Black Kirin x co:llab coffee

Collaboration with Black Kirin

When I was invited by Black Kirin and heard about the idea behind this project, my first thought was “it must be something unprecedented”. Multiple roasters working on same green coffee, developing profiles and exchanging philosophies is rarely heard of. I feel grateful to become a team member and look forward to the challenge ahead (in a positive way).

Upon the first meetup with Yat, the roaster of Black Kirin, I learnt his roasting philosophy that he always seeks for balance among acidity, sweetness, body and aftertaste. In contrary to the trend of “light to superlight” coffees served in hip coffee shops, I respect his determination to pursue what he believes is the best in the cup. The philosophy was also conveyed in his roast samples – flavor profile (acidity, sweetness, body) is balanced and not localizing at one aspect.

Therefore, the final box set will contain Black Kirin’s two roast profiles. The “1st profile” presents his usual roasting style, and “2nd profile” is like a remix version incorporating co:llab’s roasting philosophy.

co:llab Roasting Philosophy

I believe in a “less is more” roasting philosophy. From roaster’s point of view, the best coffee means it presents “most uniqueness” of its original flavors with “least intervention” (i.e. roast defects) caused by the roaster. That explains why I am a fan of nordic style coffee for its clarity and juiciness with good balance between acidity and sweetness. Nordic roast does not necessarily mean superlight or lightest possible roast level, but instead refers to well-developed light roast with no grassy, baked or roasty notes.

When approaching new green beans, I usually start with sample roast batches and develop a profile that shows clarity and juiciness. On cupping table, my first focus of evaluation is always roast defects which should be eliminated by profile adjustments. I trust that when coffee is free of defects, its “unique” composition of flavors will naturally fall into place without showing roaster’s “intervention”. Some may believe that a roaster can manipulate intensity, body, mouthfeel or aftertaste individually, but I find it hardly possible to isolate one factor without causing defects or distorting the whole flavor structure. Instead, I want to let uniqueness shine in the cup and repeat the best profile day-after-day.

Sample Roast Impression

The assigned coffee is a Guatemalan geisha natural produced by Finca El Platanillo. The farm is located at 1,100 to 1,450 m.a.s.l. and is famous for a geisha natural lot that placed 10th in the Cup of Excellence 2020 competition.

My participation was Black Kirin’s “2nd profile” incorporating co:llab’s roasting style. Therefore, I started to imagine the resulting flavor composition if using my own roaster, such as more emphasis on fruit nuances and lighter body to reveal geisha’s delicacy. I wanted to support Black Kirin by sharing my roast plan and sample beans, aiming to open up discussion and inspiration on the coffee’s potential.

Having the first sample roast done, I found that the beans absorbed heat quicker than expected – more like a washed coffee. However, as the beans turned yellow, temperature ROR (rate-of-rise) declined smoothly again and returned to its “natural process” behavior. My speculation was its high moisture content that had absorbed extra heat energy in the beginning, but moisture dropped rapidly after yellowing due to evaporation. I decided to roast again with slightly higher initial gas setting then quickly pulled back to avoid scorching the bean surface. As a result, second batch progressed nicely within my expectation and was selected for cupping evaluation together with Black Kirin’s “1st profile”.

Cupping Evaluation

Both samples showed great characteristics of the Guatemalan geisha yet different flavor composition. Black Kirin’s sample (1st profile) presented it as a “punchy” prune juice with berries notes, bold body with some chocolaty finish. Overall intensity is high and pleasing especially when hot. My sample instead presented a more “delicate” side of it. Flavors were not as strong in the first sip but when it cooled down a little, nuances such as prune, tropical fruits and honey started to pop up and had complimented the floral aroma.

I think it is what this project is about – to let roasters communicate via roasting and appreciate different presentations of the same coffee. Our sharing of experience also provided inspiration for Black Kirin to explore further and develop his “2nd profile” of the final box set. It is my pleasure to be able to support in this project and look forward to tasting his final product.