Kenya AB Auction Lot #786 - Rukira Purchased roughly a month ago, 2lbs, separate orders 1lb each order.

The first pound I had of this, was also bought with the Kenya AA Auction lot Ndaroini, so I guess you could say it was a bit, overshadowed.. I really LOVED the AA.. When it came time to roast the AB, I roast a 1/2lb to full City+, using the HeatGun/Dogbowl method. Then I roasted a 1/2lb to City+. For Clarity, the FC+ was roughly 15-20 seconds into 2nd crack, then fan cooled immediately. The City+ was roughly 1:30 past the end of First Crack, cooled the same way.

In short, I just did not like either of the roasts. I tried them straight out of the roaster, 2 days, 4 days, then 6 days off the roast. After day 6, I just continued until I was out.. I ended them both at 12days off the roast. The city+ was brewed in a frenchpress and a pour-over, and the FC+ was brewed as French Press, Pour-over, and i pulled shots with it. Both roasts had an overwhelmingly large amount of acidity.. first, that surprised me, as supposedly this coffee has less acidity then most kenyas do, per Toms notes.. Now, I like bright coffees, but this was a lot... the city+ was obviously more dominated my the brightness, but the only thing I really noticed coming out of the FC+ besides a lot of brightness, was very sharp citrus, mostly lemon... It was almost as if it was astringent. The frenchpress lessened the acidity somewhat, but the cup tasted very muddy, with both roasts. All in all, I didnt like the coffee.. I was disappointed.

However, and this is the point of my post... Right now im drinking a cup, straight out of the roaster, of Kenya AB, full City.. About 2-3 snaps of 2C, and fan cooled immediately. And it is truly great! Which is so weird, because, I roasted them in my popper. This is the first coffee I have enjoyed out of the popper, any other roast, like Brazils, Yemens, Sumatras, El Salvs, Costa Rica, Gauts, Peruvian, and especially Ethiopians, have tasted way better using the HG/DB method. Im getting some really strong floral aroma out of the cup, and some real great, bright fruit.. Orange and watermelon is what im tasting, and there is a nice bittering chocolate taste as you swallow it, but the fruit stays... Its a very JUICY cup of coffee.

So, here is why I posted this. Does anyone have any explanation as to why the coffee out of the heatgun setup tasted overly acidic and bright, but the roast from the popper is very balanced and lots of fruit... When any other coffee i have roasted, is always more enjoyable to me out of the heatgun setup. When i use the heatgun, I start out with the gun at about 750, for 7 minutes.. then I ramp the gun up to 800 until the middle of 1C, and then I back the gun off back to 700, and stretch the window between 1C and 2C for anywhere from 2-4 minutes, and then ramp the temp of the gun to 850 until the roast is where I want it... This is for 2cups of green coffee, and a roast level of either full city, or a little darker, FC+. Now, the popper takes 3/4c of green, and the roast is done in under 9 minutes, with a window of about 45 seconds between 1C and 2C.

Does anyone have any ideas, why the faster, non-controllable roast came out better, then a method that is tried and true for pretty much every coffee I have roasted? I mean its like night and day.. I really didnt like the first pound of the AB, as much as I wanted too.. And this cup is just really awesome. I dont think I got a defective bag, but I suppose its possible, but other then that I cant Imagine why such a "primitive" roasting method produces a better cup then the method which produces some of the best coffee Ive ever had.

Sorry for the length.. This is just boggling my mind.

It's hard to fathom, and my best guess has a lot of assumptions: You are confusing astringency with acidity. You are roasting the Kenya much too slowly up to 300 and then up to the first crack on the HG/DB. And you are getting a DOA at first crack roast.

I know that sounds harsh, but over drying and/or baking happens to everyone quite often You can check by going two minutes faster to first crack on the HG/DB. Alternatively, just stick to the popper, since it's working well.

Thanks for the reply, Jim. Its more then possible I am confusing Acidity with Astringency.. As I see it, Acidity is a flavor, Astringency is a mouthfeel. If that makes sense...

Its interesting you say Im roasting it too slow, which is probably the best guess as to big difference in flavor... I wish I could give you some roast curves, but my new thermometer is taking absolutely FOREVER to get here.. Once it gets here Ill be able to attach a K-probe to the bowl as seen elsewhere on this site.. But this is probably the most likely cause. Now, its curious, because... When I roast a Brazil or a Sumatra, Those beans tend to like a slow roast.. Just to give you an idea, 2cups green, with 1st Crack starting around 10 minutes in... Maybe it is because those coffees, by nature, are just less acidic?

The reason I think that you're correct that I roasted it too slow, is because the roast with the popper, which ramps much quicker, tastes more balanced, and has flavors I can pick out. Im drinking a cup now, which I made with a Pour-over cone, and It is much better this way then in the press.. Another oddity, in that its RARE that I like drip coffee. This coffee is so different from everything Im used too.. I like it roasted in the popper AND as Drip coffee.. Two things that are always my least favorite for a particular bean.

Next time I roast some of this, Ill speed up the ramp to first crack. Also, what did you mean I was getting a DOA on first crack roast? Meaning I stalled the roast at first and stretched the window too long between 1C and 2C? Or that the coffee doesnt roast well at city+.

Thanks for the insight, I was hoping you would answer this one, as it really confused me.

For most people, acidity causes a puckering on the sides and lower tip of the tongue, while astringency does this too, adding pucker in the upper palate and throat. For instance, lemon peel is astringent, lemon is acidic; and the difference can be quite subtle with a very sweet coffee, where the acidity is not accompanied by a sour taste. It's easiest to tell with very light roasted, very cool coffee, close to room temp, where the acidity is acidic (crisp white wine or lemonade if it's good, just sour if it's bad) and the astringentcy causes a slight choking feeling at the back of the throat.

The difference is also subtle in terms of coffee growing -- the same compounds that create a nice acidity in ripe coffee create an unpleasant astringency in unripe coffee. A coffee with a mix of ripe and unripe beans will have a head scratching mix of acid and astringent flavors.