Brent Fortune

Pete Licata - Honolulu Coffee Co.

C

Pete begins sharing the story of his introduction to this Kona coffee. He refers judges to the flavor tasting cards on the table and goes to work preparing the honeyd coffee, 3 specific tastes as he experienced them. Red typica, 1800 ft. Rusty’s Hawaiian, he picked himself, pulped them, and saved the cascara to make a tea representing the first taste he had of this coffee.  He let it cure in the parchment for three months. The 2nd taste was in Honolulu, a light roast of the coffee that he cupped, and noted flavors that he showcases in a French press.  The 3rd tasting was as an espresso.  He pulls the shots, lets them cool for a moment, and then pours the tea thru a cloth filter. He explores the sugars from the mucelig, sour fruit notes, and the parchment has a grain flavor.  French press focuses on the sweetness of chocolate and caramel, natural acidity. Roasted longer for espresso which translates to more sweetness and subduing the big acidity and natural fruit flavors.  Taste them as tea, French press, and then espresso, from light flavors to heavy flavors, sweetness translating through the three.  Coffee is balanced and sweet, but not very complex.

In his cappuccinos, he’s going to introduce another coffee which will improve the complexity. Caramel sweetness in the crema ring, dried ginger in the bottom of the cup. The natural coffee, also from Rusty’s Hawaiian, is both red & yellow caturra which Pete dried on raised screens for 3 weeks and cured in the fruit for 3 months. Wow.

Found another coffee on Kona which he pulped, and did two separate 12 hour dry fermentations with a rinse between that cleaned up this coffee a lot.  

Ask judges to evalute crema, stir and take in the nose of tropical fruit. Wants them to wait a moment until it cools.  50% of honey, 35% of washed and 15% of natural. He layered the coffees together. Meyer lemon, blackberry, chocolate and caramel in the cup. 

Thanks judges, calls time at 14:56.

Why he could be Champ: Pete is back again in the USBC finals, and has been here before. He is the SWRBC champion, one of two regional champions who made it thru to finals. He’s been intimately involved in all steps of his coffee’s production, from selection and harvest to process to roast, and this hands-on knowledge can really help the judge’s connect. Two competitor’s from Honolulu Coffee were in the semi finals, proving their coffee has merit here. Pete has been focused throughout the weekend and has been seen in the competitor’s prep room and lounge with his headphones and iPod, presumably going thru his routine in his head. Anytime you see a regional champion in the finals, you know they are a front-runner.

Trevor Corlett - MadCap Coffee Company

Showcasing a coffee from Los Lobos in Colombia, just a few weeks off the farm.  This is the same coffee that won the Good Food Awards, but this year’s crop. (The coffee is so new that its not yet available from MadCap, but coming soon).  He begins with capps. Tasting notes: Sweet creamy milk chocolate, hint of baked apple.  The capps become the first face of this coffee.  Espressos up next. This coffee sparkles, being fresh from harvest. Offers an intense yet balanced espresso.  Cherry and lime sweetness, lingering finish will be a great introduction into the signature drink.  

Sig drink: he prepares two signature drinks using ingredients he’s tasted in the Los Lobos. He’s created a sauce with each of the three, and creates tasters. Red - lemon juice, cherry concentrate, and mulling spice.  Yellow - lime juice, quince, and crystalized ginger.  He pulls his espresso into saucers. The drinks are intended to be intense, just as his espresso is intense. The tasters are meant to warm-up the tastes buds. He goes to work on his shots with just under 3:30 remaining.

Aks judges to take taster. Delivers espressos in brandy snifters, asks judges to swirl and take those back, then goes to work on phase 4, just over 1:00 remaining.  Phase 4 is the second taster, tip it back, and swirl and follow with the 2nd set of shots.  Calls time at 15:14 and done!

Why he could be Champ: Trevor has been here before. Experience goes a long way in the USBC. It’s been a big year for Mad Cap. Trevor and Ryan were hononred with a Good Food Award, and their coffee has been receiving other accolades. He had a strong showing in his regional, and is using a proven coffee. His signature drink looks great, is complex, and seems to be very coffee-centric with a focus on aromatics and embraces the way coffee is always changing.  This should go over well with the judges. He also seems relaxed in his final’s performance, and seems to be having FUN which is key. His genuine nature comes thru whenever he’s performing. Well done!