I stepped into Les Brûleurs Associés in Neuilly-sur-Seine last Thursday to try their coffee of the day.
Inside, I met Matthieu (on the left), the barista, and Arnaud (on the right), the owner.
Matthieu prepared a cup of espresso for me using coffee beans from Rwanda. Called “A Perfect Day,” it is described as a gourmet coffee with broad appeal, suitable for all brewing methods.
When I remarked that the espresso tasted bitter, Arnaud prepared another coffee for me (at no charge). As it flowed out of the machine, he captured the stream of coffee in three different cups. The brew in the first cup (on the right) expressed acidity; the second (in the middle) was balanced; the third (on the left) tasted bitter.
Arnaud explained that a spoon is served with the espresso so that the customer can stir the coffee, blending the different phases of extraction.
He explained that the “bitterness” that I tasted was most likely “acidity.” Upon reflection, I agreed with him.
I purchased a 200-gram bag of “A Perfect Day” coffee beans and took it home to prepare espressos with my 9Barista stove-top espresso machine.
Cup after cup, I identified a citrus flavor—more precisely a lime flavor—and notes of caramel.
Notes on the bag give the following information:
Origin: Rwanda, Gakenke
Farm: Dukunde Kawa, Musasa Cooperative
Producer: Dukunde Kawa
Altitude 2000m – 2200m
Drying method: honey
Botanical variety: red Bourbon
SCA score: 86/100
Level of roasting: medium
Tasting notes: caramel, brown sugar, citrus
The date of the roast was not indicated on the bag. Arnaud told me that the coffee was roasted on September 24, 2026 at a cooperative located in Brunoy, a town that lies about 21 km to the southeast of Paris.
Les Brûleurs Associés
36 rue Madeleine Michelis
Neuilly-sur-Seine
