Gethumbwini and grinding

We all have our favourite words, at the moment, mine is Gethumbwini. It rolls off the tongue and conjours up something romantic and African.

Gethumbwini is the name of a Kenyan coffee estate that according to those in the know, is growing some of the best beans available. Since Silverbrowess bought me an espresso machine a couple of years ago, my love of coffee has grown exponentially. This has been further compounded by a new job which means a morning latte and afternoon espresso from Monmouth are now daily realities. As well as imbibing more coffee, I've been reading about it as well, particularly Jim Seven. So all in, my knowledge and love of the bean has increased significantly.

I had repeatedly heard about this fruity, full flavoured coffee from the mystical sounding Gethumbwini estate. After a bit of searching, I managed to buy some from Hasbean - a fantastic purveyor of all things coffee related. The coffee arrived in rather clever foil bags with ziploc seals, ensuring, I assume, freshness.

I'm not very good at describing how coffee tastes, other than to say I know when I like something and I love Gethumbwini. There is a definite fruitiness - black berries predominate - and subtleness to it, that frankly I find it tough to explain further, other than to say, this has introduced me to the joys of drinking coffee without milk. I have also learned that there is real difference between coffees. Not simply between whether there you're having instant (shouldn't be called coffee) or espresso, but the variations between a cup of Kenyan or something from Nicaragua. The taste profiles are as varied as between a cup of English breakfast tea or Early Grey.

The coffee bean is all very well, but what I have learned is almost as important, is how and when it is ground. For years I had happily been buying ground coffee and then making a brew a week or three later. But, I had been deeply frustrated by my inability to make coffee that tastes anything like a latte from my favourite coffee shops, initially not making the connection with when it was ground. However, on further reading it became clear that grinding just before brewing was the key and eventually gave in to the allure. On the recommendation of the nice people at Monmouth, I ended up going for the KitchenAidgrinder. At last, I'm able to make a cup of coffee that tastes as good as the stuff I buy and the beauty of the grinder is that I can vary how fine the grind is, depending on whether I'm making a cup using the espresso machine (very fine ground) or my Bialetti (medium ground, not quite sand-paper).

As with many things in life, a bit of experimentation can bring great pleasure.

Comments

[Steve]

So pleased you liked the Gethumbwini its a very special coffee I'm so lucky to have.

You must also give the Costa Rica Herbazu a try if you enjoyed it another wow coffee.

Great Blog.

[Silverbrow]

Thanks Steve and I'll give the Herbazu a try next time I put an order in.