Quarterly Coffee Exchange No.2: Oct 2017

[gkk]

Gkk, 1/2 lb of Panama is roasted and heading to the Post Office in the morning. I'll take whatever you have.

Nice! Hasn't arrived yet but hopefully today. I just put a 1/2 of Burundi into the mail for you.

/gkk

[Too Tall]

Def., just back from vacation to a terrific bag of your roast. Those are some tight beans and the smell is pretty interesting. Can't wait to pull some shots in the morning.
Brazilian Yellow Bourbon << Where are you cats buying this?

[defspace]

Thank you kindly, sir. I'm working on a method to reduce the roasting time. I don't quite have it dialed yet. Your bag is the non-experimental, long-roast-time version.

I picked the beans up from Sweet Marias. Unfortunately, it looks like they're out of Brazilian YBs at the moment.

That Costa Rican. I see what you mean about crema! Even on my setup (inadequate grinder) I'm getting some solid results. I need to play around with the pour over a bit. Will report back.

[Too Tall]

EXCELLENT espresso Def. First try. Has a great mild acid that I love and my palette is too unsophisticated to describe the dark notes which remind me of very dark chocolate. Crema, you can see for yourself. I over extracted a tad. I'll change my grinder settings for tomorrow and it will run out of the cup ;

Too bad S.M. is out of those beans. I like this process and will for sure be on the hunt for something similar.
Some process pics. starting > middle > finish.

Unless my house is overrun with needy yuppies, unlikely, I'll vouch for the Flair. Start to finish under 10 mins. including boiling some water and clean up.

es1.jpg
es2.jpg
es3.jpg

[gkk]

Been working my way through the Panama that @Jimmybagadonuts sent me. it is very different from anything I've ever roasted (which is the point of this exercise!) and so I am a bit shy on terms to describe it. The espresso shots I've pulled have been, for lack of a better term, "neutral," which is to say they are tasty but are not super-strong in any particular characteristic: not over fruity, or acidic, or cocoa or anything like that. The strongest impression I've gotten from my shots are almost a grassy or vegetable flavor. Not in a negative way, just "earthy" but not in the dirt sense.

In aeropress, I tasted a bit more of the acidity, but was still super-balanced. Nice joe!

/gkk

[Too Tall]

Been working my way through the Panama that @Jimmybagadonuts sent me. it is very different from anything I've ever roasted (which is the point of this exercise!) and so I am a bit shy on terms to describe it. The espresso shots I've pulled have been, for lack of a better term, "neutral," which is to say they are tasty but are not super-strong in any particular characteristic: not over fruity, or acidic, or cocoa or anything like that. The strongest impression I've gotten from my shots are almost a grassy or vegetable flavor. Not in a negative way, just "earthy" but not in the dirt sense.

In aeropress, I tasted a bit more of the acidity, but was still super-balanced. Nice joe!

/gkk

What happens when you roast alot darker?

I need to expand my coffee bean horizons.

[defspace]

Never have old shoes tasted so good.
20171014_072805.jpg

Pour over tastes a bit roastier than I prefer, but these beans produce shots far nicer than any I've pulled in the past. I know I need to get a new grinder to really take advantage of them.

[Too Tall]

Thanks for the feedback. I do like City++ sigh.....

[Jimmybagadonuts]

GKK, I am on the road in Minnesota right now but was able to pull two shots yesterday of the Burundi you roasted. Bear in mind I am not a cupping expert by any means.

First; the roast is even, and shows solid color and sheen throughout the batch

Second; the beans grind evenly and softly in the Porlex mini, again indicating an evenly roasted batch

Third; the taste. I get just the smallest bit of maybe caramel flavor on the initial taste. Second taste goes to a more fruity flavor. Very smooth. I like espresso's that leave an aftertaste for a while, and this does that well.

I'll be back in Tahoe in a couple days and pull a few more to compare aging notes.

Really, Really good even clean roast at just the right level for me. Thanks Brother!!

[Jimmybagadonuts]

Back in town and couldn't wait to pull a shot of GKK's roast this morning. I can't believe how frustrating it is to not have good coffee on the road. Yelping did no good this weekend in the area I was holed up in. No good shops within a 20 mile radius.

Excellent shot this morning. Without sounding all J. Peterman from the Seinfeld show , I think the aging of the Burundi a few more days yielded a much smoother taste. Definitely a bit fruitier, but with more punch.

Excellent roast, well done.

[defspace]

I'd really like to know, on a nerdy chemistry basis, what happens to the beans when they sit. What gets created? Destroyed?

I tried to TooTall Old Shoe Roast on pour over again. It's there.

[Too Tall]

I'd really like to know, on a nerdy chemistry basis, what happens to the beans when they sit. What gets created? Destroyed?

I tried to TooTall Old Shoe Roast on pour over again. It's there.

The beans contine to off-gass CO2 and lose moisture content. Nothing more than that really. I've tried hot off the roaster as well as 3 week old versions of Old Shoe and I think the Costa Rica beans I'm using must be terribly forgiving because all versions make excellent coffee. However, the fresh roasts make the best espresso. Fresher roasts have great crema and stronger aroma.