trees. Interestingly, whenever I have a cold, I can’t really pick up the aromas of coffee, but I can still smell tea pretty well. It’s kind of fascinating.

Everyone, take care not to catch a cold!
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dougssg

2026-08-03

4:25 PM #Brew-Along: There is no in house water recipe! We use charcoal filtered water at the cafe. Lance created a recipe for SEY House with lotus water that people are loving now
4:28 PM #Brew-Along: I had a lemongrass infused gesha from moonwake that was really interesting
4:28 PM #Brew-Along: Ooos wrong response lol
4:28 PM #Brew-Along: Can you ask me in a few days?
4:29 PM #Brew-Along: Waiting on results from a recent test
4:30 PM #Brew-Along: A full water test. I only have an older one
4:30 PM #Brew-Along: No idea which one it is.
4:32 PM #Brew-Along: <@361929925449482240> <@567786760373796893> I’ll put it in the water channel soon.
8:00 PM #current-menu: Not really sure. It’s fire though
9:01 PM #current-menu: Danche WH got pushed down the list a while ago. Ethiopia season been blowing my mind.

2026-08-04

1:13 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Need that Basha impression <@189881407399657472>
2:08 AM #what-are-you-brewing: That coffee is so intense
2:09 AM #what-are-you-brewing: It’s so big it reminds me of Gerald
2:11 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Its intensity is what reminds me of Gerald

2026-08-05

4:30 PM #current-menu: Intellis roast was pretty good!

2026-08-06

9:19 PM #current-menu: There’s going to be a Motors pop up at our cafe! I’d imagine we’ll have some retail for sale on our site as well.
11:33 PM #current-menu: September 19/20
11:33 PM #current-menu: Retail on Sophia will be pretty limited much less than 5kgs
11:34 PM #current-menu: It’s a Lost Origins!

2026-08-07

11:06 PM #current-menu: No
11:07 PM #current-menu: We have a drop with Fellow next week- Harmufo. Cupped it today with some other really incredible Ethiopian coffees, Alo auction lots, and it was still one of the standouts on the table.
11:09 PM #current-menu: Alo auction lots were absolutely spectacular

2026-08-08

1:37 AM #current-menu: Washed!
7:32 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Respectfully as well, if you’ve purchased over 300 coffees from us and this is the one outlier, our hit rate and tastes are incredibly aligned with you.
7:34 PM #what-are-you-brewing: The more gadgets you acquire, the less you need(got 3 new drippers in the past 2 weeks)
7:35 PM #what-are-you-brewing: How are you brewing?
7:38 PM #what-are-you-brewing: I’d probably try going finer based on what you’re saying
7:42 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Also remember tasting notes are highly subjective
7:44 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Sometimes coffees just hit you in the face with a really specific note
7:46 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Sometimes they don’t. You may taste peach I may taste apricot. We’re both right!
8:16 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Also not trying to be dismissive of your experience! We are always striving to give our customers the best possible experience. If you have another issue like that in the future, just reach out to me and I’ll help make it right!
8:27 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Lemme know how your next cup ends up!
9:55 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Basha is insane
10:13 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Basha is reminiscent of Gerald special prep for me in how heavily fruited it is.
10:15 PM #what-are-you-brewing: It’s def as far hot as I would like something to be but it’s clean enough where everything else about it just sings.
10:16 PM #what-are-you-brewing: When you coming back!
10:16 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Naomi still there?
10:20 PM #what-are-you-brewing: This is almost as bad as the video of me falling down a hill at Finca Sophia that <@522586445131677719> posted
10:35 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Can’t believe <@952039663680512030> and <@1504523316864749676> are arguing on discord sitting 7 feet from each other.
10:48 PM #what-are-you-brewing: 40 gram to 200ML Basha iced soup incoming
10:53 PM #what-are-you-brewing: I kid
11:19 PM #what-are-you-brewing: <@1003099701740056658> was a madman when he created the “all ratios work” brewer

2026-08-09

3:27 AM #what-are-you-brewing: Feel better!

