Cauca Collected

We asked Drew, our General Manager of Retail what he thought of our new roast Cauca, here’s what he had to say.

Photo by Juan Garcia

I once thought, very romantically, that I would be a chemist upon growing up. Well, I thought it far more than once, but never again after that period lapsed. As it happens, you must be willing to tolerate a whole lot of math in order to be a chemist. Unlike one of my favorite YouTube videos, very few professional chemists spend time blowing up bathtubs with caesium. Turns out, I much prefer stories. Well, I much prefer stories to number crunching. Given the opportunity, stories and alkali metal motivated explosions would likely run neck in neck.

Like many other folks during quarantine, I found myself with a previously unimaginable amount of free time on my hands. Since there were only so many times I could reconfigure the organizational scheme of my closets (yes, plural) and watch Stop Making Sense (always plural), preparing food and drink graciously rose to the top of my concerns. Tough, I know, resorting to perfecting my painkiller cocktail proportions—the tiki drink, of course—just to pass the days. In case you are curious, fresh squeezing orange juice is an absolute must. Additionally, perhaps to the chagrin of purists, the inclusion of some pimento dram really makes the drink sing. It also makes me sing. In case you are once again curious, I am more likely than not to sing Stop Making Sense in its entirety and, boy howdy, DANCE after a few painkillers. For the record, I am still actively endeavoring to convince Andy to let us turn our event space into a roller disco.

Making pour overs presents one of those innumerable intersections between culinary crafts and the marginally mysterious world of science. Since this whole mess got underway, I have yet to miss a day meticulously measuring materials while monitoring water temperature for my (mayhaps) marvelous morning brew. Out comes the scale, timer, grinder, and some semblance of a discerning palate to suss out the ideal method. Satisfaction reigns supreme once I land on the grind setting that generates glory. On such days, I am a coffee chemist triumphant.

I must admit, I relied on our roaster, Oscar, to provide guidance on brewing a cup of our new Colombian Cauca today. His input did not disappoint. A carefully concocted cup of this coffee positively explodes with notes of tart green apple. The combination of a slightly chewy medium body and honeyesque sweetness reminds me of graham crackers. In turn, this also reminds me of last Christmas when I set my toaster oven ablaze making s’mores. Unlike downing a mug of this coffee, it was not a great time. Perhaps it is best nobody ever turned me loose with a chunk of caesium.

Be sure to pick-up or even get this new roast delivered.

Drew, General Manager of Retail