If you're looking for an espresso that is very chocolatey (dark chocolate), try HoneyCo's Classic Espresso. You won't find any earthiness too it, and it has a big raspberry fruit profile to it, but it's very well balanced. Might be a bit lighter than Hayes Valley, though.

LukeFlynn wrote:I'd love to try some of this, $19 for 12oz is a little too much for me.. But maybe I'll have to splurge.

Hi Luke
At their store, it goes for $19 a pound. I think online is more expensive due to shipping.

I've been drinking HV intermittently for several months now. I've probably been through about 10# of it (usually get 3 or 4 12oz bags at a time and run through it till gone). I know it's expensive, but then again...many excellent beans/blends are. I just got my first shipment of 19ft ceiling and expect to start pulling shots of it by the end of this weekend (gotta finish my last jar of Red Bird first). I've wanted to try it for quite a while now. I kept reading the description of it on the Blue Bottle site when there to buy the HV, so I finally pulled the trigger ond ordered some.

Can you please come back and let us know how you like it in comparison to HV? I love the earthiness and lack of acidity of HV. Would love to hear how you compare it with 19ft ceiling.

Did you try a shot there and ask the barista about pulling parameters?

happy to post back, but no...I've never been there. I've only had their coffees in my own home, so I can't really say I'm pulling shots exactly like they are - though I suspect I'm close...given I've dialed in as they recommend and then tweaked it to balance out.

So...yesterday I dialed in the 17' ceiling. The straight shots were just as advertised, predominantly fudge forward. My brewing parameters were nearly spot on with Blue Bottle's recommendation: 19.5g-20.5g in; 20g out; 30s @ 201.5F. Mine were 20g in; 24g (1st drinkable shot) & 22g (really good shot) out; 29-30s @ 202F. I drank the first shot straight and enjoyed it. After taking a small sip of the 2nd (the really good one), I milked it to about a cappa level and it was friggin' horrible! I had to sink it. I was taking are of both my boys, so I had to stop for a while. I got back to the machine just long enough to give it another go about 1-2 hours later and had the same experience...straight shot tasted great on first sip, then was undrinkable after milking it. I'd say we were about 2/3 of the way through the gallon of milk I was using. It's definitely not the milk. I use Organic Valley, and we go though a gallon in less than three days, between my boys drinking it nonstop and me putting it in my spro. I'd used milk from the same gallon the prior day (I think that was when we opened it) with Red Bird, and it both smelled and tasted good after checking if it somehow turned bad since I'd last sampled it. Also, I had a decaf cappa using the same gallon jug later in the day and it was great!

So, on to today's experience (we're already on a new gallon milk jug). I pulled the first shot and, fortunately, decided to weigh in again...after giving it a smell (but not a taste). Damn, those beans changed overnight! My first shot was 20g in; 31g out (still 30s at 202F). It smelled horrible and was extremely bitter! I cranked down the Major slightly and got a 22g shot on my next attempt and it was very, very good. I drank it straight! I then ever so slightly (like, I wasn't pretty sure I'd moved the adjustment ring) tightened the grind again and got a 21 g shot which again both smelled and tasted great. I decided to milk this one, and although I wouldn't go so far as to say it was bad, it wasn't all that good either. I'd say marginally drinkable...again, over-powered by bitters.

So, I haven't figured out why the milk is masking the sugars so much with this coffee. I'd kinda expect the bitters and acids to drop off in milk, getting neutralized by the sugars, leaving the coffee somewhat less character, yet smooth and creamy - as has been my experience with most espresso blends. I think my next step is to down dose, perhaps even shoot for a balanced normale and see how it performs in milk (since I prefer my spro that way most mornings). If it doesn't work though, I'm probably done with the 17'. I'll drink the rest of it as straight shots and order something tried and true.

Oh, and I guess I typo'd the blend in my earlier post. I just noticed it says 19' ceiling, not 17'.

Still off topic on the 17' ceiling - sorry, but since I was asked to report back how it compares, I feel a followup on that report is necessary.

I have been pulling the 17' ceiling using an 18g dose since my last post (just over a week ago). I'm using the same temp, shots are running about 25 seconds for a yield of about 22g (using the same 18g VST basket as when I was pulling as recommended by BB). The sweetness has definitely improved and there's a strong baking chocolate character (I wouldn't say fudge per se) which hold through in the milk. I'd still prefer it more milk chocolate, but would settle for dark. Perhaps dropping the dose further...maybe 16g...would help? Anyhow, the finish is strongly berry (but non-specific) and pleasant. So in the end, it's certainly enjoyable, but still not a keeper for me.

Oh, one other thing...and bear with me, I don't roast...the bean batch has a high quantity of rather light beans mixed into the otherwise uniform chocolate color of the bulk of it. I can't say I'd know a quaker if it bit me in the @$$, but my impression from the little bit of reading I've done is that these aren't that light. However, I've been plucking them out and tossing them in the trash anyhow. I have a strong feeling the roaster (man or machine?) wasn't mixing well on the day these beans were prepared. Of course, this is my first (and likely only) batch of 17' ceiling...but I've never seen such a mix in any other roast I've ever ordered, be it Hayes Valley or something from any other roaster.

Depending on how they look it could just be a different origin that you are tossing out.

Yeah, I thought about that as a possibility. I was going to include an estimate of what percentage I'm tossing out. I think it amounts to only about 1g (probably less) per 18g dose...so what's that...about 5-6%?

Intrepid510 wrote:Depending on how they look it could just be a different origin that you are tossing out.

Doesn't 17ft ceiling have a bit of robusta in it? I remember that being the case when they first released it a few years ago, but I'm not sure any more. Perhaps it's the robusta you're throwing out?