Roasted for The National Brewers Cup Championship
In our journey of roasting and sharing unique coffee to more people in Asia, our UnCommon coffee range offers unique coffees from all around the world, respectfully sourced from trusted relationships. This month, we launched a CCD Gesha Nano Lot RSV 6 from Panama, beautifully processed in a unique style called ‘Intrinsic Cherry’. For those seeking a Gesha varietal, this new coffee is not to be missed.
Ker You Quan, our CMCR Barista Academy trainer selected this as the coffee to present in 2023’s Singapore National Brewers Cup Championship. Our team did an interview with him to find out more about his journey and what amazing flavours await in this special coffee.
Watch his interview here.
What is your favourite brewing method?
You Quan: My preferred brewing method is drip style filter coffee and my favourite dripper is the V60.
How did your love for coffee start?
You Quan: Prior to working at CMCR, I used to brew coffee at home every morning using a french press. There was this one morning when I I was brewing a natural processed Ethiopian. I could taste very ripe mango in my coffee which got me really excited. That got me started on reading up about coffee to understand why coffee can taste like this.
What was the biggest challenge in the competition?
You Quan: Trying to find the best way to brew a cup of coffee that would represent the pinnacle of what filter coffee can be.
What were the criteria you had, when choosing this coffee?
You Quan: I was trying to look for a coffee with intense fruit-like sweetness balanced with ripe acidity.
Tell us about how you and our Head of Coffee, Tam, came up with the roast profile?
You Quan: I had a great time working with Tam to achieve a profile that is well balanced! This coffee is delicate with very approachable acidity and well supported sweetness due to the processing method. Whole cherries are fermented in an open tank for 12 hours before they are dried on a raised bed for 8 days. Through many tastings and development, we were able to create a roast that showcased the true qualities of the coffee.
What was the recipe that you used?
You Quan: 15 grams of coffee, 225g of 94°C water with 5 equal pours of 45 grams each, done in 30 seconds intervals.
What was the inspiration behind the coffee?
You Quan: My routine in the competition was centered around the theme of ‘discoveries’. The first one was about glowing green beans which were a result of cherries being exposed to slightly longer fermentation, leading to a more complex cup of coffee.
The second was using non-woven filter paper which allowed coffee oil to pass through, leading to viscosity in the brew. Lastly, I understood how the colour of a cup will shape our perception of taste. This is also something that we’ve incorporated into our product label design, featuring colours of the tasting notes.
What’s next for you in the competition front?
You Quan: To participate in the upcoming brewer’s cup in June 2024. I would like to reflect on my past routine and present a better coffee based on last year’s feedback. It creates quite a fair bit of pressure but I think this serves as a form of motivation for me.
The UnCommon - CCD Gesha Nano Lot RSV 6 is now available online here.