Not so long ago, I drove up to GR to have a coffee meeting with the founder and CEO of Mighty in the Midwest and my new best friend forever, Cliff.
We had a lot of really great conversations about everything ranging from the cultural impact of social media, web and mobile app design ideas, careers, marriage, parenthood, literature, and the wonderful, wonderful, wonderful world of craft beer over some absolutely incredible coffees.
We both started our morning off with the Kiriyama Burundi and we were both floored. But the conversations kept going – what were we to do? One can’t conversate over an empty coffee mug!
That’s when Madcap roaster and recurring barista champion, Sir Ryan Knapp came riding in on a silver steed, approached the two of us, and heavily recommended their brand new Colombia – a coffee that he said was one of the sweetest coffees he’s had in 2013. That’s high praise coming from a Knight of the Round Table in the Corner of the Cafe.
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of Madcap Coffee Company, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Today we’re sampling a cup of their Luis Reinoso Colombia. Feel free to pull up a chair.
Luis, brother to Didier Reinso, has a very small farm named Finca Vista Hermosa (“farm with a beautiful view”) in Campohermoso, Herrera where he lives with his wife and two daughters, Mirly Dalenna and Derly Yurany.
Although unfortunate weather made for a low-yield harvest this season, the Reinoso family stayed committed to harvesting exceptional coffee, allowing us to purchase all of the specialty-grade coffee from their lot.
This coffee definitely stands out with its vibrant flavors derived from high and consistent elevations, a great micro-climate, and attention to detail throughout its life. Aside from coffee, Luis’s family also grows beans, plantain, yuca and herbs.
Although Luis and Didier have very similar growing practices, elevations, and soil, the very slight differences in terroir as well as the large difference in fermentation processes create major distinctions between the two coffees.
the basics:
origin: Campohermoso, Herrera
farm: Finca Vista Hermosa
elevation: 1700 – 1800 meters above sea level
cultivars: Caturra and Bourbon
process: fully washed, raised bed dried
certifications: standard
the coffee:
The aroma of Luis Reinoso’s coffee is smooth and sweet. Very fragrant, very alluring, very much puts me in a mood to watch the sun rise from the comfort of an easy chair on my back porch. Caramel and honey blossoms mingle with flares of stone fruits, chamomile tea, and rose hip aromatics. It is completely and totally reminiscent of the countryside – wide open skies, the prairie, the fresh air.
The first few sips of this cup provide a perfect transition from aroma to flavor. Much like its aroma, the coffee is warm and inviting and sweet and comforting. Up front, while the cup is still piping hot, my palate is soothing and buttery with notes of flowers, crusts, savories, sugars, and confections. Fresh-baked buttered scone, brown sugar, creamy caramel, silky rose petal, and raw cocoa nib set the tone of the cup.
As it descends to room temperature, juicy fruits don’t really bubble up from the bottom of the cup so much as they slowly seep through the cracks of front matter. A beautiful and mouth-filling golden delicious apple, apricot, white peach, nectarine, and maraschino cherry flavors run down the sides of the tongue before crashing into the insides of the cheeks, sweet and tart raspberry skip across the palate, while a zesty citrus acidity bites the tip of the tongue.
Light body; buttery mouthfeel; citrus acidity; clean finish.
the bottom line:
There is, of course, a lesson to be learned today, and that lesson is this: when Ryan Knapp recommends a coffee to try, try it.
I couldn’t have been happier with the recommendation he made; couldn’t have been happier with this wonderful, delicious, flavorful, and delightful Colombian coffee. The Luis Reinoso, from Madcap Coffee Company, is everything and more that you want a classic Colombian comfort to be – it pleases the palate up front, then pleasantly surprises it in the back, leaving behind a lingering finish that continually rewards your taste buds for upwards of an hour later.
This is one I strongly recommend purchasing. And don’t think, for a moment, that you can get this coffee from another roaster and get the same experience; for one thing, that’s a fallacy, but more pertinent is the fact that, as aforementioned, Madcap is roasting this coffee exclusively as they purchased all of the specialty-grade coffee from their lot. You won’t/can’t find this coffee anywhere else, and it’s not going to last forever, so get it while you can.
If Ryan Knapp likes it, you’ll like it, too. More importantly, if Drew Moody loves it, you’ll love it, too.
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Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.