Pink Bourbon & Purple Caturra · two lots
Colombia · Acevedo, Huila · 1,750 masl · Bermudez and Sanchez
Two lots, processed apart. Pink Bourbon: ozone-cleaned, 48 hr oxidation, an anaerobic ferment with a pineapple Saccharomyces, thermic-shock wash, triple-phase drying. Purple Caturra: a tropical-nectar Lactobacillus and Saccharomyces ferment, 150-190 hr sealed above pH 4, dried in stages between shade and sun.
Maui Midori is the melon one, named for it. Two separately processed lots have been blended into a creamy, melon-forward cup: cantaloupe and honeydew up front, a candy-sweet middle, florals from the Pink Bourbon, and a subtle sparkle of pineapple-like acidity on the finish. It is delicate and cream-heavy, so the brewing job is to protect it.
That is why it is on the Wave. The Kalita's flat bed and even flow hold that creamy melon body and keep the delicate sparkle and florals from over-extracting into something sharp. Sort your roast age, your water and your grind, get clear on the cup you are chasing, then brew.
Magnesium 18, bicarbonate 8 (the lowest we tested), chloride 62. The magnesium lifts the melon and the pineapple sparkle, the low bicarbonate keeps the florals defined, and the chloride holds the creamy body this delicate blend is built on.
Creamy, delicate and melon-forward. Cantaloupe and honeydew lead, candy sweetness and violet florals fill the middle, and a subtle pineapple-like sparkle lifts the finish. The process should stay soft and aromatic, never sharp. If the melon turns thin or the cup goes sour, drop the temperature and come a touch finer before anything else.