Corduroy Espresso #29
$21.00 – $98.00
I was going to write that Corduroy is a new concept for Speckled Ax, but at this point, about two and a half years and 29 iterations in, it isn’t. I suppose having blends like Bird Dog that are sixteen years old make it seem so. In any case, it’s a blending concept: a coffee with ever-changing components blended specifically with espresso in mind, in order to better acquaint ourselves with familiar coffees and flavor profiles, and to push our understanding of what espresso can be, within reason.
Our current iteration of Corduroy is equal amounts Ethiopia Sidama Masha (washed) and Honduras La Avi (washed). We’re particularly excited about this current blend because this washed Ethiopia works so well as espresso. We sometimes find that, when pulling shots with high percentages of East African components, our process ends up being dictated by acidity management, rather than tastiness. Not so with this coffee. It’s got enough top end to remind you of its origin, but its plum and chocolate notes are what give it its uniqueness. Coupled with a Honduras that, once again, we identified, and purchased in part, for its espresso potential, and you’ve got a spro that is sweet and relatively forgiving. It’s a versatile coffee that tastes great on its own and plays well with milk.
In our shops, we are using 19 grams for a 40ish gram yield, with a long (10 seconds) pre-infuse and a total brew time of 40+ seconds. (We are running Synesso Hydras in most shops, with ramp up and ramp down.)
about the series:
“Corduroy” is a term for a stretch of road or path built with small logs laid perpendicular to the direction of the road itself. In the Maine woods during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, these road sections were usually dropped over low-lying swampy areas in order to access tree stands that would be cut in the winter. After these roads were covered with snow and ice, the logs were twitched, or skidded, out of the woods with horses to the banks of streams and rivers that would float them down to the mills in the spring, after ice out. Corduroy roads were never designed to be a permanent or lasting solution, but rather a means to provide temporary access into a new territory.
- Location: Marcala, Honduras and Sidama, Ethiopia
- Elevation: 1500-2000 meters
- Varietal: field blend and antique varietals
- Process: washed, dried on patios and raised beds
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
I was going to write that Corduroy is a new concept for Speckled Ax, but at this point, about two and a half years and 29 iterations in, it isn’t. I suppose having blends like Bird Dog that are sixteen years old make it seem so. In any case, it’s a blending concept: a coffee with ever-changing components blended specifically with espresso in mind, in order to better acquaint ourselves with familiar coffees and flavor profiles, and to push our understanding of what espresso can be, within reason.
Our current iteration of Corduroy is equal amounts Ethiopia Sidama Masha (washed) and Honduras La Avi (washed). We’re particularly excited about this current blend because this washed Ethiopia works so well as espresso. We sometimes find that, when pulling shots with high percentages of East African components, our process ends up being dictated by acidity management, rather than tastiness. Not so with this coffee. It’s got enough top end to remind you of its origin, but its plum and chocolate notes are what give it its uniqueness. Coupled with a Honduras that, once again, we identified, and purchased in part, for its espresso potential, and you’ve got a spro that is sweet and relatively forgiving. It’s a versatile coffee that tastes great on its own and plays well with milk.
In our shops, we are using 19 grams for a 40ish gram yield, with a long (10 seconds) pre-infuse and a total brew time of 40+ seconds. (We are running Synesso Hydras in most shops, with ramp up and ramp down.)
about the series:
“Corduroy” is a term for a stretch of road or path built with small logs laid perpendicular to the direction of the road itself. In the Maine woods during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, these road sections were usually dropped over low-lying swampy areas in order to access tree stands that would be cut in the winter. After these roads were covered with snow and ice, the logs were twitched, or skidded, out of the woods with horses to the banks of streams and rivers that would float them down to the mills in the spring, after ice out. Corduroy roads were never designed to be a permanent or lasting solution, but rather a means to provide temporary access into a new territory.
- Location: Marcala, Honduras and Sidama, Ethiopia
- Elevation: 1500-2000 meters
- Varietal: field blend and antique varietals
- Process: washed, dried on patios and raised beds