Disk:ette

Lychee aroma really stood out from the first sniff. As usual, when I swirl the server, the aroma gets even stronger—clearly floral too, though I’m not sure it’s white flower like the listed notes.

On the palate, the body feels syrupy, with a long aftertaste—comfortable and pleasant. The lychee stays pronounced from the first sniff to the last sip. It’s quite sweet, with the light acidity lychee has. I caught something else in there too, but even by the time these beans ran out, I still couldn’t tell what it was. My palate isn’t rich enough yet.

I also brewed with a chilling ball… and it felt brighter and cleaner. The trade-off is that sweetness weakened, and the syrupy body thinned. After all, more interesting beans from Costa Rica.

I got a chilling ball around the time I had these beans because I was curious what it could pull out as an alternative to ice. Technically, both bring the aroma out more, lean the palate toward acidity, and soften the body a bit—and it’s true. But the chilling ball works better because it doesn’t make the coffee watery.

From now on, the chilling ball will be part of my brewing experiments. The Icosa server already helps bring the aroma out when I swirl it—and pairing it with the chilling ball will pull out more interesting flavors.

I bought these beans not just because of the Costa Rica origin, but also because osmanthus is one of the listed notes. I know osmanthus scent so well—one of the most pleasant—a scent that always takes me back to the autumn smell in Japan.

Sniff the aroma… it’s fairly floral and reminds me of Costa Rica Mozart—perhaps because of the same origin. While brewing, I also somehow catch a bit of vanilla aroma that reminds me a bit of the aroma when brewing El Diviso Sidra.

On the palate, there’s light acidity at the start, then light brown sugar. Even brewed as an iced pour-over, the acidity stays light. Sometimes I can taste a bit of vanilla too—though I catch it more in the aroma while brewing than on the palate.

And about osmanthus… it isn’t really that pronounced here. I’ve even tried changing brew variables every time I brew this coffee to extract more osmanthus aroma. But I get it… I get the osmanthus sentiment here… it’s just not a highlight—unfortunately.

And what surprised me—when the coffee gets slightly cooler, the pear note really comes through.

The aroma already hits as soon as I open the bag—and even harder when I grind. Like an infused or co-fermented bean, but it isn’t!

Strawberry hits clearly, with lavender dominating—so floral and kind of tea-like. When I swirl the server, the lavender becomes even more obvious. Every time I brew these beans, I keep swirling just to sniff the lavender and strawberry before drinking.

From the aroma, I can already tell lavender and strawberry will dominate the first sip—and indeed it does! The journey starts like drinking tea, but it ends on something more coffee-like. Though if I brew it with the same pouring interval but a lower temperature like 85–88°C, it stays tea-like all the way through, with no coffee taste at all. When I brew it as an iced pour-over, the aroma and taste become more pronounced—so fresh. The acidity is more noticeable too.

I see now why this bean is named Mozart. The aroma… the taste… really are classic and elegant (even though I learned that’s not the real reason behind the name). And I’ve brewed this for a few people, and they were surprised and liked it.

Also, these beans are easy to brew, the listed notes are easy to bring out—just like the other Costa Rica beans I’ve had.

And what stays with me is the aroma—so memorable. Always leaving the room smelling like lavender—not the usual coffee smell. Especially pleasant when the room is in cool temperature.

The aroma feels balanced. The chocolatey side and the floral side come through together. But if I swirl the server, I can sniff the floral aroma more clearly.

Since the first cup, I’ve only brewed these hot. When I sip, it starts with acidity and ends with sweetness. A kind of plum hits first on the palate, but later it tastes drier—like raisin. And there’s a touch of dark chocolate at the end. It makes a contrast and is interesting…

I haven’t tried brewing these beans as an iced pour-over yet. If I get to have these beans again, that’s the first thing I’d try.

I thought Gigesa was a kind of Gesha—or a variety derived from it. I was curious and decided to buy it.

The aroma is so floral—typical of the Ethiopian beans. And there’s quite a sweet impression too. Even every time I swirl the server, the aroma stays the same. Aroma-wise, it’s nothing special—I’m not a fan of the Ethiopian beans aroma so far.

On the first sip, the peach really hits—so pronounced, with light acidity. From the start to the end, the impression is always peach.

But what’s interesting—what impressed me—is the aftertaste. Fresh even when the cup is still warm—and even fresher when it gets cold.

That aftertaste is like eating a sour fruit. I’m not sure, but perhaps lime(?). But there’s also a taste of lemongrass—and that’s the freshest part, the one that caught my attention.

Unfortunately, these beans leave a lot of chaff after grinding. To get a better brew—less drawdown issue—and better clarity in the taste, I need to get rid of the chaff with a blower… it’s really that much. And it’s a hassle.

But I like the taste after all. So far these are the Ethiopian beans I like.

Is it related to Gesha? Turns out it’s not. I learned that Gigesa is the name of a washing station in Guji, which collects cherries from around 850 small farmers around it.

The aroma is perhaps grape, perhaps raisin, or something like wine-process beans from Kamojang and Gayo—just not as strong as those. But I can catch a clear hint of grape every time I swirl the server.

On the first sip, a dominant citrusy acidity hits, and it’s funky fruity! Though… I couldn’t really name the notes at the start. What’s clear is the brown sugar at the end—really pronounced, leaving a sweet impression.

Brewed as an iced pour-over, it turns lighter and funkier—so refreshing.

The aroma is all about soft floral. I haven’t smelled any chocolatey or nutty aroma the whole time I’ve had these beans. It’s kind of tea-like.

Citrusy acidity dominates. I taste something familiar from the first sip—and I only realize later it’s cherry (the one in the notes)! I rarely eat cherries, so the taste is hard to recall. Funny that this coffee reminds me of what cherry tastes like. At the end, there’s grape—not as aroma, but more like the aftertaste of eating one.