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Classic: La Basa

Dark Chocolate, Toffee, Cherry

Variety: Caturra, Bourbon

Processing: Washed

Origin: Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Producers: Aurelio Villatoro

Altitude: 1700m

La Basa is the name of a lot of coffee from Aurelio Villatoro's Finca La Esperanza farm in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. If the name sounds familiar - it is! We've featured coffees from Mr. Villatoro before, including an eponymous lot from Finca La Esperanza, but this is a separate lot of bourbon and caturra from this season's harvest that we just can't get enough of. Many of the coffees from Mr. Villatoro are brighter and more fruit forward, which might be why this coffee stood out on the cupping table: quality consistent with Villatoro lots, but a different flavor profile.

This coffee is primarily rich and grounded, with a dark chocolate note that rings true throughout. Some toffee-like sweetness punches up the flavor and prevents any bitterness, and a hint of cherry notes gives the cup just a slight edge. On the whole, this is a robust coffee that makes a smooth-sipping brew, and we think it'll be a reliable favorite for members that prefer the richer sider of the flavor spectrum. Enjoy!

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Lynn Street

New Haven

Member Since

December '17

My husband’s very favorite to date

He’s a traditional kind of guy, sure, but the coffee is delicious.

08/22/20

Charles Archer

Cape Charles

Member Since

July '20

The best so far

This was my third shipment from Moustache, and the best by far. Very smooth, somewhat mellow, and none of the irritating qualities that put me off the first two. The chocolate and toffee qualities really came through, and a delightful aroma from the beans themselves. Not as dark a roast as I prefer, but in all, it's a winner.

08/24/20

Pete L.

Blue Springs

Member Since

December '16

Tough to dial in

I have been having a difficult time to dial in the right shot for espresso. After several attempts, and adjusting quantity, grind settings, tamping, it is still extracting too fast and has a bitter taste. Now when I grind them for my drip machine it puts out a smooth tasting coffee. To summarise, I don’t intend to use this blend for my espresso any longer for fear of wasting the coffee.

09/02/20

On 09/16/20 Luke Dougherty says

Pete, what type of grinder do you have? I too have had this issue with all the arabica coffees I have received from Moustache. I have a Capresso coffee grinder ($80 grinder), and using the finest grind setting no matter the dose or the water my shots extract very fast like you experienced, about 6 seconds and its done. The result..very sour/acidic and bitter. I may not know enough about coffee as you but I have a theory. After doing some research I have found that arabica beans are grown at lower elevations than robusta beans. This gives them a higher lipid content (higher fat percentage), they have about 2-3x more lipids than robust beans. Basically, arabica beans are fattier and robust beans are leaner. This means that if I use the same grind setting for an espresso for robust beans I may get a decent shot, but for arabica beans I will not. This, I believe, according to theory is due to the higher lipid content in arabica beans. Basically the arabica beans are more porous because of the higher lipid content compared to robusta, therefore I need to find a 'finer' grind setting for arabica beans to make a decent shot to compensate for the higher lipid content of the beans. The finer grind will create less 'porousness' (less space) for water to find its way through the arabica grounds when I am extracting a shot. Thats my theory anyway. I plan on giving my theory a try when I can afford a higher quality grinder, but like you, for now, I am not going to be attempting shots with my current equipment with arabica beans.

Luke Dougherty

Benbrook

Member Since

July '20

The best

Smoothest coffee to date from Moustache. Easy to drink, and quite light and refreshing.

09/16/20

David Moldawer

Montclair

Member Since

September '20

Nice coffee

Pretty delicious cup of coffee. My son said it was the best coffee he's ever tasted, but he's ten.

09/16/20

Danielle Aviles

Brooklyn

Member Since

September '20

Very Good

The coffee was delicious, it has a great nutty flavor. It was more of a 'light' coffee, which was fine - but I do prefer a stronger/bolder bean. Overall, it has a very nice flavor.

09/19/20

David R

Sausalito

Member Since

October '15

Solid

Smooth and well-balanced, but somewhat lacking in strength and complexity, La Basa is a solid choice for lovers of more classic, medium roasts. Personally, I'd prefer more roastiness, medium-dark, for a coffee from the Classic line.

09/25/20

Jeff Bedser

Hamilton Square

Member Since

October '17

Can I get this every month???

Amazing taste and finish. Bold flavor and smooth taste. My wife asked if we could just get this bean every month! (So can we?)

09/30/20

On 09/30/20 BJ says

Hey Jeff, So glad you liked it! It's pretty much perfect for the Classic Series - I agree. We're about out of our supply, but I'll check with the importer to see if there's any more we could pick up. The blessing and curse of single-origins, there's only so much of each lot every year! :)

Steven Gilmer

Huntington Beach

Member Since

June '20

La Basa is the Boss !

This coffee was mellow and rich yet with no acid or bitterness. I had my aunt and cousin over for a visit and they sang it's praises too. I gave them my extra bag I had ordered and I was texted they love it still. Now I'm down to one bag but I feel good I gave them a great coffee and introduced them to the club. Very highly recommended!

10/18/20