EVERY WEAPON DESERVES A MASTER.

Coffee is scored on a 100-point scoring system. Coffee scoring above 80 points is considered 'very good' coffee (how good it tastes) and by origin (traceability). We would like to add a third criteria for coffee - namely the actual taste when served in the cup as the taste can be lessened during storage, roast, brewing, etc.

World class evaluation process

The tasting notes are evaluated by an international team currently managed by Ivica Cvetanovski and Storm Lunde. Over the years, it has been of a rotating nature with members comprising among others Thore-Andre Thorsen, Rubens Gardelli, Veronika Galova Vesela, Alexander Nagy, et al. Everyone holds all high international and professional skills regarding coffee knowledge and merit. The validation and scoring of the coffee undergoes, among other things, a conventional cupping and brewing according to our “1:1:1” method for the V60 which was developed for the 2017 WBrC in Budapest. Evaluation is done in accordance with WCE's WBrC score sheet. The taste notes are recorded in all categories (Aroma, Flavor, Aftertaste, Acidity, Body and Balance). The 3 most common and identified taste notes from each member in the summation of each category are those found on the label of the coffee bag.

Because 3 identified flavor notes are not plenty

While others are focusing on 3 flavor notes, our uncompromising approach singlehandedly sets the bar for re-defining the respect and evaluation of high-end  coffee. The process is very labor intensive and time consuming, yet the experience is surpassing the set standards - and a receipt for you as a customer to expect nothing else than the best. 

We evaluate the coffee as green beans and primarily with SCA's WBrC score sheet, namely Aroma, Flavor, Aftertaste, Acidity, Body, Balance and specific intensities for each category. Aroma is evaluated as both dry and wet. 

Flavor algorithms and design

Each coffee is visually inspected and moisture levels are quantified. We roast  based on conduction and moderate heat application with world class skill and care in small quantities. Quality, not quantity.

Quality. Consistency. Care.

There is no Holy Grail or “Perfect Cup” of coffee. Coffee is subjective. People like what they like. We like what we like. You like what you like. Or at least have a preference. Most importantly, people, destinies and opportunities are what we treasure the most. Our primary areas of interest is Kenya where our journey began in 2008 before establishing Coffea Circulor Africa Ltd., Coffea Circulor Norway and Coffea Circulor Sweden.

Furthermore, Colombia, Ethiopia and Panama. Guest countries with inspiring projects do happen. Our ambition is quality, not quantity. By focusing on a few excellent countries and producers we can guarantee quality, consistency, knowledge enhancement and sustainability initiatives from an environmental and financial perspective. Investing in future prospects and above all support producers and communities to build a strong financial security. Focusing on few areas enable us to connect baristas with the producers and communities. Therefore, the baristas can over time learn how to perfect their brew. It brings more joy to their profession by telling stories that matter.

Brewing recommendations

The ideology in our roasting is to highlight flowers, fruits and berries while preserving important sweetness and integrating playful acidity. Acidity has always been a focus for us and it powers our coffees. 

V60 + VCF, Origami

Our World Brewers Cup formula 1:1:1 (One) for V60 is based on 3 components: acidity/sweetness/balance and executes in parallel with our roasting ideology rendering a symbolic result.

 “1:1:1”: 20g coffee. 300g of water. 100g of 20 second pours in 3 total pours at 0:00, 1:00 and last pour at 2:00. Finish at 3:00. Adjust only grind size and water temperature.

In short, visualized as:

• 20g of coffee + 300g of water
  1. Infusion of 100g of water for 20 seconds, concentric circle pouring.
  2. At 1:00 infuse with additional 100g of water for 20 seconds, concentric circle pouring.
  3. At 2:00 infusion with additional 100g of water for 20 seconds, concentric circle pouring.
  4. Target 3:00 ending time.