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naomi (car7iern)

2026-08-03

10:12 PM #espresso-focused: I call the Better Vessel Doug's gadget. Only because Doug brought it for us to play with. Honestly, from the little bit of testing we've done with it, it does in fact bring some clarity to our espresso (more apparent in fresh doses than frozen but still)
10:14 PM #espresso-focused: Need to play around with it some more before we decide whether or not we want to implement it
11:43 PM #espresso-focused: Next time you're in!

2026-08-04

3:32 PM #filter-focused: I unfortunately know quite literally nothing about grinders but I can tell you our cupping is ground at 6 on an EK43. Everything else in the cafe is ground on an 01
3:38 PM #filter-focused: Yeah on the 01 the grind size is at like 8ish for aeropress, but I'm not sure where the burrs are calibrated to, and not sure what that translates to
3:50 PM #filter-focused: Yeah when we used an EK for filter we were around 10. That's probably a better reference of comparing the grind sizes that we use in the shop lol

2026-08-07

12:28 AM #current-menu: I think either Marta and Jose Florez or Duber Mejia!!

2026-08-08

10:17 PM #what-are-you-brewing: [attachment only]
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10:21 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Hall of fame
10:24 PM #what-are-you-brewing: Conveniently forgets about the 21 bags of candy I packed by myself (!) for schoolchildren
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10:47 PM #what-are-you-brewing: I was about to say how Jose made a really good iced soup of Basha earlier but then he just threw a pillow at my head so actually I'm going to take that back and say I bet Basha would be really good iced soup if anyone wants to try
10:54 PM #what-are-you-brewing: I bet Doug makes a really good iced soup of Basha

2026-08-09

12:45 PM #espresso-focused: I do think the E80 is much better for milk drinks (especially lattes). Idk if it's because more fines are produced or something so the mouthfeel is velvetier, but even if you get espresso to be the same strength, a milk drink off the e80 is gonna be nicer than of the 01. And we use 8% fat milk so there is that component haha

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-------------------

GPT-5.6 Thinking Summary

seylance2897

In #current-menu on Aug. 4, emphasized that several current profiles were among his personal favorites because they felt unusually distinctive, while noting that the individual lots were extremely small.
In #origins-and-producers, wondered what Ecuador's highest coffee farm actually is. He was confident there was no farm at 2,400 m and tentatively guessed the maximum was closer to 2,200 m, while admitting he did not know the answer.
On Aug. 5, reflected on an exceptional prior lot that SEY had tried to reproduce without success. Even when they attempted to replicate the lot, the profile did not return; he speculated fermentation temperatures might have contributed but stressed that the cause was unknown and used it as an example of coffee's ephemeral, non-repeatable nature.
Said the week was dominated by sample roasting and cupping for the Takesi invite-only auction and the ALO auction.
Explained a major producer-relationship change involving Mariana: after her father died, he had asked her to honor existing relationships and not sell to other roasters. This was the first year she was allowing a few additional roasters to potentially buy coffee, after what seylance2897 described as strict policy and extensive internal discussion.
On Aug. 6, commented that extremely tiny coffee seeds are very difficult to roast, while also saying one such tiny-seeded coffee tasted "crazy." He separately emphasized how different harvest passes can be: in his experience, no two passes from the same farm have ever tasted especially similar.
On Aug. 7, described Basha's Bensa honey lot as exceptionally well executed and unusually fruit-forward without crossing into a fermented-fruit character. He viewed it as a "true" honey expression: clearly fruitier than washed coffee but clearly less fruity than a natural, and particularly interesting beside ALO's Bombe washed lot as two high-level executions of different processes.
He did not know how much mucilage remained on Basha's honey lot and planned to investigate on his next Ethiopia trip. He had also sent the coffee to another knowledgeable participant for an opinion and thought Tim Hill would particularly appreciate its high fruit intensity, comparing that preference to Hill's reaction to Gerald's special-prep lot.
Discussed close work in Peru with Albino Ibias and especially Albino's son Saulo, a QC cupper for the Inkawasi cooperative. SEY may separate first and second harvest passes this year if logistics allow, and Saulo is producing a very small lot from a new farm. He also said he has been actively exploring Yellow Bourbon in Peru, especially Puno, while remaining curious about unusual genetics and noting one discussed coffee was definitively Gesha Inca.
On Aug. 8, explained difficulties working with Enrique's farm: Enrique had health problems, his nephew had taken over for several years, and although the coffees were very good, processing remained too heavy for seylance2897's taste and they could not consistently execute the clean profile SEY wanted. He framed it as a difficult situation rather than anyone's fault and left open the possibility of working together again.

