Brazilian Planalto

Hey everybody, what are you drinking? I’m Roger In Coffee and welcome to Coffee Cup.   This week I’d like to spill the beans on the Planalto from Brazil.

This review is based on a 250g whole bean package of “Brazilian Planalto” from Pact Coffee, prepared as two-shot espresso and two shot americano using an Aeropress coffee maker.

The Planaltos espresso has an initial berry hit that is a little sharp, like cherries that are still a fraction pink and this contrast adds to the complexity and fills out the flavour.  The main flavour is deep and booming but not overly earthy.  There aren’t many apparent floral, honey, high notes. The Planalto is all about the bass. The aftertaste is short, and fades away leaving you wanting more.

I always like to try an Americano with a new coffee. Often some of the subtle character is overpowered by the espresso and adding water can reveal higher flavours and bring the drink to life.

At americano strength I also found the Planalto very drinkable, there are small peaks in the flavour but nothing that overpowers the senses. I found I prefered a strong americano which I made by adding just a dash of hot water to the espresso rather than filling a cup, but the weaker drink didn’t suffer and a 10 or 12 oz Americano will work just fine.

The Crema remained dark for all of the regular drinks I made, which might suggest I was under extracting slightly.

Cold Filtering made a great drink, and added to the strength without creating a bitter finish. In a cold filter, you will use a coarser grind and the drink to brew slowly. I actually used warm water - around 45’C (113’F) - but you can go down to room temperature or below if you want to. I found the aftertaste flatter and lasted longer, which wasn't entirely objectionable but didn't add enough for me to push a hard-sell on cold filtering.

In an unusual twist I enjoyed the espresso with some delicious smoked chorizo, and following that can recommend the Planalto as a breakfast coffee.  If you are looking for sweet rather than savory, woody flavours like hazelnut or almond will subtly bolster its strengths. I expected to be able to bring up the top end with a dash of vanilla but I found that it flattened the flavour out and the aftertaste it added didn’t do it justice. Always follow your nose and pick flavours that hit the spot.

Since the Planalto is a mix of subtle flavours, it’s a great drinker that doesn’t overpower the palate and accepts a lot of flavours. I’d expect all of your favorite coffee biscuits or wafers to work well and while anything too creamy will cut into its flavour it’ll manage a range of cakes too.

Overall, I was very impressed with the Planalto. I’d expected to find it overly flat and earthy but was pleased it had such a fruity body. It was a great drinker that you can have easily in large portions.

I’ve been Roger in Coffee, and this has been a review of the Planalto from Brazil. In the 21st century we are drinking over two billion cups of coffee a day. I'm doing my part, are you?

Aeropress steel filter

Aeropress steel filter

Hey everybody, what are you drinking? I'm Roger In Coffee and welcome to Coffee Cup. Today I’d like to spill the beans on the Aeropress steel filter from Home Revolution.

The Aeropress from Aerobie is one of the cheapest and most effective coffee machines you will ever have the pleasure to use and produces reliable espresso coffee shot after shot. Keeping stocked with paper filters is easy enough, and they are available in the hundreds from your coffee stockist however I wanted to try the alternative steel gauze I saw that disposes of the need for paper.

I washed the filter before first use, but didn't rinse quite as well as I should have and some detergent residue made it into my cup which just destroyed my first impressions.  Following a paranoid rinse of everything in warm water I was ready for take two, and my second first impressions were good and the results were everything I was expecting.

The steel gauze performs just as well as the paper filters do. It’s difficult to say for sure but I didn’t detect any difference in the coffee. I’ll keep switching between paper and steel in future weeks so I can confirm or deny this conclusion.

Second impressions on the steel filter were mixed. The Aeropress is really designed for disposable, biodegradable, paper filters that you can pop into the waste along with the puck of grounds in one simple movement.  The Aeropress scores high points on hygiene and convenience for how slick this process is.

The steel filter changes that, interrupting your movement with the need to gently remove the filter from the puck before disposing of it and then the filter demands immediate attention to rinse it out and place it on the side for drying.

While paper filters can be rinsed, dried, and reused several times - and you may meet connoisseurs who rinse their paper filters before use - the general practice is to dispose of them.

The steel gauze is incredibly fine and seems like it’s a perfect substitute for paper. One thing is that it feels really delicate and you probably have to be pretty careful when washing it otherwise you could stretch or damage it. Even rinsing under the tap I was super gentle with it because I didn't want to deform it before its first outing. This could be a long term consideration for the steel filter if it takes a lot of punishment and mine already has a small mark on it from where I applied too much pressure.

The steel filter costs about as much as a thousand paper filters, and while it might survive a thousand uses I'm not sure it’ll take that much rinsing and washing unless you really do take care of it.  Holding it in the plastic cap for the rinse should let enough water through without putting it in too much trauma.

Taking these downsides - minor as they are - into account, I don’t see myself switching from paper to steel for general home and office use, but I'm definitely pleased with the steel filter.

It might be that the more I use it, the more I like it, but the extra care and cleaning it adds kind of goes against the quick and easy operation of the aeropress.

The Steel filter will be great as a backup, and especially as a travel option it’s the way to go. Carrying one steel filter on the road is hugely preferable to carrying half a dozen paper filters and knowing there is a steel filter available at home means running out of filters is no longer a problem.

Likewise the steel filter could be a good choice for the outdoors - camping, hiking, or fishing trips - where a few grinds might bio-degrade but you don’t want to litter the camp-site with used paper filters that can get dug up by animals.

In conclusion, I’d recommend having a steel filter, even if you don’t use it every day. It’s small enough that it doesn’t take up any space. It can sit at the bottom of your paper stack so you know where it is and you will always have a filter to hand. It’s absolutely perfect if you are on the road, or there is an earthquake and your house floods and ruins your paper filters. At least you can still make a top-notch coffee.

In the twenty-first century we drink well over two billion cups of coffee a day.  I'm doing my part, are you?

Aeropress from Aerobie

aerobie.com/product/aeropress/

Stainless steel coffee filter from Home Revolution at Amazon

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0063SL2TQ/ref=pe_385721_37038051_TE_3p_dp_1