Food Blogs
Coffee Tasting with Leo Rios
Posted by jamescollier on Nov 10, 2009
Filed:
Giveaways
Tagged:
cafe corazon
coffee
If you're on Twitter, you've probably connected with Leo Rios—even if only indirectly. He roasts coffee every weekend for people all over town.
Leo knows more about his craft than anyone I've come across, and his passion for coffee is contagious (and not in the caffeine-is-addictive kind of way). When his shop was open, I had the pleasure of sitting in on a "tasting," and have been excited to hear revive that experience. He's offering another tasting this Sunday, November 15.
Here's the deal: he wants to keep the group small to focus allow for questions and conversation, so the event is sold out.
At least, it was sold out, until I talked Leo into opening a seat for a member of the TasteFresno community. So, if you like coffee and want to learn more about it, and you're free Sunday from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m., here's how you can win a free seat at the tasting: leave a comment (again, a valid email address is important) telling me the coffee shop(s) you frequent most, and why. You've got until 8:00 p.m. tonight to do so.
Here's what you'll be learning about:
- Guatemala Finca Conepcion Pixcaya – a very full coffee with a cocoa bitter sweet cup. Leo describes it as rich and buttery, with a slight tang.
- Costa Rica Herbazu Red Honey – a light-bodied, clean and an unconventional Costa Rican coffee. Leo describes this roast as having great citrus with a malty nutty flavor at the start.
Leo will also explain different brewing techniques, and outline the history of the beans. Additional details will be sent to the winner.
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Comments
Anonymous (not verified) | Tue, 2009-11-10 15:42
7-eleven, cheap good coffee with a great assortment of creamers and sweeteners
Rebecca (not verified) | Tue, 2009-11-10 18:15
OK, I admit it, I frequent Starbucks when I need my caffeine fix. But there is truly nothing better than a morning spent enjoying Cafe Corazon coffee, made through my coffee companion's French press. (I'm loving the Autumn Blend now!!) Though I used to love my sweet chai soy lattes, I've learned to drink Leo's coffee with no milk and just a little bit of sugar. I would love to learn more about his coffees!!
jamescollier | Wed, 2009-11-11 09:30
Thank you both for commenting - Rebecca was drawn randomly (there was a 50/50 chance), and she's now signed up.
As for coffee, I like the hazelnut at Uncle Harry's, and I spend a lot of time at Starbucks - there's no shame in that, though Leo definitely offers an experience that will make you question the value and quality of just about any store-brewed coffee.
Legal Alien | Tue, 2009-11-17 20:50
A big thank you to all who attended. It was a great first time. It's actually the second, as James knows since he went to the first one, but the format in this was quite different.
I went over a few how to's for what we were going to be tasting. I prepped myself a cup and showed everyone how to prepare their own coffee for cupping. It being cold and flu season and all, I thought I'd give everyone their own cup for cupping. It worked out pretty well. Prepping the first batch of coffee for everyone, the Guatemala Finca Concepcion Pixcaya, had a couple hitches that I was able to correct for when prepping the Costa Rica Herbazu Red Honey. Preppig the Costa Rica went much more smoothly.
I was so stressed over having enough hot water I totally did not talk about the origins of the coffee very much. I'll make that correction for the next tasting. There were some great comments and suggestions that I'll be implementing and I can really see the tastings getting better and better.
Many people really enjoyed the Guatemala, and I do tend to enjoy that one a touch more over the Costa Rica. However, today 3 days out from it's roast birth, I enjoy the Costa Rica much more, reversing my opinion (and who knows, maybe tomorrow I'll change my mind again, coffee is so fun). Part of enjoying very fresh coffee is tasting it day to day and enjoying it mature and develop over the first week when it's at it's best. Today and last night the Costa Rica really shined with a great lemony citrus as the cup cools.
I hope everyone who took some home is using some hot water to get all that delicious flavor out of the coffee. If you went to the coffee tasting please post and share how you liked the coffees.
