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Stimulate - Modern Dark Blend

$21.00

Strawberry, Vanilla, Rich Dark Chocolate

With lots of rich dark chocolate covered strawberry heft plus some Ethiopian high notes of syrupy vanilla sweetness, Stimulate is virtually guaranteed to be love at first sip. This blend was designed to be a modern dark roast with a play on the classic Moka Java. Delicious as espresso, french press, and drip. An invigorating play of our modern dark roast, plus a seasonal Ethiopian component to add a lil pizzazz. 

Details

Profile Dark 
Origins Colombia, Ethiopia
Process Washed
Elevation 1070 - 2150 masl 
Variety Various  

Source

An exhilarating blend of seasonal Ethiopian and Colombian micro-lot coffees.

Size

Grind

Build a box of 1–3 bags
Variants and availability
  • 10 oz / Whole Bean · Size: 10 oz, Grind: Whole Bean · $21.00 · In stock
  • 10 oz / Drip · Size: 10 oz, Grind: Drip · $21.00 · In stock
  • 10 oz / French Press · Size: 10 oz, Grind: French Press · $21.00 · In stock
  • 10 oz / Aeropress · Size: 10 oz, Grind: Aeropress · $21.00 · In stock
  • 10 oz / Espresso Grind · Size: 10 oz, Grind: Espresso Grind · $21.00 · In stock
  • 10 oz / Chemex · Size: 10 oz, Grind: Chemex · $21.00 · In stock
  • 10 oz / Cone · Size: 10 oz, Grind: Cone · $21.00 · In stock
  • 10 oz / Cold Brew · Size: 10 oz, Grind: Cold Brew · $21.00 · In stock
  • 2 LB / Whole Bean · Size: 2 LB, Grind: Whole Bean · $56.00 · In stock
  • 2 LB / Drip · Size: 2 LB, Grind: Drip · $56.00 · In stock
  • 2 LB / French Press · Size: 2 LB, Grind: French Press · $56.00 · In stock
  • 2 LB / Aeropress · Size: 2 LB, Grind: Aeropress · $56.00 · In stock
  • 2 LB / Espresso Grind · Size: 2 LB, Grind: Espresso Grind · $56.00 · In stock
  • 2 LB / Chemex · Size: 2 LB, Grind: Chemex · $56.00 · In stock
  • 2 LB / Cone · Size: 2 LB, Grind: Cone · $56.00 · In stock
  • 2 LB / Cold Brew · Size: 2 LB, Grind: Cold Brew · $56.00 · In stock
  • 5 LB / Whole Bean · Size: 5 LB, Grind: Whole Bean · $122.00 · In stock
  • 5 LB / Drip · Size: 5 LB, Grind: Drip · $122.00 · In stock
  • 5 LB / French Press · Size: 5 LB, Grind: French Press · $122.00 · In stock
  • 5 LB / Aeropress · Size: 5 LB, Grind: Aeropress · $122.00 · In stock
  • 5 LB / Espresso Grind · Size: 5 LB, Grind: Espresso Grind · $122.00 · In stock
  • 5 LB / Chemex · Size: 5 LB, Grind: Chemex · $122.00 · In stock
  • 5 LB / Cone · Size: 5 LB, Grind: Cone · $122.00 · In stock
  • 5 LB / Cold Brew · Size: 5 LB, Grind: Cold Brew · $122.00 · In stock
  • 4 oz / Whole Bean · Size: 4 oz, Grind: Whole Bean · $10.00 · In stock

How to brew

TasteMatch starting point · dark roast

French press

For this darker roast, French press is a starting point for a fuller-bodied cup. Use Hoffmann’s settling technique; adjust extraction to avoid bitterness.

French press

Full-bodied and forgiving. Patience matters more than technique.

Ratio
60–70 g/L
Grind
Medium (not too coarse)
Water
Just off the boil
Time
4 min steep + 5–8 min settle
  1. Add the coffee and pour in all the water.
  2. Steep for 4 minutes, then break the crust and skim off the foam.
  3. Wait a few more minutes so the fine grounds settle.
  4. Press only to the surface, then pour slowly.

Recipe references: James Hoffmann, Barista Hustle

Tasting notes & sources

Extraction, simply

Sour or thin coffee usually means under-extraction, so grind finer or brew longer. Bitter or drying coffee usually means over-extraction, so grind coarser or brew shorter. Change one variable at a time. Research from UC Davis's Coffee Center and Jonathan Gagné's writing explains the physics behind these rules.

Tasting like a cupper

Professional tasters score coffee on fragrance and aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, sweetness, uniformity and clean cup, following the SCA cupping protocol. You can borrow the same habit at home: smell the dry grounds, then the wet crust, then taste the coffee hot, warm and cool. Flavor opens up as the cup cools, so don't judge it in the first sip.

Using the flavor wheel

The SCA Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel, built on the World Coffee Research Sensory Lexicon, works from the inside out. Start in the center with broad families — fruity, sweet, nutty/cocoa, floral, spicy, roasted — then move outward to specifics like berry, citrus, caramel or jasmine. If a coffee tastes "fruity," ask what kind of fruit. Naming flavors gets easier the more deliberately you compare cups side by side.

Acidity, body and sweetness

Acidity is brightness, not sourness: think citrus, apple or wine-like sparkle, and it's prized in high-grown coffees. Body is the weight on your tongue, from tea-like to syrupy. Sweetness signals ripe fruit and a clean roast. When a brew tastes flat or harsh, adjust the extraction first, then revisit what you taste.

Coffee originsTrace every bag on the map