A festive season bean swap.

UNM

Mine arrived today. As stated in the chatbox, my initial reaction was: [size=14pt]perfumed flowers![/size] My bean swap buddy sent me a whole bag of [size=14pt]perfumed flowers![/size] No, not the type that the forum s/w likes to substitute for rude words, but genuine coffee flowers for making tea, should be interesting. Beans are two batches (I think the same blend), one done in a hottop, one in a KKTO. Initial impressions: Nice aroma, quite powerful for beans less than a week old Some quality control problems  in both bags - grading not even and one cherry had not even been processed - still complete with husk and bean inside was green :D See photos of beans attached. Bag 1 (marked as 'HAT') - quite dark, noticeable oil spotting on beans, will try this one first. Bag 2 (marked as 'TOP') - still medium to dark roast, but paler than first and minimal oil on beans. Based on what I have gathered so far, I'm guessing same blend for both, mix of a Peruvian and Columbian? Thanks AM, will post more once I've tasted them in various different ways

Tango

Hey all, So I received beans from WotB but have only had a chance to try one of them tonight through the aeropress - thanks WotB! The beans are roasted for filter and are a lot lighter than I expected - going by the Sweet Marias visual guide they probably look like they've just gone into 1st crack.  I tried the Ethiopian and found it quite challenging to the palate as it's quite different from the roast depth I normally enjoy (just before or just on second crack).  It was definitely very winey in nature and I actually quite enjoyed it - it's coffee not as I expect it.  It was quite acidic and some might perceive this as sour and I would be happy drinking this as a 'something different' drink. Thanks again WotB!

WotB

Tango, you should try the Harfusa as cold brew if you're able.

Brett H

on 1322747874:

Boy that week in a sealed bag and travel by Aus Post has really expedited that  HAT roast.... Looked nothing like that when posted.  More like the other batch. I only had enough left over as a control from the KKTO batch and while dark...  Not as dark as they appear in you photo.. Have a very early start in the morning so may get home some time in the late to mid-afternoon. If so I will give the KKTO batch a hit up and see if they are drinkable or sink. AM

I roasted some Java Kalistat into the RSC (Royal Shakespearian Company... LOL) and 48 hours later there was spots of oil on the beans.  I was thinking 'uh oh' but to my surprise I am thinking they are the best thing I've roasted all year.  It just goes to show that when you are thinking I've gone too light: cold press and when you've gone too dark: a gift for the inlaws!  Always try your roasts, you may not get the best out of the greens but you may also discover something amazing. I am currently drinking Tango's Bag C as a plunger.  I found it too light a roast for my palate for my espresso machine (no Pid or pressure profiling so it's clearly rubbish and needs upgrading).  As a plunger it is so citris and berry-fragrant! Thanks Tango!

UNM

OT: Reading some of the replies on this topic reminds  me I need to post something on my recent forays into lighter roasts, but will do that elsewhere in due course. Had a couple of shots of the ' hat' roast this morning. Grinder set as last used for yesterdays Peru ceja de selva. Choked machine - 35 sec for 30g (16.5g dose). Thank goodness for opv's. Lots of body, sweet but with quite a bit of acidity, rather cloying and not very pleasant initially. Over the next 5 minutes or so the aftertaste developed chocolate and a nice fruitiness (raisins perhaps ?). This is one of the joys of drinking straight shots - long afterwards, unexpected flavours can suddenly hit. Second shot I ground coarser and got what I would call a ristretto - about 40g in 30 sec.  Initially more pleasant, but quite strong ' roastiness', great buttery crema and good mouthfeel though. Still chocolate in the aftertaste, but not getting that fruitiness. If I get a chance will try an aeropress long black later today and a few more shots tomorrow. So far very interesting and definitely different to my roasts. I suspect the time spent  in auspost temperature controlled environment had an effect though.