lancehedrick

His Aug. 3 and Aug. 6 #Brew-Along contributions were mostly playful - repeatedly declaring "we are so back" and later describing brewing as "soup" - rather than substantive brewing guidance.
On Aug. 7, gave detailed coffee-storage advice: one-way valves are a weak point, so his long-standing practice is to tape them shut. He recommended leaving a small, consistent amount of headspace rather than squeezing all air from the bag, because some gas volume gives released CO2 room to accumulate.
Said he had recently been reading extensively about packaging and storage research and had discussed the subject in person with Aliquot and by text with Samo. His stated objective is packaging that is unambiguously as good as possible for coffee preservation.
Ranked packaging materials with some nuance: Mylar is acceptable, metallized PET is preferable, and from a pure storage perspective foil laminate - with an aluminum layer between other layers - is best. He nevertheless said the practical differences can be small.
Discussed LDPE as relatively porous and suggested that packaging systems using it may rely on secondary barriers such as a box and tightly wrapped information card. Conversely, he thought eliminating or taping the valve substantially improves bag performance.
For brewing water made from nominally 0-ppm water, recommended diluting Third Wave Water to roughly 33% concentration.
Treated vacuum sealing as mainly a deep-storage intervention, roughly for storage beyond six months. For shorter periods he preferred simply taping the valve and leaving a sound, unopened bag alone; even for long storage, he was not convinced vacuum sealing is necessary when the original package has excellent barrier properties and intact seals.
On Aug. 8, responded at length to criticism of SEY's Halo roast. He acknowledged that some coffees released about a month earlier had been pushed too light and that SEY had already recommended longer resting for those coffees, but argued the issue was being exaggerated into a claim that SEY had radically changed its roasting style. He rated Halo around 88 and considered it materially weaker than recent Ethiopias such as Danche, Banko, and Chorso.
Clarified that he did not personally perceive "grain" in the coffee and agreed that resting would not fix a grain flavor. What he had found longer rest could improve was a lack of structure. He also said packaging changes were in progress, though not imminent, and strongly endorsed cupping as a way to evaluate coffees.
On Aug. 9, said he had brewed a large set of SEY coffees - Rolando, Duber, Ndwiga, and ALO - for Doug Weber in Porto. Of the Kenya discussed afterward, he considered it a solid cup but not his preferred Kenyan expression because it leaned too heavily toward red fruit; he prefers darker-fruit Kenyan profiles.

