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!

Jared JT Truby - Verve

This is not JT’s first time at this rodeo, he had a strong showing at the SWRBC regional which you can read more about here.  Jared is the “Tru” half of the sexy Trubaca duo.

Sweetness, biterness, acidity play together in the cup. Varietal, processing, terroir are out of the barista’s control, however by changing dose, extraction yield and time (in barista’s control), he can explore some of the elements of balance. 

Jared is using Elida Estate  aka “his old flame” - from Boquete, Panama by Wilfred Lamastas & Aul Sol from El Sal. Espressos up first. Burnt caramel sweetness, grape acidity, bitter citrus finish.  Outstanding balance comes from unique sorting and processing, mix of mechanical drying methods. Aul Sol grown at 1800 m using optical, density and hand sorting. Vanilla cream, caramel & cocoa in capps.

Sig drink: Jared is isolating the extraction bi-products, he separates the shot into three portions: sweetness, acidity and bitterness.  Paired with a burnt caramel sauce. Acidity is paired with white grape and raspberry. Finally to pair with bitter solubles and an aromatic bitters made with cassia, clove and juniper berries. He then has them combine these three elements into one glass, has them stir, smell, and enjoy a balanced beverage. Dang, Jared just dropped a lot of crazy stuff!  

Jams: Send Me an Angel, Maniac, 

Ryan Knapp - MadCap

(recap coming soon)

jams: Poison

Ian Levine - Verve

Ian is featuring a washed coffee produced by 50 farmers in Huila, Colombia - Los Naranjos.

esp: notes of apricot, citrus acidity, bittersweet chocolate

In his sig: same coffee via 3 brew methods on table - v60 for clarity/citrus, french press - silky mouthfeel, toddy 12 hours - marriage, clarity of flavour and sturdy body. Apricot sweetness, citrus acidity replaced with flavours of toffee, honey and vanilla. A diverse amount of flavors, aromas, and textures. The apricot reduction pair with espresso - toddy concentrate, recreation of cappuccino, drink in two parts sip off top - honey vanilla and coffee cream, finish beverage with emphasis on apricot sweetness linger on palete for days.

jams: Justin Timberlake - Future Sex/Love Sound, Annie Are You Ok - Michael Jackson

Nikolas Krankl - Gelato Bar & Espresso (USBC Finalist)

Beverage weight is the focus of Nik’s presentation and the impact on flavor profile and cup quality. He’s aiming for 19 grams. El Salvador Finca Matalapa peaberry. Clean, bright, juicy. Goes to work and returns with tasting notes. This coffee is roasted by Ecco Caffe. Fresh cranberry acidity. (This coffee is different than the one he used at the Southwest Regional.) Four days off roast.

Nik uses a French press of the coffee, and changes the mouthfeel by pouring it through a glass V60. Allows it to cool down to optimize the aromatics.

Nik aerates the coffee by pouring it thru a wine aerator to not only cool it down, but open up the aromatics. Tells judges to drink however they want, and that it keeps getting sweeter.

Calls time at 14:40. Plenty of time.

Devin Chapman - Coava

Devin is using an Ethiopia Kochere. 

He’s recreating a traditional coffee ceremony where coffee is roasted, ground, boiled in hot water to create a dense & rich brew, sweetened and spiced and served in three bowls. He adds 130 g of star anise and black tea, 9g melted dark choc, 6 shots of espresso. Served in traditional Ethiopian cups dressed with lemon rind. The beverage introduces you to flavor profile of coffee.

He adds shots into tea pot for sig with some lemon peel.

30% of coffees come from this region. Coffees are sought after because of their quality. Grown at 1900m, heirloom varietal, zesty aroma and lemony acidity. Wet processed, raised bed dried which cements a clean complexity.

Fruit in aroma, dark chocolate in cup

Capps: notes of lemon but not sharp, round like meringue. Flavors focus on silky body, flavors of milk chocolate.

This was one of the first coffees exported from Ethiopia this year. Harvested in January, received in March. This coffee has been helping to fund a medical center and school in the community where the coffee originates.

Espresso: crema - invokes the color rule and calls the color like the ligher portion of saucers with milk choc flecking, flavors of lemon, silky body, flavors of dark chocolate, and subtle hint of black tea.

Calls time at 15:09.

jams: Talkdemonic (PDX Band), Menomena (PDX Band), Beastie Boys, Boy Eats Drum Machine (PDX Band), Tallest Man on Earth.

Chandler Rentz - Batdorf & Bronson

Showcasing a coffee from Colombia. Walnut & pecan aromatics, bergamot, dried fruit as you sip into the drink. Silky medium mouthfeel, finish

Capps: showcase almond and pecan notes, with hints of citrus still coming thru, nots of the Bergamont.

Sig drink: Heavy cream, added some dried cherry syrup to balance bitterness of dark chocolate, and Earl Grey tea to compliment citrus.  Two syrups for 2nd element, a soda made from raisins and dried cherries with sparkling mineral water. Start with 

Pete Licata - Honolulu Coffee Co. (SWRBC Champ) (USBC Finalist)

The day of competition rounds out with experienced USBC competitor Pete In the clean-up position. 

Pete offers the judges a slide-show to see where the coffee came from on the trees and recommends coffee take notes.

Pete begins with sig drink, honey coffee given in 3 specific tastes representing experiences he’s had bringing this coffee to the comp. Found on big island of Hawaii, 1500 ft. up, picked and pulped in owner’s back yard, and Cascara saved to make a tea. Cured in parchment for three months, and mucilage used in 2nd part of the tea.

Tea is a combination of sweetness, and available sugar from the mucilage, combined with natural acidity and sweetness of coffee from French press. Chocolate complexity, and he introduces two new coffees - a washed and natural processed coffee. 

Brown crema ring in capp - toasted grains and malts and caramel sweetness.