Been a big fan of Bill's work at Hydrangea Coffee Roasters since returning to the Bay in February from San Antonio. Having tried the majority of his coffees to this point, my favorite has been El Paraiso Koji. I'm very happy that you for the most part enjoyed Bill's take on Letty.
Was always interesting seeing the path Hydrangea took from the start as it's a very modern approach to coffee with a focus on lighter profiled, heavier processed coffees. At the same time, they didn't shy away from some well-known coffees like the Letty Bermudez and Pepe Jijon. Definitely a roaster to keep an eye on for various reasons.
@@CoffeeReviews My background came from drinking a lot of Nordic roaster during covid and a lot more interesting processes showed up too. I ran into a lot of trouble pulling a good shot on some of the really light coffee so I like to roast just a shade darker than that of the so dialing in it easier. (Had too many moments of chasing for a good brew and Nordic roast being difficult to dial in)
I got my hands on the Letty Bermudez from Hatch in 2022 and it has been burned into my mind. I adored it. The peach gummy note was so defined. I managed to secure the Brian Quan x Hydrangea Pepe Jijon along side Letty Bermudez. Super stoked and curious how things will compare. I'm nervous on brewing the Pepe Jijon, since the consensus is that it's tricky to dial in. Still looking forward to the Baja Blast review ;)
Hatch was one of the first to get it too, you'll always remember that first experience like that of tasting blueberries in natural Ethiopian coffees. The tyOxidator specifically is even more difficult so good luck on those. Haven't heard any feedback yet but the coffee is still new. As far as the Baja Blast review....😏
I had letty fairly recently from Manhattan and it was a huge disappointment. It just smelled like fake peach flavored iced tea, zero gesha characteristics, no interesting florals, no interesting acidity, no juiciness. Alex Bermudez tastes pretty much exactly the same, maybe better, but is like a quarter of the price.
Hey Thomas, I actually really appreciate this feedback because it's a fair and valid criticism. Letty isn't exactly a coffee that offers depth and complexity, but rather a very well defined profile that can be seen as artificial. Even my own first impression was mixed (though eventually came around to appreciate its uniqueness). A lot of people have preferred the profile of the castillo (as Diego Bermudez is also a castillo) so this assessment is more than fair.
