Going with back to back Kenyans from Onyx to directly compare the two, this week with Kiamutuira OT-15, also an SL28 and SL34 varietal. Both of these Kenyan's are excellent, and I will say this year's Kenyan coffee as whole has been some of my favorite. The OT-15 has a bit more juicy acidity and caramelized sugars than last week's OT-19, with maybe my perfect coffee landing somewhere in the middle.
I tended to like this one a bit more brewed than as espresso, with rich butterscotch like sweetness and a silky juicy acidity in the finish. The flavor descriptors are: apricot, blackberry jam, cola, juicy, and silky. I will say that these tend to be pretty on point, so much so that maybe it's the apricot that came forward in the espresso shots that made me not love it, though it was still very tasty. Recipes for both are as follows:
ESPRESSO:
- 1 : 2 ratio or 18 grams of coffee in an 18 gram VST basket
- 3 second preinfusion, 27-30 seconds pull at 8 bar
- 30-33 second total pull, about 34-36 grams yield
Brewed on the 02 size Hario V60
- 1 : 17 ratio, or 22.7 grams of coffee to 375 grams of water at 203*F
- 3x coffee weight agitated bloom for 35 seconds
- Pour to about 300 grams, finishing around 1:20 or so in and stir
- Final pour to 375 grams, total brew time of 3:30
Espresso shots were good in milk and held up nicely in a 5 ounce cappuccino, but I do really think this is a beautiful brewed coffee. Although I didn't get to try, I suspect you could really dial up a juicy flavor bomb using an Aeropress as well.
This one is $21.50 for a 12 ounce bag via Onyx' website here.