More specific:

Our World Brewers Cup recipe, One (1:1:1), for Hario V60-01/02 with Hario VCF-01/02 filters:

• Open the sealed coffee bag/container gracefully, let the contents aerate for a few seconds, re-seal the bag one day prior to your first brew. This will enable the coffee beans to adjust to their environment after being in storage/transport. 
• Rinse the VCF-filter with 93°C water. Rinse the carafe/server with hot water to expel any unwanted aromatics and flavors from the rinsed filter.
• Coffee: 20g.
• Water: 300g @ 93-95°C, TDS: 10-50 mg/l.
• 100g of 20 second pours in 3 total pours at 0:00, 1:00 and last pour at 2:00. Finish at 3:00.
• Pour by pulsing in helix formation during 20 seconds, starting from the centre, 5 revolutions per pulse. Ensure no grinds persist on the filter wall in the last pouring pulse.  
• At 01:00, 02:00 and 03:00, confirm the filter bed is flat and uniform. Avoid generating cavities and craters.
• Target a TDS reading of 1.40±0.02.
• Adjust only grind size and water temperature. 
• Grinding: Target 600-800μm. Example: 28 turns from the finest setting on Comandante. 
• If the flow ends past each minute, adjust your grind settings to finer and respectively for slower flow. 
• The recipe, technique and formula is singularly linear and time efficient. Learn more about linearly up- and downscaling our recipe here.

Observe:

• We recommend a brewing temperature of 93-95°C.
• On the Comandante, 28 turns/clicks/rotations from ”zero”, 'starting from the finest’. (This assumes the Comandante is not many years old and turns can be slightly ’off’.)
• On the Kinu M47, target mid-setting, re-calibrate if your first pour is flowing too fast or slow. Fine-adjust at will.
• "Ending time" is visualized as very few drops flowing through the V60 while the flow subsides, meaning from flowing to dropping, at 0:50 after the first pour, 1:50 and 2:50 respectively.

Kalita, Serax, Orea Wave-based (Flat-bottom filters)

1:1:1 (One) replicates to Kalita, Serax and Wave-based filters.

Adjust only grind size, preferably finer on Commandante, from 28 to 25.

Sibarist

1:1:1 (One) replicates to Sibarist FAST filters, conical and flat.

Adjust only grind size, preferably finer on Commandante, to 15 for natural and anaerobic based coffees and 16-17 for washed and more chaff-fine producing coffees. In short, if your "regular" filter is set at X, reduce the grind size by a factor 2. For example, on Comandante from our 1:1:1 (One) brewing recommendation, us 14 for Sibarist on the Comandante.  

Chemex

This formula renders a sweet, crisp, vibrant and refreshing result.

• Rinse the Chemex-filter with 93°C water. Rinse the carafe/server with hot water to expel any unwanted aromatics and flavors from the rinsed filter.  
• Coffee: 30g.
• Water: 500g.
• Use Chemex Square-filters.
• On the Commandante, at least 34 turns/clicks/rotations from ”zero”, 'starting from the finest’. (This assumes the Comandante is not many years old and turns can be slightly ’off’.)
• Use two pouring kettles. Alternatively, reduce the water temperature after the 3rd pour.
• Water 01 totaling 350g @ 93°C, TDS: 10-50 mg/l.
• Water 02 totaling 150g @ 80°C, TDS: 10-50 mg/l.
• Avoid generating cavities and craters during pouring by applying a helix formation, spiraling from the centre to the outer rim and back.
• 1st pour: Timing 00:00, 100g pulsing in helix formation during 20 seconds. Last pour rinses/clears the filter walls.
• 2nd pour: Timing 01:00, 150g pulsing in helix formation during 20 seconds. Last pour rinses/clears the filter walls.
• 3nd pour: Timing 02:00, 100g pulsing in helix formation during 20 seconds. Last pour rinses/clears the filter walls.
• 4th pour: Timing 03:00, 100g pulsing in helix formation during 20 seconds. Last pour rinses the filter walls.
• 5th pour: Timing 04:00, 50g final centre pour during 20 seconds. Last pour rinses the filter walls.
• 05:00 Finalize the brew by removing the filter.
• Pre-heat your serving vessel/cup with the remaining water to keep the cup warm before serving.

Aeropress recommendations

This formula renders a sweet, bold and tactile pleasing result.