opp4004

On Aug. 3, jokingly suggested "pray" before advising that, for the brewing situation under discussion, he would probably pre-grind the coffee.
When asked about standout Ethiopian coffees, chose SEY's Chorso Bule for the current year, while naming SEY's Danche Lot 8 from roughly five or six years earlier as his overall benchmark. He had not yet revisited Boneya Robe after changing grinders, so withheld judgment there.
Found Big Sur's Ethiopian coffees appealing but generally too traditional for his buying preferences: good coffees, but often reminiscent of profiles he had already tasted. Masincho was an exception that kept tempting him.
Gave a detailed map of his Guji preferences. Uraga remained his favorite region, with Yabitu Koba and Layo Teraga as reference points. For Hambela he sought peach, raspberry, red-toned florals, bergamot, and especially a hop-like aroma, citing Coffee Collective's Buku as a classic example. More generally he likes peach, black tea, lactic and yogurt-like characteristics.
Considered Basha and Mate Matiwos unusually strong Sidama producers and was surprised that they were only recently becoming prominent in the U.S. through roasters such as SEY. He expected SEY's continuing relationship with Teddy/Keramo Coffee to yield even better lots in future seasons.
Spent much of the week dialing in an A4Z grinder for filter-style brewing with the Orb. His initial 105-115-click range produced something between espresso and "soup," so he moved coarser and increased temperature. With David Berrio's coffee he tasted Chinese black tea, passion fruit, mixed berries, and rose-like florals and initially suspected roughly 140 clicks might be ideal.
By Aug. 6 he thought he was nearing the A4Z sweet spot, testing around 120-125 clicks on at least one brew. He was extremely satisfied with the grinder and said he saw little reason to upgrade beyond something like an EK43, although he cautioned Comandante owners that the A4Z might not feel dramatically different. Servio Botina produced hibiscus, black tea, honey sweetness, orange, and slight grapefruit even while he had a cold.
After dialing in, reviewed Acacia Hills AA from Tanzania as reminiscent of a classic Peruvian Bourbon but with more aromatic lift and fruit. He found cotton-like perfume, pear, acacia blossom, lychee/mangosteen-like tropical fruit, savory umami, some mid-palate loss of definition, and a lingering lemon/tropical/floral finish.
Tested a March 18 roast of Yessica Parra PB at nearly five months old and concluded it did not hold up that long: a little flavor remained, but the coffee was essentially faded.
Went deep on Peruvian variety identification. He argued that coffees labeled Bourbon can be genetically or sensorially ambiguous - sometimes potentially Catimor, SL9, or mixed material - and cited Bourbon de Colasay reportedly turning out to be Catimor as an example. He remains skeptical of Peruvian variety labels because of prior misidentifications, including a purported Gesha later identified as Costa Rica 95, while still hunting Bourbon because some examples can be exceptional.
On the Halo dispute, agreed that Halo was weaker than SEY's best recent coffees, specifically in intensity, structure, and clarity, and disliked a raw-bergamot-like citrus quality. However, he explicitly rejected the inference that those defects proved a roasting problem; his view was that Halo may simply taste that way. While sick, he switched mostly to Yunnan "Dashu Baicha" white tea because he could perceive tea aromatics better than coffee aromatics during the cold.

dougssg

On Aug. 3, clarified that SEY does not have an in-house cafe water "recipe": the cafe uses charcoal-filtered water. Lance had separately created a Lotus Water recipe for "SEY House" that people were enjoying. Doug was waiting for results from a new full water test before sharing updated analytical details.
Mentioned a lemongrass-infused Gesha from Moonwake that he found particularly interesting.
Said Danche WH had fallen down his personal ranking because the current Ethiopia season had been so strong overall.
On Aug. 4, described Basha as extremely intense and said its scale reminded him of Gerald, specifically because of the intensity rather than necessarily an identical flavor profile.
On Aug. 6, announced a Motors pop-up at the cafe for Sept. 19-20 and expected some retail coffee to appear online as well. He said the Sophia retail quantity would be very limited - well under 5 kg - and identified it as a Lost Origins coffee.
On Aug. 7, said SEY had a Fellow collaboration/drop coming the following week featuring Harmufo. After cupping it alongside other excellent Ethiopias and ALO auction lots, Harmufo still stood out; he separately called the ALO auction lots "absolutely spectacular."
During the Aug. 8 discussion about an unsatisfying coffee, emphasized that a customer who had bought more than 300 SEY coffees and found one major outlier was evidence of a very high historical alignment in taste. Rather than dismiss the complaint, he asked how the coffee was being brewed, recommended trying a finer grind based on the reported symptoms, and invited the person to contact him directly if a similar issue happened again.
Stressed that tasting-note correspondence is inherently approximate: one drinker may call a note peach and another apricot without either being wrong. Sometimes a coffee produces an unmistakably specific flavor, while other times the correspondence is much less exact.
Returned repeatedly to Basha, calling it "insane" and comparing its heavily fruited character to Gerald special prep. He thought Basha was about as "hot" or heavily processed as he personally wants coffee to be, but judged it clean enough that the rest of the profile still worked exceptionally well.
Participated in the joking "iced soup" thread around Basha - including a mock 40 g/200 mL brew - and referenced an "all ratios work" brewer, while also joking about his tendency to accumulate brewing gadgets despite needing fewer of them.

