A COFFEE-LOVER REVIEWS ONE WORLD ROASTERS'
HONEY PROCESS DOMINICAN COFFEE
– Special Guest Blog –

Editor's Note: When we think of people who love coffee with a PASSION, few come more immediately to mind than Rich Sudusky! As one of our earliest customers, we noticed immediately the love he had for both coffee and analysis of it. So when getting our new Red Honey Process Dominican Pico Duarte ready for sale, we thought we'd take the opportunity to ask him for his review of this special and slightly unusual coffee!

Guest Blogger Rich Sudusky reviews OWR's Dominican Coffee

My journey with coffee started innocently enough a few years ago ...
I was looking for a way to make coffee at work and stumbled upon pour-over coffee—at first I just used pre-ground Folgers, but this got me on the path. 

​Whole-bean coffee was next ... then a hand-grinder ... then locally roasted beans. A quick google search of "coffee near me" turned up One World Roasters, and the rest is history!

The Spirit Mountain Farm Dominican Coffee from One World Roasters has long been one of my favorites. When Eric told me they were getting a new "Red Honey Process" batch, I was beyond excited to try it!  This style dries the coffee with the coffee cherry partially intact, bringing more fruit flavors into the cup.

I prepared the honey process coffee through two different processes to explore a wide range of flavors and qualities in the beans. Let's dive in below!

Moka Pot Preparation

For this tasting, I used my trusty IMUSA 3-cup Moka pot.  This is the smallest size Moka pot; it yields a bit more than a double-shot of espresso.

I dosed 18.6 grams of coffee (enough to fill the basket) and ground it just a bit finer than my normal pour-over setting.  I  brewed over medium-low heat, and stopped the brew before any steam or spray came through to avoid over extraction. After decanting into my cup, I topped it off with a few ounces of hot water to make a very short Americano. 

Tasting

While the coffee cooled, I took a few minutes to appreciate the aroma. The difference in the red honey process is immediately apparent on the nose.  This coffee brings an essence of cherry wine into the mix along with toasted almond and chocolate.​

It's a delightfully complex taste, with enough tartness that you might think you were drinking a Kenyan coffee! The difference, however, is that the tartness is balanced with the chocolatey-nutty flavors that are more common in coffees from the Americas.

​On the palate, the tart cherry is quite noticeable, but the flavors of chocolate, almond, and honey also develop. This coffee brings an essence of cherry wine into the mix along with toasted almond and chocolate.

Pour Over Preparation

For this tasting, I used a Hario V60 glass pour over and Hario filter paper. 

My target ratio was 15-1 (water to coffee) achieved with 15g of coffee and 225g of water. I started with 30g of water for a 30 second bloom. I continued with roughly 30g pours, starting with the center and spiraling out just to the edges.  My grind was on the fine side, so total brew time was a robust 3:15.​

Tasting

The difference in brewing technique was dramatic.  Compared to the Moka pot, the Hario brew seemed more balanced and less tannic.

​The tart fruit flavors moved slightly to the back, with chocolate and almond notes coming just into the foreground.  Subtle notes of roasted grain, and even some savory notes came into view. Hints of honey were also present. 

​The unique combination of cherry and chocolatey-nutty flavors were all still there, just in different proportions.  I think this brew method would be more approachable for most newbies, but the intense flavors of the Moka pot are also worth trying.

The Verdict

Any way you brew it, this is a wonderfully unique coffee—I highly recommend you try it!

Visit the OWR Shop to learn more about Honey Process and order your bag today.