Six months into this journal, I finally found a five-star coffee.
New here? Check out the intro post for my equipment setup and rating system.
Manuel Vallecillo ⭐
Verve · Honduras · ★★★★★
March 1, 2025
Grind: #10 espresso · Water: 205°F
Straight five stars. It's smooth and chocolatey.
The first couple pulls were a disaster. Started with 5 & 7 grind sizes. These turned out to be 40+ seconds with little espresso created.
Moved the needle to 10 and now the pulls are a great 30 seconds!
Makes a wonderful cortado or flat white. The espresso is also lovely.
Five stars. No hesitation. Once I dialed in the grind, this coffee did everything right. Smooth, chocolatey, zero bitterness. The kind of espresso you don't need to hide in milk—but makes fantastic milk drinks anyway.
This is what I'm chasing with every bag now.
Next up: April 2025—another five-star rating? A Costa Rican from Verve that delivered.