Time to talk about Starbucks Kati Kati blend as an iced coffee!
At the East Olive Way Starbucks, Coffee Master Jess walked us through a coffee tasting of iced Kati Kati coffee, prepared by three different brew methods. I am a fan of iced Kati Kati! I simply like it from the Clover and then iced!
The three brew methods used for tonight’s coffee event were: (1) Traditional hot brewed with a paper filter (double strength) (2) Clover brewed and (3) Cold brewed.
Traditional brew method: For this brew method, you’ll always want to use double the amount of coffee that you normally do. The reason for that is that when it’s poured over ice, it gets a little diluted, so you want to start with a stronger coffee. I (and a few others) could detect a very subtle roastiness in the aroma, and other notes like grapefruit, citrus, and orange. The flavor notes of the coffee were juiciness, tang, and a lingering aftertaste.
Cold brewed: For this brew method, you want to use a fine grind, and let it sit for 12 to 24 hours. After the coffee has fully “brewed,” you can use a filter to separate the grounds from the coffee. You can make cold brewed coffee using any container. Grounds on the bottom, and then water on top. The aroma of Jess’ cold brewed coffee was the most unique: it was the spiciest, with some cola and chocolate aroma notes. This was sweeter than the other iced coffee methods, and almost a bit syrupy. Of course it is all subjective, but this was my least favorite of the three cold brewed Kati Kati coffees. This had some flavor notes similar to a Mexican hot chocolate. It was almost a bit too rich for me – I think I want my iced coffee to be light and refreshing. I might have liked this better if it were diluted more with water, but as can happen with cold brewed coffee, you end up with something akin to a coffee concentrate.
Clover brewed Kati Kati coffee: This was amazing. I don’t always think that the Clover is the best brew method for every single coffee. Brew method can really affect the flavor of a coffee. But for Kati Kati, the Clover is a winner. It felt like the actual iced Kati Kati was a little smoother from the Clover. We noticed less tang and juiciness from the Clover-brewed iced Kati Kati. It’s funny, but in the group attending this coffee tasting (held on July 1, 2013), I heard some people talk about the coffee being lighter, and others thinking it was heavier than the traditionally-brewed coffee. I liked that Kati Kati from the Clover had a nice clean finish. There was a little bit more sediment in the cup than with the traditional brew method, which is to be expected because of the use of a filter in the traditional brew method.
Thank you Jess for a great coffee tasting! Jess is an incredibly knowledgeable Coffee Master at the East Olive Way Starbucks. Please come to a coffee seminar – they’re generally every other Monday, at 6:00 p.m, though I recommend that you call ahead to confirm the coffee event schedule. These coffee seminars are open to the public, and free to attend. The store’s phone number is (206) 568 – 5185. Information about coffee events can also be found on the East Olive Way Starbucks’ Facebook page.
If you don’t have a Starbucks location near you, you can order Kati Kati coffee from StarbucksStore.com.
Enjoy the photos!
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Interesting points. I really wanted to try this cold brewed, but I’ll stick to some other options. Thanks for sharing!
I wish I had a Clover Starbucks closer to me. I will definitely try this iced the next time I go (I’m sure my awesome baristas will accommodate me, as I read some deny this simple request). I’m also going to ask why they never do coffee tastings or pairings at my local stores. I know Peet’s does something similar every other Saturday, although I’ve never been to one, but I want Starbucks to do it – 1st World Problems.
Hey Melody, just a head’s up, but any cold-brewed method uses a coarse (french press/percolator) grind.
And my experience with cold brew methods is that the result is a concentrate that is diluted 1:1 with water and then poured over ice. In a Starbucks you can put 72 grams of coarse (French Press) ground coffee in a venti cup with 12 ounces (an iced tall cup) of water. Stir, let sit overnight (12-18 hours) and pour through a pour over filter. Dilute that 1:1 for a simple cold-brewed experiment.
Thank you for that, Kurt. I will put it to use.
I wish we had Kati Kati in Canada…I love African coffees and iced coffees!
@Becca – I didn’t realize that it is not offered in Canada. Sometimes, it’s hard to figure out where a coffee is being sold – look at the Starbucks Russia twitter profile – It’s pretty clear that Kati Kati made it to Russia!
https://twitter.com/StarbucksRUS
I’ve been having iced Kati Kati at home for the past week now that I’ve run out of my stash of Tribute. This may be my favorite blend for iced coffee so far. It’s dark enough that it’s got some flavor when over ice, but light enough that it seems perfect for these hot summer days. So strange and hard to explain – no wonder you had people saying it was lighter and heavier!
Mr. Who is correct – coarse is the grind setting for any cold brewing.
Fine will over concentrate….
@Matt and Mr. Who – I don’t doubt you that you make a great cold brew coffee – I really could have sworn that Coffee Master Jess said use a fine grind, or, I am at least sure that she did use a fine grind for the cold brew that we tried.
@Melody – Very possible she might have said fine, coffee masters make mistakes to. And that’s coming from a coffee master during my days at Starbucks, it’s a constant learning experience when there is so much to learn. I brew/drink cold brewed coffee all the time. I did a similar tasting with Verona for my CM certification. Highly recommend it! 🙂
Just saw this thread from the summer! Melody- I can’t swear 100% but I probably said it was ground “one finer than french press.” That’s a personal brewing preference for what I do at home. Still very much on the coarse side of the spectrum.