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2012 USBC Finalist Katie Carguilo COUNTER CULTURE COFFEE NEW YORK, NEW YORK Did you name your drink? I didn't really give it a name, but in my head I think of it as 'the champagne of coffee.' What are the components? Nectarine, lemon, sugar, jasmine green tea from Rishi, white vinegar, lightly carbon- ated water, and Haru espresso. What coffee did you use for this drink? Coffee from Haru, a certifi ed organic cooperative and washing station in Yirgacheffe, sorted to screen size 16. How did the coffee guide the drink building process? I drew inspiration from the Ethiopian-style of washing coffee, which includes 48 hours of underwater fermentation during the process. During one of Peter's (Giuliano, Counter Culture co-owner and Director of Coffee) lectures, he showed a picture of Yir- gacheffe coffee soaking in the fermentation water. Immediately I was curious to taste it (the water). I wasn't able to do that at the time, so I asked our coffee buyers for detailed notes on their tasting experience (which, you should know, all of them had the same curiosity and tasted it, and they all said the farmers were grossed out when they did so). They described it as tasting fruity (like a coffee cherry), citric, tea-like, vinegary, and lightly carbonated. I then remembered what I had learned from the tasting of (Salvadoran coffee pro- ducer) Aida Batlle's process experiment lots (where she processed her same coffee in a number of different ways, including the Ethiopian-style). Looking over my cupping notes, the coffee that had been fermented underwater in this style struck me as having more fl oral notes and being more tart in acidity than the other coffees. I decided to recreate the fl avor of fermentation water, with the specifi c goal of making the espresso taste more fl oral and tart than it had on its own, just like the fermentation practice had infl uenced the coffee's fl avor profi le. Did you use any gadgets to make the drink? Just a masher for the fruit, a Bonavita kettle and tea pot for the jasmine green tea, a dropper for the vinegar, and a Sodastream to carbonate the water Please describe how this drink is made. Weigh out and combine the following: • 2.5 grams nectarine/lemon mash (which is one part fresh lemon to three parts fresh pitted nectarine to two parts sugar, mashed together, fermented in the refrigerator for two days, and then doubled strained) • 2.5 grams simple syrup • 3 grams brewed jasmine green tea from Rishi (follow their brewing instructions and you're gold) • 3 drops white vinegar • 1.5 ounces lightly carbonated water (let it de-gas slightly or use a Sodastream and carbonate to one buzz) Top with a washed Ethiopian Yirgacheffe espresso, stir and enjoy! What was the experience you wanted to create for the judges? I wanted them to imagine they were drinking the essence of Yirgacheffe. What was the message about coffee that this drink conveyed? That specifi c fermentation/drying practices alter the fl avor profi le of a coffee. Also, that Yirgacheffe produces the champagne of coffees—exceptional and exquisite! 60 barista magazine CHAMPION!