What I’m Brewing: Alexander Vargas Pink Bourbon by Tropicalia Coffee

Standart Issue 27

It’s become a ritual to write about coffee shipped with the latest edition of Standart. We have access to some great coffee in Dubai, spoilt for choice, but the offering in this part of the world largely revolve around what the consumers are mostly craving for, and that is largely experimental or extended fermented coffees. With the processing innovation moving forward, I have reverted to basics.

There is something about a classic washed Ethiopian for eg. that tend to have a higher level of flavor clarity. When it becomes easier to decipher the blended notes together, it can trigger the dopamine release center in your brain, at least for me. the child within me gets excited if I manage to recognize a note or two.

This quarter’s coffee is brought to you by Tropicalia Coffee. What better way to start the morning than drinking this washed Colombian and pairing it a spicy read of the history of coffee in Sicily. It was recommended to prepare the sample in one-go but I’d rather be frugal with this scarce resource.

Every quarter, Standart features coffee from some of the best roasters on the planet. Tropicalia Coffee opened their doors more than a decade ago, both cafe and roastery, in Bogota, Colombia. Everybody wants to be the best roaster, or provide unique coffee altogether, but Tropicalia Coffee wants to acheive all of the above and more by elevating the value of coffee.

Standart and Tropicalia have sent in a sublime coffee, part of Tropicalia’s Privilegio selection. These are limited lots which have undergone unique processing. Alexander Vargas and other producers are referred to as Heroes on the coffee label, and rightfully so. The Pink Bourbon is first dried on raised beds and then on covered patios, followed by a fully washed process, and fermenting for 24 hours.

I brewed the coffee using Simplify the brewer. The recipe is simple — 15g of coffee, 230g of water, and total brew time of 90 seconds. The result is light body with primary notes of sweet orange. The second was on a V60 and this was the most enjoyable of all, with prominent peach and floral notes, and even more pronounced zest adding layered complexity in the brew. Coffees like this elevate Standart’s reading experience. Or is it the other way around? Either way, it goes hand-in-hand.