Hickory Infused Ethiopia Amaro Gayo From WyoToadsJava Review
Todd Sternberg owner of WyoToadsJava came up with the idea of roasting coffee with hickory. It all started when he realized that the Ethiopia Amaro was good, but that the coffee was lacking something.Sure, the coffee has been seen with a rating in the high 90′s, but I have to agree that it’s lacking something. For me, it’s like drinking flat soda. The flavors are there, but there’s no life to it.
Using an old basket over a hickory fire, this hickory infused coffee was born. After roasting Todd threw some hickory chips in the bag to further ferment the beans.
I have to say that Todd had me worried about this experiment. When he told me that it turned out good I had to jump on the chance to try some for myself.
As I was waited for it to get here, I kept going back and forth on the coffee. It sounded weird, but kind of good, and then it just sounded awful.
When the coffee came in I tore open the bag to find very oily beans that were between a medium-dark to dark color. The beans itself looked over roasted and almost burnt like, but the aroma didn’t suggest that. Instead, the beans carried an ever so slight smokiness, a hickory scent, and of course a very pronounced lush berry note.
The color of the beans didn’t do the aroma justice. In fact, I was becoming more and more intrigued by this coffee.
Once the coffee was brewed, that’s when the hickory really came out to shine. The aroma carried that slight smokiness, some hickory, and that lush berry note.
The taste was at first a little overwhelming. The hickory note hit my tongue and I kind of wanted to spit the coffee out, but I didn’t. After that, some smokiness appeared along with that berry note.
I found the coffee a little overwhelming at times when in the french press, but when the idea struck to throw it in the drip pot, that’s when I found something great.
The drip brewer I have at work is a cheap one, and probably the slowest drip brewer you will ever see. Having said that, I think it works in my favor that it’s so slow. The water actually stays with the grinds a longer.
Some of the flavors in this coffee were muted through the drip brewer, but it actually helped tone down some of the hickory. Surprisingly, the lush berry note and slight smokiness stayed strong and you could still taste the hickory as well.
Overall, I preferred this coffee in the drip. This is a coffee I highly suggest you check out. It was an experiment I think turned out pretty good.
I’d give this a 3.5 out of 5 cups.
About The Author
Jamie Ferguson
From sunny Sarasota Florida, Jamie Ferguson has been drinking coffee since a very young age. Jamie is just your average jane who has a serious addiction to coffee, but more so has a bigger love for the heart, and the dedication that is put into growing, processing and roasting coffee. Come and join the adventures...
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Hey there! My name is Jamie Ferguson and I love coffee, as you've already figured out, but more so, I love great coffee. Follow me on my journey as I learn the in's and out's of coffee, its culture, and everything in between.
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