Koffee_Kosmo

My assessment My swap Brisbane based member roasted 2 single origins + 1 surprise blend Let me say that both roast's are very even & to my knowledge would have been just on second crack Its a credit to him, as one would not pick it as a home roast - It was such an even roast, that you would think it was shop bought Roasted on 27th Nov 2011 - the single origins were 1) Venezuela San Cristobal  2) Rwanda Tumuhay-impindu washed process My wife is my canary in the mine & assisted me in the sampling Assessment Venezuela San Cristobal As espresso I found this bean to have a fermented citrus taste Tasted better as it cooled With Milk eg flat white/cappuccino I found this bean to have an even flavour but could not pick one over the other However all flavors combined in this SO seemed overpowering to the pallet with a general smoky metallic taste with an unsweetened cocoa aftertaste My wife also commented that it tastes dry to the mouth and less creamy Will try again with more degas or blended Assessment Rwanda Tumuhay-impindu As espresso A combination berry/citrus flavour was observed Tasted better with a little added water Quite pleasant to my pallet but may be strong for others With Milk eg flat white/cappuccino This SO is very pleasant It has a wetter creamier feel in the the mouth as opposed to the Venezuelan that felt dry It has an even but mild chocolate taste with a creamy feel Wife commented almost the same as myself, saying that this coffee has a creamier mouth-feel with an even flavour but no flavour punches through Less and a milder aftertaste than the Venezuelan KK

Ronin

on 1322809639:

My assessment Let me say that both roast's are very even & to my knowledge would have been just on second crack Its a credit to him, as one would not pick it as a home roast - It was such an even roast, that you would think it was shop bought Roasted on 27th Nov 2011 - the single origins were 1) Venezuela San Cristobal  2) Rwanda Tumuhay-impindu washed process My wife is my canary in the mine & assisted me in the sampling Assessment Venezuela San Cristobal As espresso I found this bean to have a fermented citrus taste Tasted better as it cooled With Milk eg flat white/cappuccino I found this bean to have an even flavour but could not pick one over the other However all flavors combined in this SO seemed overpowering to the pallet with a general smoky metallic taste with an unsweetened cocoa aftertaste My wife also commented that it tastes dry to the mouth and less creamy Will try again with more degas or blended Assessment Rwanda Tumuhay-impindu As espresso A combination berry/citrus flavour was observed Tasted better with a little added water Quite pleasant to my pallet but may be strong for others With Milk eg flat white/cappuccino This SO is very pleasant It has a wetter creamier feel in the the mouth as opposed to the Venezuelan that felt dry It has an even but mild chocolate taste with a creamy feel Wife commented almost the same as myself, saying that this coffee has a creamier mouth-feel with an even flavour but no flavour punches through Less and a milder aftertaste than the Venezuelan KK

I admit I was trying to give you something you would like. And it's always unnerving roasting for someone with your coffee knowledge. I find the metallic taste common with the Hottop tho, one of the drawbacks, as well as batch size. And yes just on second crack is about where I like most roasts. Maybe give the blend a few more days 

Koffee_Kosmo

on 1322815894:

I admit I was trying to give you something you would like. And it's always unnerving roasting for someone with your coffee knowledge. I find the metallic taste common with the Hottop tho, one of the drawbacks, as well as batch size. And yes just on second crack is about where I like most roasts. Maybe give the blend a few more days 

First time I have sampled these beans Ronin You did a really good job in producing a beautiful looking roast As with all things and more so with coffee - a few days rest can make a significant difference to the flavour So will try again in a few days & report back KK

RichardM

Right, I tasted KK's Colombian today as a basic Latte. Really nice. I'm not going to pretend I can describe the taste, but it was a very even, well rounded coffee. Still dialling it in, but yummo.

shape_shifter

http://www.youtube.com/embed/aK6Bb52hVzY This is Brett's KKTO blend.  As someone said it blonded too early but it was more that I didn't stop the shot quick enough.  I really have to start learning to use the tripod when I video.

mycuppa

Great extraction Nic. I take it you don't like spiders  :pan

Brett H

Lol!  I don't like spiders either but I like the look of that shot! 

shape_shifter

Thanks Jeff, I think I've finally found 'the spot' on the spong, now just have to find it on the smart grinder Ah and no, not when they are red backs, they are literally the whole way around the house, we live on a normal block, so have no idea why they have to live at our house. Oh good Brett, I've done your blend proud?

