I really am loving 2013’s Bourbon County Coffee from Goose Island. Fresh, it’s my favorite batch to date. That’s why I was even more excited to get a bag of El Salvador Los Inmortales at the Black Friday release. My only complaint is the bag does not list when the beans were brewed but I know that the roast for Goose Island happened late-summer and am hoping the beans aren’t THAT old. Since this coffee is no longer sold anywhere online, I’m going to guess it’s a pretty old roast. Also, the bag they handed out was ground and not whole bean so I’m drinking this within 48 hours but no clue how long these bags have sat around. I used 500 grams of water with 32.5 grams of coffee in a Chemex with water temp of around 190 degrees in a circular pour-over. The brew took 6 minutes due to the grind being pretty fine, almost espresso grind consistency. I usually go for a courser 3-4 minute brew.
A – Very subdued and flat charcoal brown to black. One of the least exciting coffees I’ve ever had as far as appearances go. I prefer a more ruby red.
S – Very floral nose. I get this big burst of honey and the molasses is probably the most dominant flavor. Very sweet. Earthy undertones are present but not overpowering. There’s a minor cinnamon french toast aspect as well.
T – It’s very akin to 24-hour diner coffee. There is almost no acidity, zero burnt qualities but it can be a bit nutty. The taste is undoubtedly coffee but without any real dominant flavors. I’d call this one an approachable in taste low acidity sunday brunch coffee.
O – The BCS Coffee I tried along side this had more fruit than what I picked up in this preparation. I find this coffee to be so in the middle that it was probably chosen correctly as to lend coffee flavor to the beer without dominating the bourbon or grain profile that Bourbon County Stout is so famous for. As for a drinking coffee, it’s just okay probably a B+ because it’s not challenging the palate, more so just not offensive in any way and probably would appeal to a Dunkin Donuts drinker more than someone who measures their coffee in grams and uses a digital thermometer, etc.