The next tasting is set for December 13th 2009, and it is booked solid already. Next one for January already has some spots taken.
Some things I havn't mentioned even to the people who came to the tasting, you're getting it here first, I'll be looking into using a Siphon Brewer and large French Press (aka Press Pot) for the next tasting. We did more of a cupping at this tasting, nearly identical to what we do when cupping and the coffee brokers home bases. I'll also be looking at doing giveaways at the tastings as well, maybe some coffee or some cool coffee paraphernalia to help you have the best coffee possible at home.
OH, Joan, rereading my coffee info I find that both the coffees are Burbon varietals (for some reason I thought one was a hybrid), tasting the Costa Rica today totally confirms that one.
Till next we clinky the coffee cups,
Leo Rios
Tom (not verified) | Tue, 2009-11-17 23:29
I was very glad that I attended. Leo's passion for coffee shines through - I remember as he was demonstrating the proper cupping method, he broke through the "crust" on top and made a sound of pure enjoyment as he inhaled the aroma. His enthusiasm for coffee is contagious.
I really enjoyed the Guatemala - very full bodied, very "bright", with a flavor that seemed to coat my entire mouth and linger there, mellowing as the cup cooled but still remaining intensely flavorful. This was my favorite coffee of the two. The Costa Rica was also tasty, though I found it to be much more straightforward and without some of the complexity of the Guatemala. Still enjoyable - I could see myself sipping this one after dinner, maybe with dessert.
Part of the fun was getting to interact with the others around us and compare notes. Everyone at my table was a genuine pleasure to interact with.
In summary, I was very glad I went and would very much like to participate in future events. Leo, thank you for all the work you put into your coffee - it shows!
Rebecca (not verified) | Wed, 2009-11-18 08:47
I was lucky to win a spot at the coffee tasting - and a pound of coffee!! - through TasteFresno. I, too, had a great time at the event.
I've drank coffee for years, but it's just recently that I've begun to TASTE coffee. So, it was fun to have Leo teach us how to "cup" the coffee, etc. And it was great to be around people who really appreciated locally roasted coffee!
My only suggestion is: Since I'm an inexperienced taster, I would have loved to have learned even more about the coffees and their flavors. (For example, I loved when Leo described one coffee as tasting like a Nutter Butter cookie!)
I definitely hope to attend one of the upcoming tastings. And I hope there will be more delicious baked goods to accompany the delicious coffees :)
demourad | Wed, 2009-11-18 13:56
Not many people can express their love and appreciation for coffee the way that Leo Rios can. It is clearly evident every time he speaks about coffee in person or through well thought out emails. Mr. Rios has demonstrated his passion for the art and science of choosing the best quality bean by committing to a weekly drive to the Bay Area and cupping coffee with the finest in the field. This is further expressed as he describes his love for roasting the bean to perfection, not too dark and not too light, but just right.
The day of the coffee tasting, 3 tables of guests faced Mr. Rios, who had his own table full of coffee paraphernalia including a couple of ceramic cups, spoons, hot water, and an AeroPress, which he said provides a nice rich cup of coffee. The tasting menu consisted of a Costa Rican variety and Guatemalan variety, which Leo emphasized as having different depths of flavors.
Leo briefly depicted what it was like to do a coffee tasting and demonstrated to the group how it would be accomplished. But first, he carefully measured out with a digital scale the correct amount of whole bean coffee needed to do the tasting and passed it through a conical burr grinder. As important as choosing and roasting the coffee is for flavor, Rios said the grind is also critical for achieving an excellent cup. He added water to the grinds in the cup and let it sit for 4 minutes. He then cut into the top layer of the coffee with a spoon and put his face into the cup with his nose barely off the surface of the coffee. He took several seconds to analyze the flavors of the nose. Afterwards, he spooned off the grinds floating on the top and spooned coffee into his mouth and passing air through it like one might taste wine. The vocal expressions only resembled pure enjoyment, as if he were trying something sweet like a chocolate mousse for the first time. By this point, the anticipation for having my own cup left me slightly tormented.