Ronin

I tried my festive coffee from My Cuppa this morning. Swwweet blend, a blend or central and southern American coffee's. Had high hopes for this as I've been really enjoying central this year. Roasted 25/11/11, so that makes it day 8. First shot - choke second shot - better but still tight, had to try it. Bitter caramel (yep too tight=user error) Third shot - good crema, good dbl ristretto. Made a great flat white with very nice caramel notes that lingered on.                           Perhaps some honey in there too Still not gotten the best out of this blend yet, but I think it's a winner and can see why its a silver medal winner from Golden Bean Awards. Good one Jeff Will continue to refine the shot and report back

mycuppa

Thanks Wayne.

Ronin

on 1322882954:

Thanks Wayne.

Not Wayne here  Colin, and thanks again for the blend

mycuppa

Apologies Colin. Some males - myself included - can't multi-task very well at all. I was speaking to a Wayne on the phone whilst being distracted looking at my computer. Roasting fumes affecting what's left of my brain.

Muscles

Collected my beans today and a little extra gift too! Thanks goes out to my secret santa I'll report back in a few days... PS, I also reckon we should do this more often

Ronin

on 1322885793:

Apologies Colin. Some males - myself included - can't multi-task very well at all. I was speaking to a Wayne on the phone whilst being distracted looking at my computer. Roasting fumes affecting what's left of my brain.

No worries Jeff, been called worse things than that before  :laugh: Continuing to enjoy the Swweet blend. Dropped the temp from 94 to 92 deg. Produced more choc notes, still very nice to drink, morish even. Seems to be behaving very much like a Mocha Java type blend, but perhaps slightly lighter flavours and a sweetness on the finish that I can't quite place. Also dropped the dose from 21 to 20 grams and improved again. Haven't had a bad shot yet, but still chasing the best, for my palate anyway. Wifey also enjoyed it this morning, albeit a soy latte with 1.5 sugar. I would like to know what you taste Jeff, to test my palate.

Brett H

on 1322831156:

Oh good Brett, I've done your blend proud?

Most definitely by the look of that shot.  How did it taste?

mycuppa

on 1322970699:

No worries Jeff, been called worse things than that before  :laugh: Continuing to enjoy the Swweet blend. Dropped the temp from 94 to 92 deg. Produced more choc notes, still very nice to drink, morish even. Seems to be behaving very much like a Mocha Java type blend, but perhaps slightly lighter flavours and a sweetness on the finish that I can't quite place. Also dropped the dose from 21 to 20 grams and improved again. Haven't had a bad shot yet, but still chasing the best, for my palate anyway. Wifey also enjoyed it this morning, albeit a soy latte with 1.5 sugar. I would like to know what you taste Jeff, to test my palate.

Thanks Colin. I generally extract that coffee at 93 on an Expobar. In thinking about what to send you, I could have put any number of interesting and wild coffees in the parcel, but I thought for a moment that perhaps what is more appropriate is a volume coffee from a specialty roaster  - something that is traditional, repeatable rather than a 1-trick pony. Suuweet started out life as an idea to take traditional cafe style coffee and offer something more. Richer, smoother, improved balanced, sweeter and stand up well in milk. For a cafe coffee it's pretty much unstoppable. Our clients love it, their customers love it......it seems everyone loves it - a very popular seller and at times we struggle to keep up with demand for it. We regularly do over a ton a week of Suuweet (like this week), so for us it's an important coffee Because of it's popularity it has been ever so slightly tweaked to appeal to a broad majority - offering a little bit of everything. The unfortunate paradox of working in the coffee industry is that most people expect a coffee to remain static, week after week, month after month and year after year (Mark from Coffee Roasters penned a great article on wine lovers celebrating diversity of vintage and how this is not easily accepted by coffee consumers). Alas, applying innovation in a popular blend only ends in tears for me - so we act conservative when it comes to Suuweet. The structure and components (origins) have remained unchanged for a long time (1 or 2 different farms but that's the challenge with any coffee) and when the shot is dialled in perfectly, there are many layers from this 6 bean blend (it's a nightmare to mix). Caramel can be dominant with hint of dark cocoa and berry. The lingering sweetness is most likely from the Ethiopian and Costa Rican added in small ratios, or even from the Sumatran or PNG.

