Symphony No. 9 (Experimental Natural): Light Roast (SO)

Symphony No. 9 was the final complete symphony completed by Ludwig van Beethoven, and the first he completed after experiencing total hearing loss. 

Beethoven started cutting the legs of his pianos down, so the pianos would hover just above the ground to better feel the vibrations. He would also place a pencil in his mouth, and rest the pencil on the keys to feel the vibrations. This also explains why there are so many more lower notes in this symphony when compared to his others, as he could feel them better than high notes.  

The Ninth was also the first example of a major composer scoring vocal parts in a symphony. It remains one of the most played symphonies to this day, and we chose an exceptional coffee to pay homage to this masterpiece and its composer. 

This is an experimental natural, as before cherries are dried they are placed in a dry tank for 72 hours (as opposed to a wet tank for an anaerobic process). This results in a natural coffee with tons of fruit/berry notes, and which is so vibrant on the nose. It's a great foray into experimental coffees as it doesn't have too much funk and is super easy to drink daily. We love this coffee and are so excited for everyone to try it. 

It's a real Ode to Joy. 

ORIGIN + VARIETY: SINGLE PRODUCER - Red Bourbon
TASTING NOTES: chocolate covered cherries + raspberries
ROAST: Light
PRODUCERS: 7 smallholders listed below
REGION: Remera Sector, Gatsibo District, Eastern Province
ALTITUDE: 1550 -1850 masl
PROCESS: Experimental Natural

SIZE: Available in 125g, 227g, 340g bags and 908g bags.  

GRIND: Whole Bean, Filter, French Press and Espresso/Moka Pot.

More about the processing method:

First, a day of intensive sorting at the cherry stage,under complete shade, to ensure only the ripest are chosen and any visible defects are removed.

Step two is multiple rounds of floating - filling a large container with cherries and water,
discarding the less dense cherries that float to the top of the tank. The highest quality cherries are selected and placed into sealed bags overnight (all of this is done within 12 hours of the cherries being picked!). 

Cherries are then placed into sealed plastic tanks and left in a shaded area for 72 hours. Following this fermentation process, the coffee cherries are spread out onto raised
beds to begin the drying process. The goal is for cherries to be a single layer on the beds,
maximum 2 - 4 cm of depth. Each station has calculated exactly what volume will fit perfectly on their sized tables to achieve this. For the first 5 days, the coffee is turned every hour. From day 5 to day 20, coffee is turned every 2 hours. From day 20 - 50, the coffee and ambient temperature are strictly monitored to keep the rate of drying slow and controlled. 

This strict focus on extremely thin layers, coupled with frequent turning and temperature monitoring, is to ensure that the flavours remain clean and free from over- fermentation or mold defects. When the moisture content reaches 11.0%, the drying phase is considered complete. The dried cherry is bagged and stored in a dry warehouse until time for milling. Total drying times for natural process coffee is around 50 - 55 days.

7 Smallholder farmers:

The following 7 names are the are the main reason why this coffee is great:

• Fidel Manigaba
• Claver Ntambara
• Celestin Uwizeyimana
• Syliver Nsekuye
• Dorothe Akimana
• Didacienne Nyiramakuba
• Eperance Mukamparanyi.

Brewing Tips: 

• ICED COFFEE: Perfect as a funky and wild pour over flash freeze brew. Use large cocktail ice, lower your brewing ratios and then prepare as you usually would (with the option of adding a bit less water)! 

Thank you to our partners at www.Semilla.com for the information contained on this page!