• Rinse the VCF-filter with 93°C water. Rinse the carafe/server with hot water to expel any unwanted aromatics and flavors from the rinsed filter.  
• 20g coffee
• 260 water
• Inverted.
• Grind: Medium. Depending on grinder. Commandante at 25 turns/clicks from “zero”.
• Water: Low mineral, towards 10 TDS if possible, at 90C.
• Start by brewing with 90°C water and pour 100g.
• Pour additional 100g water at 01:00.
• Pour the final the final 60g at 02:00 minutes.
• Swivel and plunge at 02:30.
• End plunge at 03:00
• Do not plunge to the very bottom - the "sounding" stage.
• Pre-heat your serving vessel/cup with the remaining water to keep the cup warm before serving.
• Serve.

Espresso recommendations

This formula renders a compact and energetic result.

Our focus and ideology is a powerful, sweet and acidic experience.

We strive to achieve a high weight and texture beverage, a "thick" sensation, high taste balance and indiscernible bitterness.

Target tactile sensation is high in weight, round medium to high texture and long finish.

We avoid producing a "modern"-style and diluted experience generated by an abundance of fluid in your beverage. We are not producing "disguised Lungos" identified as 18g coffee/45+g extracted coffee. If this is your goal, this formula might not be for you,

We can fine-tuning the roasting of particular coffees to suit your specific equipment. Conditions apply for quantity.

Serve in a functional vessel. Avoid flat bottom, tall cups and particularly paper cups where valuable compounds are absorbed by the paper to reduce the experience.

• "Naked filters" are preferred.
• Water pressure: 8-9 bar.
• Temperature 92-95°C depending on equipment.
• Higher roast level, growing altitude and lower density coffee beans might require lower water temperature with adjusted grind setting.
• Lower roast level, growing altitude and higher density coffee beans might require higher water temperature with adjusted grind setting.
• Coffee: 18g.
• Do not use (read: non-recommended) "multi-purose" grinders such as EK43. Use espresso specific grinders such as VA Mythos, Mazzer, etc.
• For manual equipment, pre-infuse for 7 seconds, begin extracting 5g before pressure ramps up, continue extracting remaining 20(+)g.
• For automatic equipment, pre-infusion of 8 seconds are recommended.
• Timing: 25 seconds.
• Extracted fluid: 25g + max 2g depending on equipment. (Ristretto-approach)
• Your beverage should render an obvious visual crema.

Water recommendations

Use water with balanced mineral content to optimize flavor and character. Keep Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) between 10-50 ppm or mg/l. We advise a temperature between 93-95°C for the best brewing experience. Target values the following values.

Store and care recommendations

Please store in a cool and dry place in order to secure freshness and quality. To ensure best possible experience use within 3 months after roast date and 2 weeks after opening. In various environments and setups, your brewing experience can benefit from opening the bag and closing it. Wait one day to brew. We have invested significant time to research the durability of the coffee by actively refining our roasting algorithms to ensure perpetual quality post 3 months of production. Our flavor-lock packaging technology is based on processing and roasting. This ensures persisting and stable aromas, flavors and pro-experience.

Resting time

Regarding the “resting time” for the coffees, you can actually go ahead and cup, brew, infuse at once. Since the coffees might be traveling over national and international borders over one to a couple of days, the "resting" occurs naturally.

Additionally, the roasting algorithms has taken this into account. They are developed for longevity. Also, when you decide to open a bag, you can go ahead and access the aroma and if you don't decide to prepare a coffee directly, this can be in favor for the flavor development by waiting 1 days after opening the bag.  

Our customers use various "resting times"/schedules that are highly personal or to suit particular needs. We, ourselves, brew directly while others can wait everything ranging from 1-21+ days.

For espresso-specific roasts, we recommend a resting period of 10 days after specified roasting date. 

Temporality recommendations

Start using at will. Brew immediately or wait several weeks. Prepare for a championship with a strategy. It all depends on your goals.

We recommend using the coffees by first opening the container/bag one day before the first planned brew to enable a natural aeration of the coffees. Use according to the following matrix and remember these are general observations given parameters such as continent, country, region, variety, altitude, process, etc. combined with Coffea Circulor processing and roasting algorithms.