naomi (car7iern)

On Aug. 3, described the Better Vessel as "Doug's gadget" because Doug had brought it in for the cafe team to test. Early trials suggested it increased espresso clarity, more noticeably with fresh doses than frozen ones, but she wanted substantially more testing before deciding whether the cafe should implement it.
On Aug. 4, said she did not consider herself knowledgeable about grinders but supplied practical cafe reference points: cupping was ground around 6 on an EK43, Aeropress around 8-ish on the cafe's 01 grinder, and when the cafe previously used an EK for filter they were around 10. She cautioned that calibration differences make direct translation uncertain.
On Aug. 7, when apparently choosing between coffees or producers, suggested either Marta and Jose Florez or Duber Mejia; the surrounding text is too limited to establish the exact comparison.
On Aug. 8, joined the Basha "iced soup" discussion and said Jose had made a very good iced Basha before jokingly retracting the compliment after he threw a pillow at her. She then suggested Basha would likely work well in that style and joked that Doug would make a good version.
Her other Aug. 8 messages were largely social jokes, including calling something "Hall of fame" and reminding others that she had personally packed 21 bags of candy for schoolchildren; the supplied text does not give enough context to say more confidently what those remarks referred to.
On Aug. 9, argued that the E80 grinder is clearly better than the 01 for milk drinks, especially lattes. Even when espresso strength is matched, she finds the E80 produces a nicer drink, possibly because more fines create a more velvety mouthfeel; she noted that the cafe's use of 8%-fat milk may also contribute.

Cross-thread takeaways

Basha was the week's clearest consensus excitement. seylance2897 characterized it as an unusually successful Bensa honey - highly fruity but still clean and recognizably between washed and natural - while Doug found it nearly as aggressively fruited as Gerald special prep and Naomi thought it worked well iced. opp4004 had already singled Basha out as an outstanding Sidama producer.
The Halo discussion separated cup quality from roast causality. Lance conceded that SEY had taken some recent coffees too light and that Halo was weaker than recent standouts, but resisted treating that as evidence of a sweeping roast change. opp4004 independently disliked Halo's clarity, intensity, structure, and citrus character yet also concluded that the coffee itself, rather than the roast, was probably responsible.
Storage became unusually technical. Lance's central recommendation was simple despite the material-science discussion: tape the valve, leave some CO2 headspace, keep the bag sealed, and reserve vacuum sealing mainly for genuinely long-term storage. opp4004's nearly five-month-old Yessica Parra PB provided an anecdotal counterpoint showing that at least one ordinary stored coffee had faded badly by that point.
Grinder discussion emphasized both equipment and dialing-in dependence. opp4004 moved substantially through the A4Z range before finding a filter-oriented setting he liked; Naomi supplied cafe EK43/01 reference settings but warned calibration makes numerical comparison weak. Doug's brewing troubleshooting likewise started with changing grind - specifically going finer - rather than assuming a coffee or roast defect.
Ethiopia dominated quality discussion. Doug said the season had pushed previous favorite Danche WH down his list and highlighted Harmufo plus spectacular ALO auction lots; seylance2897 was busy cupping Takesi and ALO auction samples; opp4004 ranked Chorso Bule as his current-year Ethiopian favorite and provided fine-grained regional preferences within Guji.
Producer and process distinctions mattered more than broad origin labels. seylance2897 contrasted Basha honey with ALO Bombe washed, discussed harvest-pass variability and difficulties reproducing past fermentation outcomes, while opp4004 differentiated Uraga, Hambela, Shakiso, and specific producers rather than treating "Ethiopia" or "Guji" as a single profile.
Peruvian genetics remained notably uncertain. opp4004 described a history of mislabeled Bourbon, Gesha, Catimor, SL9, and other material, while seylance2897 was actively exploring Yellow Bourbon in Puno and was himself curious about genetic results. Both threads point toward treating variety names in Peru as hypotheses requiring genetic confirmation rather than reliable sensory categories.

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