The Sulawesi That Spoke To My Soul

In this deeply personal episode, I share the story of a Sulawesi coffee that completely transformed my understanding of what exceptional coffee could be. I discovered this remarkable bean over 10 years ago during my early roasting journey when I was still a novice, experimenting with a Fresh Roast and barely knowing what I was doing. I describe how this particular coffee had an almost purple flavor profile - juicy, acidic but not offensive, with an incredible fruitiness that persisted no matter how I roasted it. What shocked me most was that I could take this coffee across the entire roasting spectrum, from light to dark, and it remained consistently excellent every single time.

I reflect on how this coffee became like a dear friend that eventually disappeared from my life, much like relationships that naturally end after a season. I share the frustration of trying to find similar Sulawesi coffees from other sources that never quite matched that original magic. Through this story, I explore the deeper lessons this coffee taught me about cherishing exceptional moments, preserving memories, and understanding that some experiences are meant to be temporary but transformative. By listening to this episode, you'll gain insight into how a single extraordinary coffee can shape a roaster's entire philosophy and learn why sometimes the ones that got away teach us the most valuable lessons about appreciation and presence.

Transcript

[00:00:05] We live right now. Today's July 28th, 2025, and I hope you're doing good right now.

[00:00:19] I still think about this coffee all the time. Not necessarily because I can't find it anymore, but more so the lessons it has taught me over the years.

[00:00:38] What I remember of it was just a lot of stuff. But the important part is that this coffee was a Sulawesi. Over 10 years ago, I got this coffee. I don't know when I got it along my roasting journey, but it was early, I believe.

[00:01:00] I was trying different coffees from Sweet Maria's, if you know, you know, and I saw this coffee. I read the tasting notes and I couldn't really believe it. They did say on the bag or on the description that this coffee just keeps going. Since I was a rookie coffee roaster and barely more so a novice coffee drinker, I was curious.

[00:01:33] So it came in with many other coffees. I was using my Fresh Roast. Didn't even know how to use it. Looked at different profiles, playing around with different things. I had no clue what I was doing.

[00:02:01] I think I was using the Hario V60 at the time, maybe even the French press. But that was all I had in my palate.

[00:02:12] I tasted it and I just sat there for a little bit. I was like, wow, this is interesting. It had, if I had to describe it in colors, a purple type of flavor profile.

[00:02:32] It was juicy in the beginning, acidic, but not offensive. Great fruity taste. I was shocked. I didn't know what to do after that.

[00:02:46] So I brewed it for my coffee club. Nobody said anything about it. They just drank it. We just talked about other stuff that we talked about.

[00:03:25] I went back to the drawing board with my wife. She didn't see much to it. She said, "Okay, you're getting better."

[00:03:35] I kept drinking it, gave it out to my coffee club. Nobody really noticed. I just kept going down this rabbit hole of curiosity with this coffee.

[00:03:48] I went darker and darker and darker and it kept hitting back. The fruitiness was still there. It was so sweet, I didn't even know what sweetness was at the time.

[00:04:00] I enjoyed it. I was just sitting there wondering, are all coffees like this? I knew it wasn't, just because I've already roasted so many different coffees already.

[00:04:14] I tried so many different ones. Some of them hit you just right, depending on the roast degree or the profile or even the brewing device. Or the way your palate felt at that time. But this coffee in particular tasted great all the time.

[00:04:32] All across the roasting spectrum. I was shocked and I just couldn't believe that a coffee like this existed.

[00:04:43] I've had that a couple times in my life. But this was really the first time, truly one of the best coffees I've ever had.

[00:04:56] I'm not just saying that to give you shock value. I've tried so many different coffees from me, from other roasters, from different countries and all that stuff. But this particular coffee, it just spoke to me. The Sulawesi.

[00:05:17] So days go by, even weeks go by. I stopped using that coffee because I wanted to cherish the moment. And then eventually I ran out of it.

[00:05:27] I didn't even celebrate. I didn't even know what was happening at the time with this particular coffee. I just moved on to the next thing, you know, as a typical coffee enthusiast would do. Go to the next coffee. See what it's all about.

[00:05:46] And truly really just keep going on that journey.

[00:05:50] So I tested different coffees. I roasted different coffees. I experienced different coffees. It was something that was just something that you do, right?

[00:06:03] Just drink coffee and move on. Drink coffee and move on. And then you'll get a memorable cup, memorable roast and then you kind of figure it out from there, right?

[00:06:43] But then from time to time, I would get another Sulawesi or Sumatran coffee from somebody else. It wouldn't hit the spot at all. It didn't do anything for me.

[00:07:04] I was frustrated because I couldn't find that exact same coffee. That coffee spoke to me. I don't like to bring up everything as a person or personality, but you know, you have that friend that you guys really connect. But for some reason, you guys just stop talking to each other.

[00:07:28] You realize that was just part of the season that you guys were going to be together. It could have been the same case with this coffee.

[00:07:43] I think about that all the time.

[00:10:21] You're just making your cup of coffee and you're just sitting there enjoying the moment. That's all about that's the only thing that you think about.

[00:10:35] Cherish it, think about it, enjoy it and realize that it's not going to last forever. Just like we don't last forever, but you already know this very cliche, but it's so true, right?

[00:10:47] I think about that Sulawesi all the time. I've been thinking about it for the past couple of weeks as I embark on this new coffee journey that I'm on. These new beans that I hope are awesome in their own rights, but I do think about all the other coffees that I have, how I started to vacuum seal them and put them in the freezer and kind of see what they're all about because at the end of the day, that's what we're trying to do. We're just trying to enjoy but also preserve and have that memory of what coffee is, what it has been for us along our journey and what are we going to be doing with it as we keep moving forward in our lives.

[00:11:55] So yeah, this one's a little different, but I do want to let you know that this coffee talked to me, stayed with me. We laughed and joked and did all that stuff that people and inanimate objects do.

[00:12:15] I think about that all the time. I think about friends, family and all that stuff and how that can be replicated with people. But at the end of the day, sometimes when we're just talking about coffee, we have those couple of coffees that just talk to us.

[00:12:32] I think that coffee taught me a lot more than just cherishing it, but also letting me realize that it's possible for a coffee to taste awesome and great throughout the whole roasting gamut of what we do.

[00:12:40] So that's what I got for you. I hope that you probably have a story like that. I hope that you do because it's one of those things where you're constantly thinking will I ever get that back again.

[00:12:49] But at the end of the day, you still have those memories. You still have those thoughts, you still have those happy times where it was just magical.

[00:13:01] So this is me signing off. Let me know about your story. You know, what's that coffee that got away. Let's talk about it. I'll talk to you later. Bye.