Plan your acquisition according to production schedules (roasting), event attendance (home/championship) and shipping priority (standard/courier).

Packaging

Our (current) packaging is a conventional stand-up pouch, yet with a slightly modified design housing a resealable zip lock. Once the contents is emptied it can be reused and repurposed to be filled with other coffee beans, cascara, dried fruits, candy, and so on. The package is (usually) not intended to use any liquids.

"Typical" coffee retail/storage bags (might) might have a so called "one way valve / air vent / air hold". The function of these "valves" is to expel various gases. Although stated that these are working in a "one way"-direction, our findings showcase a bi-directional way, meaning they can just as much also enable air to flow in rather than only out. Consequently, this is also is altering the pressurized environment for the roasted beans. Although valves are claimed to be of the "one way pass"-principle, judging by various manufacturers, design and cost efficiency, valves can be low grade, "cheap production", and cause more harm than intended. 

Coffee containers such as bags of any kind come in various shapes and sizes. Since Coffea Circulor's first days of coffee roasting, circa 2008, we have had the understanding that creating a natural environment of for the roasted coffee beans is crucial to its quality, longevity and sensory experience. Additionally, coffee is organic matter, it attracts aromatics due to its porous nature, meaning also the gases it expels also contributes to it re-absorbing these, contributing to its flavor development. Throughout the years, Coffea Circulor has performed significant tests, many through trial and error, with various packaging solutions, ranging from 'bags' to cylinders in various shapes and forms. We have always returned to a "conventional bag" being able to carry out its primary function, namely preserving the natural environment of the coffee beans at an optimal level without being side-tracked by shape, form or disturbing its natural environment. Non-valve solutions, when still in its natural, unopened environment and when potentially exposed to fluctuating temperatures, also have a tendency to fair better in respect to longevity. This is an area of specific interest of Coffea Circulor and is constantly researched in respect to the origin of the coffee (country, region) and fermentation method. 

Solutions with "valves" are not guaranteed to be "one way". They create a "back draft", meaning air is also drawn into the bags, disturbing the natural environment, particularly in pressurized environments such as cargo bays in for example during flight. The valveless solution is also in favor of predictability since various factors can be ruled out in reference to transport, storage and longevity. Testing, not only ourselves but also customers, have systematically found that the longevity of the coffees are much more in favor rather than pro valve-based solutions. The valveless solution also allow the coffee to retain a certain state of being under pressure and not be altered as pressure can fluctuate with a valve-based solution, such as for example when a coffee bag changes environments as in entering different altitudes during transport. (Compare to a water bottle in a flight cabin as it "implodes" during its flight.)

Kindly also observe that valve-based solutions are from a time where coffee was roasted more aggressively and would (possibly) require a solution that could counteract the build up of gases. 

In effect, our chosen packaging could possibly "expand" due to all of the presented details. The coffees that enter these kind of bags also undergo a different roasting procedure to ensure a slower development of the de-gas timings. The effect of this does not compromise quality, longevity or the sensory experience. The presentation might come across different from other retail coffee bags from other producers/suppliers. We do not have any statistics at hand in respect to how many actors on the market prefer valve versus valve-less solutions at this time of writing (2018). We do know and acknowledge that this has been Coffea Circulor's de-facto standard and that we (might) be/have been alone preferring this method of storage. In reference, kindly know that if 99% of the an industry uses a particular method it becomes "standard" and the remaining 1% (could) be questioned why. Something that comes off as being "non-standard" does not automatically mean it is "bad".

Package usage

Unopened bags:
Open the sealed coffee bag/container gracefully, let the contents aerate for a few seconds, re-seal the bag one day prior to your first brew. This will enable the coffee beans to adjust to their environment after being in storage/transport.

Opened bags:
Re-seal the bag while "squeezing" and sealing with the bag with the built in seal also disengaging any unnecessary air in the bag, i.e. keep the bag away from a potential "balloon"-state after opening it for the first time. 

When opened, use your coffee within "reasonable" time. 

Completeness

Our visual coffee accessory. Your tactile experience.