antonio wrote:93 degrees --- it's about 10 degrees more than in my coffee bar setup.

Are you running at 83 degrees?

Anyhow, had to try for a positive meniscus...

I finally made it over to Intelly in Venice, CA this morning. I had two shots, Black Cat and a SO Nicaragua. I've never been a huge fan of the Black Cat, but this shot tasted very different, and very much like my own espresso blend. 180 degrees from the BC of old. The Nic was only ok: very bright, a bit thin, and not something I'd pay for again. Obviously, if I walked into some random cafe and got a shot like the Nic, I'd be ecstatic; I just think they are missing the mark a bit on their SO espresso. The space itself is awesome, so much coffee porn laying around there!

Two singles of a very nice Honduran from Londiunium espresso: smooth, creamy with a little spice in the middle and just enough of a fruit kick in the tail to let you know it's there. Then a gentle lingering aftertaste inviting you to pull some more. Perfect!

latte made with BC so kurimi; completely exotic

Intelly Black Cat Honduras La Tina, picked up this morning, as I tore through my own stuff with friends over the weekend. I just replaced the burrs in my grinder with Duraniums, so I'm pretty thrown for a loop. I have it dialed in now, last shot was syrupy, with sweet brightness. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

iced latte with BC so kurimi; really good and the only way to go this morning in august in nyc

a test batch of a new Experimental Espresso from Ecco.
a little bit finicky - but once dialed in, an absolutely lovely coffee. Brown butter, caramel, semi-sweet chocolate and a nice light molasses note with a lovely fruit high-end (cherries, pluots and marmalade).
great as a straight shot - very nice in short milk drinks.

i hope they release this one....

Been working with Intelly Black cat lately, both Classic and Organic. Not Blends I buy very often, but both good in their own right.

Today, they're both on day 8 PR. Started out with the Organic, which I opened today as well. Pulling kind of tight, about 1.25oz or so in 30 seconds. The Classic is pulling very close to that, but a bit looser.. Id say about 1.5oz in the same time.

Anyway, both were outstanding today. I have been waiting for the Classic to peak(Inspired by Mark Prince's Twitter posts lately), and it really is spot on. This particular blend they're doing for the classic is awesome. TONS of body, nice smooth chocolates, and im getting fruit somewhere in the middle.. Things like Cherrys, Dried Apricots, Juicy red grapes, and then just a hint of spice on the finish. A very nice espresso, something ill probably enjoy for another order or two. The Organic was also great, Different fruit, and with darker chocolate. the fruit is more like orange peel and nectarines, which goes very well with the uber-smooth dark chocolate finish. I like the Organic a little more, but thats not say anything bad about the classic, which is also rockin. Pulled a couple shots of both, and then had an americano of the Classic.

I was home today all day today, which was refreshing. The heat lately has been very humid, but I really wanted my day off to be a "coffee Exploration Day".

So, I woke up early and cranked up the AC, which cooled down the whole house, making excessive espresso exploring more enjoyable. Drinking shot after shot, and standing with my machine experimenting for a while is NOT fun when its too hot to sit down anywhere. I think this is the first summer ever that I wished it was a bit cooler, so that espresso isn't the last thing I want to drink during the day.

Im also looking forward to a Brazil Fortaleza I roasted a few days ago. Weekends, my father and I get together and brew up as many SOs as we have on hand. So, Saturday the Brazil, and a few other SOs will all be on day 4 PR, so Saturday morning the Siphon is going to get a workout.

poison wrote:Intelly Black Cat Honduras La Tina, picked up this morning, as I tore through my own stuff with friends over the weekend. I just replaced the burrs in my grinder with Duraniums, so I'm pretty thrown for a loop. I have it dialed in now, last shot was syrupy, with sweet brightness. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

I am REALLY enjoying this stuff. I just had 3 triples, and I could easily go for a couple more., it's so tasty. It's nearly perfectly balance, sweet and thick, cinnamon and spice, with prominent dried apricot tangy acidity that is simply perfection. It's really forgiving of different temps; at hotter temps, it obviously loses some acidity, but gets smokey/roasty, and still tastes good, not bitter at all. At lower temps, the sweetness comes out and the flavors separate, with the tang and sweetness lingering long.

I highly recommend trying it before it's gone.

The finca La tina.. as Ive said a couple times now.. Is easily the best espresso Ive had all summer. Absolutley awesome. this is subject to change next week, when some Maravilla arives from Ecco, but until then.. The FLT has been just amazing. I found it got lost in anything but a Machiatto, which were awesome. I pulled most of my shots as machiatos, because honestly,, I couldn't get enough.

This mornings coffee was great.

Started out with a Siphon of some JBM Cultivar Kona.. Which was actually very very good, contrarty to what I expected. Very light body, yet creamy/silky, with floral aromas and a slightly piney resinous finish. Not a WHOLE LOT going on in the cup.. But I did detect some light citrus fruit,, mostly orange, and some grapefruit too.
..then had breakfast

Then came the first 'spro session of the day. Im working with two homeroasts currently.. Jon R's, B.Y.E. Blend, and some SO Ambiental Fortaleza. Both were absolutley awesome once I got them Dialed in. The Fortaleza was straight shots for me.. And the BYE was straight until I got it where I wanted it, and then it went into a traditonal Capp. All in all it was great morning of coffee.

Tmrw will bring a siphon of El Salvador Pacamara, and I might be opening the Serra Do Bone from Ecco as well...it'll only be 3 days PR, so it may wait another day or two.. We shall see...