Ronin

Having a cracker ATM Jeff, 93deg, 20g dbl ristretto (30g pour) and some decent art if I do say so myself

Brett H

Great looking cup Ronin!  What machine are you using? Okay, I've just had Tango's Bag B as a double flat white (the only one one not tried thus far).  The roast is again quite light and there is some chaff and unevenness of roast but it tastes great.  Chocolate and apricot are the predominant flavours and in milk it is just great as an afternoon Cuppa on the deck.  Thanks Tango!  My wild guess is: Brazil???

Ronin

on 1323067670:

Great looking cup Ronin!  What machine are you using?

Expobar Minore 111 and Mazzer Kony E

mycuppa

on 1323065656:

Having a cracker ATM Jeff, 93deg, 20g dbl ristretto (30g pour) and some decent art if I do say so myself

I'd say you nailed that shot Colin. Reason is the darker shades of brown that you managed to generate s what I see when it's a "god shot" of Suuweet.

Tango

Hey Brett - close! It was 33% Nicaragua and the rest Yemen! Glad you liked it 

Brett H

on 1323071807:

Hey Brett - close! It was 33% Nicaragua and the rest Yemen! Glad you liked it 

Wow... You've really spoiled me.  I have some mates coming over Wednesday and I can't wait to see what they make of it.  I malso might decide not to share....  :angel:

Brett H

on 1323068773:

Expobar Minore 111 and Mazzer Kony E

Nice.... Very nice! 

mycuppa

Well, what a surprise.........UNM matched me with SS (Nic). Have been feeling very left out thinking my Festive partner had got "Cold Feet". After what has been an insane week, I spied an Express Post satchel sitting on the desk next to mine in the office late yesterday. Said to The Little One"where did that come from ?" and she replied - "Oh, it's been there for a while, you have been locked in the Roastery for days on end you just did'nt see it". I decided not to argue as I would have lost. Open the parcel last night and it's 2x very nicely packed kraft bags labelled 1 and 2 from SS - roasted date 27/11 and just perfect for testing right now - sometimes things happen for a reason. This morning, eager to play my role in the evaluation, I opened #1, but not without careful use the swiss army knife to combat the tape (tape almost won). Visual inspection - delightfully nice shade of monk-brown. Superbly even roast (I'm jealous) - 9.7 out of 10 for roast consistency. Dry aroma. Hint of spice. Woody. Cloves. First shot was a little fast, but still generated monster crema. Put that aside. Second shot was tightened up considerably and there was a slight emerging tiger stripe. Over the top crema - still a bit bubbly. Sip as espresso. Front palette just a slight bit of edge (barely). With milk. A little acidic. Initial palette smooth, but midway there is a slight "speed bump" and then finishes just a little (and I'm talking very small) flat. The Little One mentioned she could not detect much aroma, so I'm guessing it was a Sumatram, MM or other. The beans appeared soft, so they did'nt look like a CentAm. Overall, I think #1 was a great effort and if perhaps it was left 1 or maybe 2 shades darker, the acidity would have been more balanced and some sweetness could come into play at the finish. What it does tell me  -  SS, you are absolutely on the right path here. The roast may have been pulled just a tad early but my goodness it was heading in the right direction and quite close. Of course, all of the above might look like hogwash once the components are revealed.

shape_shifter

I think I'll have to read that a few times Jeff.  It is definitely what I wanted when I said yes to the swap. Number 1 was Haiti Grand Cru de Beaumont.  Purchased from CS. Roasted in my modified popper. I pulled it at about 50 seconds past second crack, what I found with this bean was that instead of getting a definite all beans cracking it was rolling, so yes I think you are completely correct when you say it could have been a shade or two darker, I was afraid of going too far. Aroma, there is a definite aroma when you take the cap off the falcon tubes but it is very light, after one sniff if you try for another it appears to be gone.  The findings aren't surprising in that respect. The reason why they were sent so late is because I wanted to have them rest in the falcon tubes, to get an idea of what could be coming into play there as well. :D about the tape, I've learnt that sticky tape doesn't like the bags so it went from a neat and tidy little piece of tape to a 'this will not open' chunk of tape.