Wow! What a beautiful day for a coffee. So beautiful indeed I had to take the opportunity to brew outside in the Pallets yard and get some well needed sun rays! Anyone in my industry will tell you it's very easy to go a whole day sometimes without getting the opportunity to see the sun at all! Especially in the winter...
As this is my first entry, maybe I should do a brief explanation of who I actually am? I am Dom! I am the owner of both Pallets Tea & Coffee House and The Beaulieu Bakehouse which are both located in the picturesque village of Beaulieu in The New Forest. I have worked in the speciality coffee industry since I was 21 (I'm now 30... and going grey...) and first opened Pallets in November 2017 in my Grandmas old shop! She had the shop for as long as I can remember and it was full to the brim with gift, treasures and silk flower arrangements.
Full to the brim, but perfectly arranged as my Grandma has a very keen eye for detail. I think this is where my family all get it from.
I am very humbled to be able to carry on the legacy of our small family shop in my own style and feel very lucky to be able to live and work in a place as unique as Beaulieu. There is nothing more powerful than having inspirational family members to help push and guide you is there really? But enough about me! You are hear to talk coffee and rightly so!
Now, as much as I am a "coffee snob", I must make clear in no way do I know nearly as much as others, nor is my palate anywhere close to being as accurate as some of the amazing people in the industry... but that's ok!
So what's this all about I hear you ask? This is about sharing my love for coffee with all of you and hopefully helping to promote some amazing coffees and roasters at the same time. I thinks that's a pretty positive thing to do and here at Pallets, positivity is our policy!
Blue Coffee Box
I recently signed up to the Blue Coffee Box subscription as I wanted to get back into trying new coffees after the One Click Box stopped running (Sad Times). This box was recommended to me along with two other boxes that I may yet try at some point.
So here we go! My favourite brew method is V60 as I love how soft but detailed each cup becomes. That and the fact I feel like a scientist with my swan neck kettle and 60 degree pour over device. One of the best things about pour over coffee is the way the flavour develops whilst cooling down. Have you ever tried this? I really encourage it. Get yourself a nice and fruity single origin and see how the flavour transforms once its down to room temperature. For someone starting out in coffee I believe pour overs are a great way to develop your palate without the coffee being too over powering. This is also how I like to train my new members of staff to help break through their understanding of what coffee should taste like and also have some fun at the same time.
Brew Method - V60
- Coffee - 18g
- Water - 250g
- Bloom - 40g water 40 secs
- Brew time - 2 mins 40 secs
Whilst I was brewing this little number one of our regular customers, and an old friend of mine, popped by to Pallets for his regular V60 - of course I had to share the goods with him. There really is nothing better than analysing coffee outside in the sun with a friend. This is what we found...
Straight away you can taste the Kenya profile and so you should as it is a Kenya Single Origin... they even say it on the information card provided. "The Kenya profile is very unique and distinguishes itself easily from other origins". Now I am in now way good enough to pick out Origins in a blind tasting (Moon Roast will tell you) but I would have to agree with this as most Kenyas I've tried have a distinctness to them. This one certainly has the Kenya Citrus to it.
So yes! This coffee was beautifully subtle as a V60 with light citrusy notes and a rather buttery mouthfeel. Buttery? Yes! Buttery... it was thick baby. Now this is hard to explain as it's obviously not a thick liquid but if you could imagine melting some butter in hot water and giving it a try you could see how it could leave a thick mouthfeel to the liquid. I'm sure there is a much more scientific explanation for this but hey! I'm nothing more than a simple coffee drinker really and this is all about fun.
This coffee is very drinkable and perfectly refreshing on a hot day. Minimal bitterness and no overwhelming sweet or sours, just a very well balanced citrus coffee. Letting it cool for a few minutes the berry tones came out more with the citrus notes lifting higher. Again very drinkable! The only taste note I'm struggling with on the card is the spices... which I think is a rather vague taste note anyway but maybe I'm looking at it wrong?
Anyway, all in all we really enjoyed this Kenya Honeybush so well done Quarter Horse Coffee! You made our morning.
John & I enjoying our coffee in the sun!
So let's talk bit about Quarter Horse Coffee and honestly I love how transparent this company is! It was so easy to find out what they are all about including great information on all their coffees and how they roast. Very interested to know more about their all electric roaster...
Quarter Horse Coffees Timeline From Their Website
Now I am not going to tell you everything about them as I am encouraging you to head over to their website and read more for yourself. You might find you get just as excited as me and maybe even grab yourself a bag of coffee whilst you're there! Do check out the bits about what roasting equipment they use. Very interesting stuff.
So how did I do? Did you enjoy this little insight into my coffee world here at Pallets Tea & Coffee House? Well, you must pop by some time and try us out for yourself. We obviously recommend the coffee and we have many different single origins for you to try as V60. Moon Roast are our main supplier and boy do these guys pull out some amazing coffees each month. Don't worry Moon Roast, we will have many blog posts coming for your delicious coffee soon!
Thank you for taking the time to sit through my ramblings and I will see you soon for the next entry!
Dom Out... (Mic Drop)
