Brewing The Elevated Series

The world of brewing extraction begins at origin. Where coffee is grown, there are an infinite number of factors that can change to impact the coffee cherries. Elevation, soil pH, climate, regional biodiversity, intercropping, and farming practices are a few of the factors that make up what we will colloquially call terroir. Along the road to the hands of the brewer, these factors all compound and multiply. Once the cherries are then picked from the tree, they’re then fermented (nearly all coffee is fermented in one way, shape, or form), washed, then dried. Once they’re processed at origin, green coffee is then sent to the hands of roasters, who add another few factors into the extraction equation. All of this to say, a lot of moving parts go into deciding how to optimally brew a coffee. 

A few months back, Madcap cafés all transitioned from using standard Kalita filters to using SIBARIST B3 filters across the board. The coffee team here has been working to elevate a lot of the standard “set it and forget it” systems seen a lot in coffee. One of those campaigns was to look at our filters we use in the cafés. Over the course of several months, data was compiled measuring grind sizes, brew times, extraction percentages, brew recipes, pour structure, bloom time, and sensory quality. Series after series of tests showed us this: our coffee tasted better and extracted more in a shorter amount of time using the SIBARIST B3 filters. In the honest pursuit of better coffee, the Copa De Oro tasting sets come with a sample pack of SIBARIST filters to highlight some of the brilliant cups we were tasting when we switched.

In anticipation of the Copa De Oro Elevated Series release, we brewed these coffees for the whole team so everyone could taste what Casey Routledge, Head of Coffee Operations at Madcap Coffe, experienced on the cupping tables in Huila. Francy Burbano’s pink bourbon was a juice bomb. Pink lemonade, tropical fruits, berries, and cane sugar all came to mind when describing the profile of this coffee. With all the compounding factors from farm to cup, it is important to appreciate harmony in the cups we taste; 90% of the work is done before it arrives in the roaster’s hands, we just aim to find the ceiling of that 10%. Francy Burbano’s pink bourbon is no exception, there is simply a shocking amount of sweetness present for how vibrant and juicy it is. Knowing how dense this coffee is before it is roasted and aiming to highlight some of the complex acidity that pink bourbons are known for, I recommend to grind slightly coarser than whatever you, the brewer, have as medium. When brewing, look for smaller doses with smaller yields, my go to ratio is 1:17 coffee to water.

Having drank plenty of Edinson Elías Muñoz’s Wush-Wush and Gesha last year, hearing from Casey that his Sudan Rume was a winner this year was nothing short of serendipitous. When we brewed this, it hit like a tropical fruit punch. With present and vibrant notes of papaya, yuzu, star fruit, strawberry, limeade, and florals. Much like a tropical fruit juicebox, this cup was hard to put down, and hard to savor. With an overall complex and stunning profile, Edinson’s Sudan Rume was extremely crushable. Quite similar in profile to the Francy Burbano pink bourbon, I would recommend aiming slightly coarser than whatever you consider medium. Think somewhere between fine sea salt and coarse table salt, if you hit Maldon Flakes, you’ve gone too far. I’d also stick with the 1:17 ratio for this coffee for an optimal brew, but Edinson Elías Muñoz’s Sudan Rume lives in the camp of coffees where it’ll be good if you add hot water. For all your brews I’d recommend SIBARIST filters, both FAST and B3 will highlight different aspects of these coffees. Chase balance and clarity, but most importantly, chase whatever it is that makes coffee feel like home to you. I hope you enjoy the Elevated Series coffees, I know they brought me immense joy. Happy brewing y’all.

The cafe image features the SIBARIST B3 WAVE filter, while the Elevated Series: Copa de Oro Tasting Set includes a sample pack of SIBARIST CONE B3 and FAST filters.

Preorders for the Elevated Series: Copa de Oro Tasting Set — including the SIBARIST sample pack (available exclusively with online preorders) — open May 28 through June 3, with fulfillment beginning June 4. After preorders close, coffees will remain available individually while quantities last.