Kill two birds with one stone | Beanس Two Birds Blend
I promised Zarak that I’d give a fair review of his coffee and what better to make it fair than post it here. First of all, a heartfelt gratitude for this guy for thinking of me and bringing it here all the way from Pakistan. This is beyond exciting because I have been recommended coffee by Zarak before and I have ended up liking each and every one of them. So much so that we ended up buying the same coffee from Archers this past month.
Anyway, I digress. Beanس is founded by Zarak and Mansoor Muhammad, a specialty coffee start-up based in Pakistan and Two Birds Blend is their first coffee release. You have got two origins here, Ethiopia and Colombia in an 80:20 blend. The number of permutations Zarak and the team underwent to finalize on this ratio is known only to them, but I know first hand how tedious it is to balance out the sweetness, acidity and body.
Photo credit: Beanس
His claim that this coffee can be brewed on any brewing method is worth an acclamation. This makes me contemplate on how arduous the whole process might have been. Regardless, the end consumer will rarely look at factors like this to appreciate a product where so much thought has gone into it.
I personally want to try this coffee as an espresso, but for now this is something Shehzeen needs to report on (I am still waiting). With every new coffee, there is a period of dialing in the coffee to test certain factors like grind size, water temperature, brewing recipe etc. to find out which variable produce the best cup of coffee possible. But if you are not the experimenting type, then check out this guide for different brewing methods.
Photo credit: Beanس
The coffee bag is pretty straightforward, no overwhelming data to confuse the consumer. For this, you have to understand the demographics of Pakistan. After water, chai is the drink of choice. The per capita coffee consumption in the country is less than 0.8 kg where as coffee consumption in Finland is 12kg, the highest in the world. Specialty coffee education is also being ushered in by Beanس and other roasters regularly churning out educational material on Instagram and other places.
I have to give it to the Beanس team on the clean packaging. The label is pretty straightforward with one thing in mind — “don’t confuse the consumer.” Coffee consumption is still in it’s infancy in Pakistan and consumers will probably not even consider information like producer details, altitude, variety etc. However, there’s a QR code if you want to know the nitty gritty details for the enthusiasts.
This blend of Ethiopia and Colombia beans enunciate sweet chocolate with a sprinkle of tropical at the first whiff. The intensity of chocolate increases after a grind overtaking the fruity aromas. Caramel and brown sugar are the primary notes while brewing. Finally, you are welcomed by mellow acidity and the familiar chocolatey sweetness as you sip the hot beverage.
I enjoy brewing all coffees on the V60, but Simplify the brewer (available locally at Brewing Gadgets) has really surprised me lately. Brewing on the latter brings out more of the sweetness. You get some stone fruit with an underlying orange blossom. Beanس has done something wonderful here, they have killed two birds with one stone, and I am assuming that the birds mean filter and espresso brewing methods. You’ll have to wait what Two Birds actually mean when I feature Zarak on The Coffee Story.
About Two Birds:
Origin: Ethiopia (80%), Colombia (20%)
Region: Sidamo, Quindio
Variety: Heirloom, Castillo
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1600-2000 masl
Notes: Balanced body, sweet lingering acidity, melon, cocoa nibs
