Brown Coffee Co - Cottonwood Espresso

I have been saving this one for a while to write about, mainly because due to shipping delays I ended up with three bags of this coffee. So a big thanks goes to the excellent customer support of Aaron at Brown and USPS for screwing up the shipping with a roaster that is willing to do anything to make the customer happy.

So the story goes I ordered this coffee about 29th of January and it was shipped on the 30th. However, come a week later still no arrival. A quick email to Aaron and he sends out a replacement package overnight with two bags in the box. Then on Valentine's Day I get a present from the mail man, a two week old bag of coffee.

Since I was in contact with Aaron about the espresso, I got the chance to get his recommendations on this espresso. They were really exact including dose/liquid weight and pressure throughout the brew, unfortunately Roaste has yet to get me that LM Strada, so I wasn't really able to take all of his advice on the shot pulling. However, he did recommend one thing with this blend let it rest and rest a lot. He said they routinely pull it at his shop two weeks post roast and I should at least wait 4-5 days.

Now having already been delayed coffee for a week, I was running on empty as far as coffee reserves go and well started using it immediately. To be honest I was not that wowed by the coffee, it was drinkable but nothing that really stuck out. I could smell that wonderful Guatemalan that I had from him previously in it, rich brown sugar (yum), other than that nothing. Even at the end of the two bags nearing day 10 post roast it got better but nothing to write home about.

Then the Valentine's Day package arrived, I think Cupid had divine interruption with that package because it was the most delicious 14-15 day old coffee I have had. I made it up in small latte's like seven ounces and the espresso/milk just tasted like a melted marshmellow, think when drinking hot chocolate and you didn't eat the marshmellows off the top. Honestly just wonderful. It pretty much stayed that way through this past weekend.

I of course had some other coffees that I picked up because I never thought that first package was going to make it so I still have about a third of package left, but for those days it was wonderful and can make a good recommendation for this espresso if you do not mind waiting for it to rest.