Introducing the Medicine Man Tasting Set

About the Set:

The "Medicine Man" tasting set is built around fermentation as a craft. Not experimentation for its own sake, but deliberate, informed manipulation of yeast, temperature, and time. Three coffees, three distinct techniques, one through-line: control.

The set is anchored by a gesha from Hacienda La Esmeralda, processed by Mario San José using his BANC method. A cold-room finish extends drying and keeps fermentation in check, producing the kind of crystalline clarity and balance you'd expect from a well-executed geisha, though it's anything but ordinary.

From there, the set branches out. From Gesha Village, Oma's anaerobic natural processing takes a different approach: microbial succession, where must from earlier fermentations drives the process forward. Finca Deborah's Echo is a washed carbonic macerated gesha co-fermented with its own cherry. This fermentation is shaped by temperature and co-fermenting agents, although these co-fermenting agents are still from coffee itself. 

Each coffee represents a distinct mode of fermentation control. What ties them together isn't a concept, it's the quality of the decision-making behind each one.

A note on Dialing:

We dialed this set of coffees with the traditional Hario V60 paper filters. We found that the fermentation processes accelerated the brew times, allowing us to get great cup profiles with the standard filters. The Sibarist filters, which brew much faster, required very fine grind settings, to the point that the coffees were tasting muddled.

While dialing, we recommend beginning with Mario BANC. Once you’ve identified your ideal grind size for this coffee, Oma Mosto should brew well at the exact same setting. After that, grind a little bit coarser for the first brew of Finca Deborah Echo, and you should immediately be very close to dialed. Also, don’t be afraid of brew times on the longer end of our spectrum. These coffees brew a little slowly, but maintain a high degree of clarity and complexity.

Mario BANC

Dose: 20g
Ratio: 1:17
Filter: Hario V60
Grind: Slightly finer than Neutral
Brew Time: 3:20
TDS: 1.33%
Extraction: 19.5%

Sensory Description:

Well-dialed cups of Mario BANC feature a very unique and pleasant creaminess not found in many coffees. The silky and creamy texture combines with fruit notes of mango and cherry, with the result being reminiscent of a fruit smoothie. At our target extraction, this coffee featured a sparkling acidity like cherry cola and deep sweetness similar to very ripe fresh mango. You should also expect an aftertaste of lingering vanilla and orange creamsicle.

Dial Notes:

This coffee brewed at the long end of our time parameters, pretty close to 3:30, so don’t be afraid of slightly longer brews as long as they don’t stall.

Over-extracted brews of Mario BANC flattened out the sparkly acidity of better dialed cups. Even at very fine grind settings, the coffee retained a lot of sweetness. However, it lacked the juicy quality of fresh fruits, leaning more towards dried cherry and dried mango characteristics. The texture became too heavy, losing some of the signature gesha delicacy you would expect. A pretty significant dark chocolate note also came through, overpowering some of the more nuanced fruit and floral notes. In this case, I would recommend grinding a little coarser for the next brew.

Under-extracted cups don’t come across as exceptionally sour like other coffees might. Rather, you’ll get a thinner body and subtler texture, making the coffee more tea-like compared to the creamy and silk body of well-dialed cups. The tasting notes become more like fruity teas, similar to cascara tea or hibiscus tea, losing some of the fresh fruit juiciness and sweetness. While under-extracted cups still are relatively pleasant, if you’re getting notes similar to what’s described above, I would try grinding a little finer on the next cup.

Oma Mosto

Dose: 20g
Ratio: 1:17
Filter: Hario V60
Grind: Slightly Finer than Neutral
Brew Time: 3:10
TDS: 1.33%
Extraction: 19.6%

Sensory Description:

In comparison to the other fermented geshas in this set, Oma presents as the most delicate. You can expect a complex and layered cup with a lot of florality and many sweet fruit components. We taste white flowers like honeysuckle alongside apricot, dried peach, and watermelon candy. This coffee becomes more expressive as it cools, and develops a rich sweetness with a nice soft and slightly velvety texture. The aftertaste is lingering florals like honeysuckle and jasmine.

Dialing Notes:

Under-extracted cups of Oma come across a little weak. For a gesha coffee, it can be somewhat difficult to differentiate between weak and delicate. I drew this distinction on under-extracted cups because they sacrificed some of the sweetness and texture of better dialed cups. The fruit notes, while present, also presented as slightly under-ripe, maintaining a “green” quality that wasn’t as sweet as other cups. For cups like this, I recommend grinding slightly finer for the next brew.

Over-extracted cups were a bit muddled, lacking the clarity and delicacy you would expect from a gesha. The heaviness and abundance of texture also distracted from the flavor profile. The resulting cup leaned more into sweet sugar-browning flavors and chocolate notes, but sacrificed much of the delicate fruit and floral characteristics. 

Finca Deborah Echo 

Dose: 20g
Ratio: 1:16
Grind: Slightly Coarser than Neutral
Filter: Traditional Hario V60
Brew Time: 3:30
TDS: 1.28%
Extraction: 19.3%

Sensory Description:

Echo is a syrupy sweet and fruit forward expression of carbonic maceration with the addition of cascara during the fermentation. When dialed, the profile leads with malic fruit notes, such as white grape, tropical fruit punch, yellow plum, and cascara syrup. The signature florals are present in the cup as well, presenting as notes of jasmine and rose. The texture is long lasting, similar to enjoying a spoonful of fruit syrup, with a long, pleasant aftertaste of plums. 

Dialing Notes:

Under-extracted brews of Echo are thin and sour, similar to a fruit punch made with underripe fruits. Texture is an excellent indicator of extraction for Echo; if the texture is like that of tea rather than syrup the coffee likely needs more extraction.

Over-extraced brews of Echo are bitter, flat, and drying. The fruit notes appear muddled and hidden in the cup while the aftertaste dissipates quickly. If the brew is lacking in vibrancy, like fruit punch, then it likely needs more extraction. 

Also in Reserve Dials