HI THERE COFFEE LOVERS !
Let me introduce you to the “BREW SERIES” with this first coffee review.
The “BREW SERIES” will evolve into various tastings/feedbacks of coffee, home-brewed or brewed at my work lab.
As COVID-19 virus hit worldwide at the end of 2019, the coffee consumption seems to have changed in many ways, good & bad. We have yet to experience the ripple effects in the coming months and years to fully understand how it impacts the coffee scene. However, the one positive happening birthed from this pandemia is the resurgence of coffee beans online orders !
Shops closing, business hours diminishing, take-out orders only.. led coffee drinkers to change their habits & learn how to make their cup of joe at home.
Of course, the coffee from your local supermarket could make the trick at first, but once you get used to a perfectly roasted & balanced cup, it makes you wonder “Where can I buy such good coffee ??”.
With the “BREW SERIES”, we’ll take a look at specialty coffeeshops (there will be an article later on the criterias of specialty coffee) products to treat yourself & your loved ones, as your favourite barista would do.
Today’s review is a collaboration sponsored by APOLLON’S GOLD x I AM NOT A BARISTA !
“I am not a barista” is an organization of volunteers wanting to help the coffee workers and through their Brew at Home campaign, supports the home-brewing by encouraging you to buy coffee & tools to your local professionals.
It is through this campaign I first got to hear about APOLLON’S GOLD, a specialty coffee roaster downtown Tokyo ! They very generously offered me 2 coffee bags to enjoy at home during the lockdown. And so I did !
My first happy thought was “Yay, no blend!” as I personally am rather not a fan (but I beg to be proven wrong!).
I was pleased by the owner’s choice of sending me these particular single origin samples; Peru Perla Mayo COE#5 2019 (“cup of excellence” number 5 of the year 2019, we’ll come to this vocabulary on other post, don’t worry) & Bolivia Alasitas Java.
Being a coffee professional, I was far too excited to simply brew it at home and decided on trying it first at what I’ll refer as of my “work lab”, with other passionate people, in a small cupping session. The cupping is a process to evaluate a coffee/give it a score/pinpoint the flavours.. using your senses.
Peru – Perla Mayo
My usual assumption of Peruvian coffee is a grassy/woody flavour that can definitely be great as it can be not so-enjoyable.
This one has a washed process and was roasted for espresso & filter.
The “clean cup” promise of a COE is well achieved!
Roaster comment: Notes of cherry/raspberry/hibiscus
We all agreed with the tasters I tried it with it had some sort of “tea-like” feeling (or this could be the hibiscus notes), comforting my idea that this Peruvian is your best suit for a sunny afternoon brew, with its bright acidity!
Bolivia – Alasitas Java
You can see how the beans look different from the ones above ! Coffee beans come from so many differents tree varieties, they all have their own shape & characteristics.
That Bolivia is from Java variety and has a natural process.
Roaster comment : Notes of lychee/rum/green tea
I kept it for last in the post because.. this is an absolute fave ! ♥
I couldn’t help but think I was sipping on an overly sweet lychee juice. It’s like a peachy fruit cocktail, with a smooth & creamy mouthfeel. To be fair, it’s been a while I got surprised when tasting a cup. This Bolivia is in my Summer to-buy list !
It is very refreshing, quite unique & won’t be upsetting your stomach on a heatwave. They also have a Geisha Bolivia, shh..
Try it iced at home !
About APOLLON’S GOLD
Good news folks if you don’t live in Japan : they ship WORLDWIDE and have an english website. 🇯🇵
https://shop.apollons-gold.com/
Either way, you can just pop in the store in Tokyo and ask about their beans. They will grind it for you if needed, no worries. The store closing days are updated on the Instagram.
Do check their on-going campaigns like the international shipping promo code or the “I am not a Barista” collab promo code to allow you to brew at home for a cheaper fee (use the hashtag #brewathome to share with us your feedback!).
To my Parisian fellows/A mes amis Parisiens 🇫🇷 :
Retrouvez les cafés d’Apollon’s Gold chez Cafe O Paris pour dégustation et achat!
Azusa se fera un plaisir de vous faire découvrir ce torréfacteur japonais.
Special thanks
Thanks a lot to APOLLON’S GOLD for letting me try their coffee to allow me to do a honest review. Your choice of offering me 2 different samples made it a great experience and easy way to point out my likings. I will be visiting!
Thank you to the “I am not a Barista” team for introducing me to a Japanese specialty coffee roaster I didn’t know of, and to organize this collab opportunity!
Sweet thank you to Mr Hagiwara & Mr Kurota from THE COFFEESHOP for sharing a brew and thoughts with me. Thanks to their guiding, I was able to find the correct recipe to enjoy each bag at home.
COFFEINE 
I’m from UK, so pretty cool to hear about the specialty coffee scene in Japan. Both me and my wife love fruity, hibiscus flavours.
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You have some great coffeeshops in the UK as well, I hope to visit in the near future !
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