My first cupping was extremely exciting. As a connoisseur of great coffee, I did not have any reservations about how great this cupping from Café Corazon would be. I order coffee from Rios weekly, so I knew he would deliver at the very least, an incredible time and a good cup of coffee.
My Tasting Notes:
Costa Rica- Rich and full with dark chocolate hints.
Guatemalan-Nutty with hints of dark chocolate and berries. Slight acidity.
This event, if you have the pleasure of attending, will not be disappointing. The pure and simple joy of having exceptional coffee from Café Corazon is certainly a Fresno treat. Thank you, Café Corazon!
Daniel
Legal Alien | Tue, 2009-12-15 20:54
Coffee Tasting II, December 13 2009
I want to thank everyone again for a great day of tasting coffee. I changed the format a little and I think it was quite a great change. A big thanks to our host as well, the DCAC for use of their great space and ambiance.
In this latest coffee tasting we enjoyed coffee presses, aka French Press, aka Press Pot. I started the tasting off asking if the group would like some coffee brewing pointers. We organically progressed from that point to; ideal brewing temperatures, brewers, grinders and water.
We again tried the Guatemala Finca Concepcion Picaya and Costa Rica Herbazu Red Honey. After the great response to the Guatemala at the first tasting (where I presented the Guatemala second), I tried a little experiment by presenting the Guatemala first. Again the group picked the Guatemalan coffee as the star of the day. It is quite good.
Interesting the difference in flavor from the a cupping style, to a French Press. The berry flavor is much more pronounce in the Guatemala brewed in the French Press. For me, there was more of a buttery presense in the Costa Rican coffee, with a great lemon/citrus right from the start. The French Press really produced a full bodied cup of coffee. The body of the cup is so full and rich one could almost say you can chew on it.
As part of the day of tasting we enjoyed a great piece of chocolate bundt cake in between the two coffees. Courtesy of Corazon herself, that was a great way to transition from one coffee to the next.
The next coffee tasting I have not decided which coffees to present....I have 3 new coffees coming in this week! Over the next couple weeks I'll be cupping and roasting and making notes on the new coffees. I'll send out the next email for those interested in the next coffee tasting. Looking at the 17th or the 24th of January for the next episode.
Till next we clinky the coffee cups,,,
Leo
hdelcore | Wed, 2009-12-16 06:51
Leo, this was a great event all around -- the smells, the coffee, the cake, seeing some people I know, meeting new people...thanks for putting it on! As you know, I liked the the Guatemala Finca Concepcion Picaya and bought a half-pound. It's great, but I haven't had the same results with my drip coffee maker as you did with your French Press. I checked underneath and sure enough it's a 900 watt maker, so water temp (and time to brew?) are likely to blame. May have to make the switch to French Press, which I've used in the past but not every day. Also, I asked Andrea to put a burr grinder on her list of possible gifts for me in the future (I have an old blade grinder right now). Looking forward to being introduced to more coffee knowledge and more great beans!
Paul Aguayo (not verified) | Wed, 2009-12-16 09:24
Leo, just like Hank I turned over my drip brewer and yes, its only 900 watts. I was bummed. You see I am old school, that I don't replace anything until duct tape and bailing wire wont hold it together any longer. :) But I will let the water sit in the weld a bit longer than I have in the past.
I also liked the Guatemalan blend more. It seemed a bit more bold and you know how I like that bold flavor. I also had some intersting conversation with Hank and Alan, I believe from FCC. Tks for having the event Leo, it was worth the trip from Madera. Paul sends
LuvlyRta | Fri, 2009-12-18 14:09
I've got to check in here more often - I didn't know you were doing these sessions! I must snap a spot or three for me and mom and sis, please pretty please!
Legal Alien | Sat, 2009-12-19 18:43
Send me an email Rita, I'll add you to the next coffee tasting in January.