Featured Bean: Gethumbwini (Kenya)

Cafe Grumpy
Address: 4 Locations
Neighbourhood: Chelesa, Parkslope, Greenpoint, LES
website, @cafegrumpy, Tel: 718.349.7623


Featured Bean:
Farm: Gethumbwini Estate
Origin: Thika, Central Province, Kenya
Varietals: SL-28 and SL-34 varieltals 
Process: Washed and slow fermentation.
Dried: Raised BedsAltitude:1800 masl in rich red volcanic soil


VERDICT: As you break rinds of a grapefruit, the citrus oils fill the surrounding air, weakening your knees, falling to the ground. As you take in another sip, it's this tea-like finish that coats your tongue, and is rounded out by a familiar dark chocolate, thick heavy syrup aromas hitting your nose.



From the Roasters:

Pineapple, white tea, red grapefruit; molasses.
 
Abundant wildlife is found on the Estate and the farm members are educated about the importance of preserving these species which include snakes, hares, owls, weaver birds, hawks and hippos. Employees and their families are provided with a number of benefits including full medical care and schooling.
 
“Blind Assessment: Deeply sweet and deeply pungent with round, complexly rich Kenya fruit: grapefruit, black currant, strawberry, supported by an undercurrent of fresh-cut fir. Ringing, resonant acidity, syrupy mouthfeel, flavor-saturated finish.
 
Who Should Drink It: Simply a superb coffee, as grand as it is balanced and inviting, as fine with milk as it is black.”
-Kenneth Davids, Coffee Review, June 2011

NY: Cafe Grumpy (Chelsea)

Cafe Grumpy
Address: 224 West 20th Street
Neighbourhood: Chelsea
Borough: Manhattan
website; @cafegrumpy ;212-255-5511

Day 4 of NY: Espresso Adventure meant that I would have to get an early start if I wanted to fit in 2 locations before brunch date in the Lower East Side (Clinton's to be exact).
Early departure of 7am just felt right, like I was on my way to work. BEAUTIFUL crisp North East Winter Morning, with the sun gleaming down, it was my mission to get'er done.
Riding the A Line uptown from Greenwich made me feel like a local. Grabbing the Metro, I caught up on the news and was ready to emerge into Chelsea.

V60; Grumpy Honduras

Surprise, surprise Toronto. SNOW!

No grumpiness here, just exctasy with this mornings brew. The start of the new season of roasting has gone off amazingly well, and most cafe have been brewing some incredible SO and Blends. This can only mean that everyone is benefitting from the source of these beans, acquiring knowledge through craftmanship.

We so easily forget who roasted, or where the source of the beans are located, or most importantly the farmers that work hard all-year round. Their craft of cultivating amazing beans by pouring blood, sweat and soil into highlighting the best quality that they can obtain from the fruit.

As we've now hit spring, this is a Thank You tribute to all farmers - not just coffee farmers.

Coffee: Lo Mejor de San Vicente ( Pena Blanca, Santa Barbara region), Honduras
Varietals: Pacas + Bourbon
Producer: Santos Alexi. Flor de la pena + moreno
Roaster: Cafe Grumpy (Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NYC)

Roasters note: fruited and sweet with hibscus, ripe red grapefruit and honey

Method: Hario V60 Pour over


Verdict: Sweetness, sweetness, sweetness. clean honey tones with a ringing bright sweet lime-like finish.
Nostrils: strong-tea


Overall: this microlot is definitely lush! Sweetness from the first sip, gets even better as the fresh brewed coffee starts to cool. The sweet, fully ripe ruby grapefruit starts to shine, and the pleasent after-taste lingers just enough that you wish you brewed a big quantity.

But with amazing crops this year, the talks of coffee prices on the rise may be generating a divide between great coffee, and creating a larger gap from the "bad, unwanted" coffee. What are your thoughts?

Coffee Review: Cafe Grumpy's Brazilian Rodomunho! ♥

 

Beans: Rodomunho! ♥
Produced by: Cristiano Ottoni
Varietal of beans: Acaia, Catuai, Icatu, Mundo Novo
Region: Cerrado, Brazil
(more information)
Roasters: Cafe Grumpy
Located: Greenpoint, BK (Brooklyn) NYC

Extra Extra: Cafe Grumpy delivery

Wow!

3 bags of joy surprised me today!

Rodomunho - Brazil (Cerrado Region)
Micro lot Las Margarita Y Anexos - Guatemala (Amatitlan Region)
Lo Mejor De San Vicente - Honduras ( Pene Blanca, Santa Barbara Region)

This is 3 out of their current 6 selections being roasted on the Dietrich!

Check out their website for ordering and shipments!
Cafegrumpy.com

As a side note; this package came within 3-5 business days even crossing the border.

Cafe grumpy does right!!!!!

NY: Cafe Grumpy (Greenpoint)

Address:193 Meserole Avenue
Neighbourhood: Greenpoint
Borough: Brooklyn
website; @cafegrumpy ;(718) 349-7623

Coming over on the G line and popping up at Greenpoint Stn, meant a bit of walk through an area saturated with Polish food. What's better is that we stopped in for lunch. Need to refuel for proper EA.
After filling our tummies, we walked over to this clearly cute neighbourhood cafe.
Stepping inside the doors made me feel instantly apart of the hive-network and creative energy in the room. As is typical to cafe culture, chatter and laptop action was prominent. A Long communal table played home to 5 Macs, with couches and smaller tables for close chatter.
The back home to the Roaster, with more tables dispersed throughout/. (read: next post). Exposed brick walls. warm hues of orange, I could definitely sit here for hours.